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Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 2:09 pm
by Matt Mackenzie
I'm just pleased it is going to be in London.

Might even try to make a visit, which would be a first for me (attending a WC event I mean, not going to our capital)

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 2:45 pm
by Tim Harding
It seems to be a Ticketmaster job unless you preregistered with WorldChess.

They appear not to be offering tickets for the first game. It says
World Chess Championship - Round 2
The College
London, GB Sat 10/11/18
15:00
presale begins:Thu 02/08/18
10:00 until 0900 Friday (Presumably this is for people who registered with Worldchess?)

Then regular sale starts 10am Friday.
Very little information e.g. prices or how to book if you want a different round.
Maybe it will become clearer on Friday.

Probably I won't go anyway (as it starts only a few days before the World Seniors)

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:07 pm
by David Robertson
Jonathan Bryant wrote:
Wed Aug 01, 2018 1:10 pm
Chris Rice wrote:
Mon Jul 30, 2018 5:46 pm
In response to Danny King offering to stage the World Chess Championship in his front room, World Chess tweeted:
"Hi! We will keep it in mind:) But the venue will be announced this week!"
Somewhat to my surprise, apparently it has been >> https://twitter.com/leonwatson/status/1 ... 61283?s=21
Here it is, looking every bit an amalgam of dungeon, bath-house, and location for Midnight Express

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:28 pm
by Brian Towers
David Robertson wrote:
Wed Aug 01, 2018 3:07 pm
Here it is, looking every bit an amalgam of dungeon, bath-house, and location for Midnight Express
Looks like the perfect location for a Simon Williams organised blitz event.

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 4:58 pm
by Tim Harding
Just received an email from Worldchess, as follows.
We are very happy to announce The College, a breath-taking historic building in the heart of London as the venue for the FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018!

The 10,000-square foot space in Holborn will host 400 people each day to see Magnus Carlsen defend his world title against US challenger Fabiano Caruana. The much-anticipated match will be held in London from 9th to 28th November.

Ticket prices range from £45 to £100, with over 4,500 fans already registering for pre-order on TicketMaster and worldchess.com. All ticket holders will automatically receive premium digital access to the whole tournament and will be able to follow the games live as if they were in the room with the Grandmasters. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, August 3.

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 9:00 pm
by Nick Grey
Hope that the IT infrastructure can get set up for it to work. Plenty of hotels in the area.

It also begs the question whether the venue is available some time in the future over the summer for the British Chess Championship.

The central line is very poor anyway & not expecting to be OK until about 2030. Enough problems on some of the other tube line. Buses OK but suggest it may be quicker to walk. It has taken a lot longer than previously to travel to & from Lon League fixtures last season.

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2018 10:01 pm
by Roger de Coverly
Nick Grey wrote:
Wed Aug 01, 2018 9:00 pm
It also begs the question whether the venue is available some time in the future over the summer for the British Chess Championship.
The cost of hire is unlikely to be one that the ECF felt it could justify. For that matter the British Championship Congress hasn't been in London since 1948.

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:22 am
by Trefor Owens
I, like many chess enthusiasts, would love to book tickets for the Match in London, especially as the venue looks great.
However i wonder if it is wise to part with cash before we see what happens at the Sinquefield Cup?

Just in case the match is suddenly 'transferred' across the pond

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:39 am
by benedgell
Tim Harding wrote:
Wed Aug 01, 2018 4:58 pm
Just received an email from Worldchess, as follows.
We are very happy to announce The College, a breath-taking historic building in the heart of London as the venue for the FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018!

The 10,000-square foot space in Holborn will host 400 people each day to see Magnus Carlsen defend his world title against US challenger Fabiano Caruana. The much-anticipated match will be held in London from 9th to 28th November.

Ticket prices range from £45 to £100, with over 4,500 fans already registering for pre-order on TicketMaster and worldchess.com. All ticket holders will automatically receive premium digital access to the whole tournament and will be able to follow the games live as if they were in the room with the Grandmasters. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, August 3.
£45- £100 seems a bit too expensive, especially if you have to travel from a decent distance away. Imagine if you go, they blast out a load of pre- prepared theory, then agree a draw inside a couple of hours?

