Published on: Aug 22, 2025 07:55 am IST
Viswanathan Anand and Garry Kasparov in an exhibition Chess960 event this year.
Viswanathan Anand is set to face Garry Kasparov in a special exhibition match in October this year. The exhibition match will be called ‘Clutch Chess’, and both players will take on each other in a Chess960 match, which will consist of 12 games. It is part of the St. Louis Chess Club’s reopening of its newly expanded campus.
There will also be a rapid tournament which will feature Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and D Gukesh as participants.
Anand and Kasparov’s match will be played between October 7 and 11, and will have a 144,000 USD prize fund. The pair will also play games in the rapid and blitz time controls.
Speaking in a press release, Kasparov said, “Saint Louis has become the beating heart of global chess. The vision, the commitment, and the passion for the game here are unmatched anywhere in the world. It’s an honor to return and play in a city that has redefined what it means to support and grow the chess community.”
Regarding the rapid tournament, the press release revealed, “With $412,000 in prize money, including daily win bonuses and a Champion’s Jackpot, the stakes have never been higher. The event’s 18-game rapid double round-robin format (10 minutes plus a 5-second increment) will feature escalating point values each day: Wins are worth 1 point on Day 1, 2 points on Day 2 and 3 points on Day 3–a comeback-friendly format that cultivates increased tension and fan excitement into the very last round.”
