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London chess classic
Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:19 am
by soheil_hooshdaran
Hi.
The 2018 event is a knock-out event? Every section is?
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:35 am
by David Sedgwick
soheil_hooshdaran wrote: ↑Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:19 am
Hi.
The 2018 event is a knock-out event? Every section is?
No. The main event will be a four player knock out, but the Festival will have a similar format to previous years.
I have seen an early proof of the entry form.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:37 am
by Roger de Coverly
soheil_hooshdaran wrote: ↑Mon Aug 13, 2018 9:19 am
Hi.
The 2018 event is a knock-out event? Every section is?
Schedules have yet to be announced. Assuming there's enough days, I would anticipate the supporting events to be 5 and 9 round Swiss tournaments as usual.
(as confirmed by David Sedgwick)
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 12:15 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
Thinking about this, while looking over the history of the London Chess Classic, the format this year will be different to the 'normal' format of a round robin classical super-GM tournament between 8, 8, 9, 9, [n/a], 6, 10, 10, 10 players (for the nine editions in the years 2009 to 2017, with the 2013 edition being the Super Rapidplay format). This year (2018) will be different again, with it being the Finals of the Grand Chess Tour. It will also be the tenth London Chess Classic.
It also means that only four of the super GMs will be contesting the main event. I am wondering when the line-ups will be announced for the other events and how strong they will be? Can we expect to see strong GMs (such as those competing in the Grand Chess Tour but not qualified for the Finals) or those who participated in previous years? Players such as Anand, Adams and others? Or is it more likely that the main Open event will be of a similar standard to previous years (Sargissian, Maze, Bacrot, etc.)?
Maybe it is too early to know, and it won't be until we know who has qualified for the GCT Finals (i.e. after the Sinquefield Cup has finished) that entries will be open and we will see who will enter the Open. Unless the prize fund is increased, the Open will probably be the same sort of standard as previous years, I'd guess. No real incentive for a super-GM to try and win it.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sun Aug 19, 2018 12:59 pm
by LawrenceCooper
Christopher Kreuzer wrote: ↑Sun Aug 19, 2018 12:15 pm
Thinking about this, while looking over the history of the London Chess Classic, the format this year will be different to the 'normal' format of a round robin classical super-GM tournament between 8, 8, 9, 9, [n/a], 6, 10, 10, 10 players (for the nine editions in the years 2009 to 2017, with the 2013 edition being the Super Rapidplay format). This year (2018) will be different again, with it being the Finals of the Grand Chess Tour. It will also be the tenth London Chess Classic.
It also means that only four of the super GMs will be contesting the main event. I am wondering when the line-ups will be announced for the other events and how strong they will be? Can we expect to see strong GMs (such as those competing in the Grand Chess Tour but not qualified for the Finals) or those who participated in previous years? Players such as Anand, Adams and others? Or is it more likely that the main Open event will be of a similar standard to previous years (Sargissian, Maze, Bacrot, etc.)?
Maybe it is too early to know, and it won't be until we know who has qualified for the GCT Finals (i.e. after the Sinquefield Cup has finished) that entries will be open and we will see who will enter the Open. Unless the prize fund is increased, the Open will probably be the same sort of standard as previous years, I'd guess. No real incentive for a super-GM to try and win it.
I would guess at the open being much the same and Adams in the British K/O (if the event is taking place).
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 2:40 pm
by LawrenceCooper
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2018 2:53 pm
by Roger de Coverly
The usual Olympia venue.
Open: 9 rounds over 8 days from 9th December (Sunday) to 16th December. Double round day Saturday 15th for rounds 7 and 8. 16:30 start except round 1 which is 14:30 and round 7 and 9 which are 10:00.
Weekday tournaments (5 rounds) : Sunday 9th to Thursday 13th.
Weekend tournaments (5 rounds) : Friday 14th to Sunday 16th.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:56 pm
by Roger de Coverly
It appears it's only the final weekend (and the Monday following) when there's any GCT action in Olympia.
(Saturday) December 15 14.00 Finals Classic Game 1 London Olympia
(Sunday) December 16 14.00 Finals Classic Game 2 London Olympia
(Monday) December 17 14.00 Finals Rapid & Blitz, Playoffs (If Required)
The missing piece of the jigsaw of events is whether there will be anything in the Theatre (and commentary) from Sunday 9th to Friday 14th.
GCT Semi Finals are at Google's HQ in Kings Cross on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 11:28 pm
by David Sedgwick
Roger de Coverly wrote: ↑Sat Aug 25, 2018 10:56 pm
It appears it's only the final weekend (and the Monday following) when there's any GCT action in Olympia.
(Saturday) December 15 14.00 Finals Classic Game 1 London Olympia
(Sunday) December 16 14.00 Finals Classic Game 2 London Olympia
(Monday) December 17 14.00 Finals Rapid & Blitz, Playoffs (If Required)
The missing piece of the jigsaw of events is whether there will be anything in the Theatre (and commentary) from Sunday 9th to Friday 14th.
GCT Semi Finals are at Google's HQ in Kings Cross on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
I have started a separate thread at
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=9813 for the Grand Chess Tour Finals.
"The missing piece of the jigsaw of events is whether there will be anything in the Theatre (and commentary) from Sunday 9th to Friday 14th."
I think that the Auditorium will only be used for the CSC children's events during that period.
There will of course be online commentary from St Louis.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sat Aug 25, 2018 11:48 pm
by Roger de Coverly
David Sedgwick wrote: ↑Sat Aug 25, 2018 11:28 pm
I think that the Auditorium will only be used for the CSC children's events during that period.
There will of course be online commentary ffom St Louis.
I think this is suggesting that for those who wish to both play and be spectators it's only available on the second weekend. For those just spectators there's the Monday as well.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 6:43 am
by Richard Bates
It’ll be interesting to see if the absence (in the main) of the GCT from Olympia will have an effect on numbers wanting to play in the Fide Open etc.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 8:14 am
by LawrenceCooper
A shame also that there's no room in the schedule for blitz or rapid but with them only having the venue from the first Sunday onwards I guess it was a straight choice between a weekender or a blitz/rapid.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 10:46 am
by Alex Holowczak
LawrenceCooper wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 8:14 am
A shame also that there's no room in the schedule for blitz or rapid but with them only having the venue from the first Sunday onwards I guess it was a straight choice between a weekender or a blitz/rapid.
We can't reasonably hold a Rapid/Blitz at the same time as the FIDE Open. We might have had a Rapid on the final Sunday a bit like we had one on the Saturday last year, but then we're into the position of either having a weekender or rapid once again.
There were lots of complaints about there being no weekend tournament last year, so we decided to plump for that.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 10:48 am
by Alex Holowczak
Richard Bates wrote: ↑Sun Aug 26, 2018 6:43 am
It’ll be interesting to see if the absence (in the main) of the GCT from Olympia will have an effect on numbers wanting to play in the Fide Open etc.
It will. We're expecting it to be full on the final weekend. You may have noticed that the entry fee pricing of the weekday tournaments compared with the weekend tournaments.
Re: London chess classic
Posted: Sun Aug 26, 2018 1:36 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
Is the British Knockout Championship taking place or not? It started in 2015, and took place in 2016 and 2017 as well. But not this year, it seems. Should the assumption be that it is not taking place?