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:11 am
by David Sedgwick
Trefor Owens wrote:
Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:22 am
I, like many chess enthusiasts, would love to book tickets for the Match in London, especially as the venue looks great.
However i wonder if it is wise to part with cash before we see what happens at the Sinquefield Cup?

Just in case the match is suddenly 'transferred' across the pond
From the list of decisions taken at the recent meeting of the FIDE Presidential Board:

"To confirm the new deadline of 15 August for the signing of the players’ contracts for WCCM in London 2018."

The Opening Ceremony of the Sinquefield Cup is on 17th August.

Make of that what you will.

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:23 am
by Graham Borrowdale
David Sedgwick wrote:
Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:11 am
Trefor Owens wrote:
Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:22 am
I, like many chess enthusiasts, would love to book tickets for the Match in London, especially as the venue looks great.
However i wonder if it is wise to part with cash before we see what happens at the Sinquefield Cup?

Just in case the match is suddenly 'transferred' across the pond
From the list of decisions taken at the recent meeting of the FIDE Presidential Board:

"To confirm the new deadline of 15 August for the signing of the players’ contracts for WCCM in London 2018."

The Opening Ceremony of the Sinquefield Cup is on 17th August.

Make of that what you will.
What I make of it is that it would be prudent to not book tickets until the players have signed the contracts.
As to whether £45-£100 is too high a price, it depends partly on what the difference between the two ends of the range is - restricted view? At the Short-Kasparov match, if I remember, the ticket allowed general admission to the auditorium (but not a specific seat) and the analysis room. As ever, the market will decide, but I am assuming they have not sold out just yet.

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:33 am
by Roger de Coverly
benedgell wrote:
Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:39 am
£45- £100 seems a bit too expensive, especially if you have to travel from a decent distance away.
Ray Keene's prices for the Kasparov-Short match at the Savoy back in 1993 also seemed expensive. So much so that they failed to sell and had to be discounted to attempt to fill the venue. From what I recall, even if you purchased later, you got a seat. I think it was reserved, but even at a weekend the venue wasn't at capacity.


According to the wiki entry, the Savoy had a seating capacity of over 1000.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Savoy_Theatre

4,500 is getting on for a third of the active players on the ECF grading list, but I'd imagine a fair amount of interest from non-UK chess tourists looking for an excuse to visit London.

It's a drop in the ocean compared to Agon's belief of 600,000,000 world chess players interested in the match.

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 9:54 pm
by Tim Harding
benedgell wrote:
Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:39 am
Tim Harding wrote:
Wed Aug 01, 2018 4:58 pm
Just received an email from Worldchess, as follows.
We are very happy to announce The College, a breath-taking historic building in the heart of London as the venue for the FIDE World Chess Championship Match 2018!

The 10,000-square foot space in Holborn will host 400 people each day to see Magnus Carlsen defend his world title against US challenger Fabiano Caruana. The much-anticipated match will be held in London from 9th to 28th November.

Ticket prices range from £45 to £100, with over 4,500 fans already registering for pre-order on TicketMaster and worldchess.com. All ticket holders will automatically receive premium digital access to the whole tournament and will be able to follow the games live as if they were in the room with the Grandmasters. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, August 3.
£45- £100 seems a bit too expensive, especially if you have to travel from a decent distance away. Imagine if you go, they blast out a load of pre- prepared theory, then agree a draw inside a couple of hours?
See the bit I quoted above about ticket prices including free online access for the whole match. On that basis £45 is not so unreasonable perhaps. A lot depends on whether their online coverage is any good, and whether Agon/worldchess succeed in blocking chess24 etc. from covering the match. (Presumably they will not be able to block the moves but it's possible the only video and most up-to-date feed of the moves may be on the official site.)

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:56 pm
by Jonathan Bryant
Roger de Coverly wrote:
Thu Aug 02, 2018 11:33 am
It's a drop in the ocean compared to Agon's belief of 600,000,000 world chess players interested in the match.
I'm quite sure that Agon don't believe this.

Re: 2018 World Championship in London?

Posted: Fri Aug 03, 2018 12:12 am
by Chris Rice
Peter Doggers gives us some more detail on the venue. Plus....

With his usual bravado, Merenzon claimed in the press release that there are "millions of chess fans in the UK" and that the 2016 match in New York had a total audience "reaching a record-breaking 1.5 billion people."