Brian Jerauld
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
SAINT LOUIS (September 7, 2014) — GM Fabiano Caruana has won the 2014 Sinquefield Cup undefeated, besting the strongest-rated field in chess history by a three-game margin.
Caruana (8.5/10) went a record seven consecutive wins to start the U.S. super-tournament, then closed with three draws, including his final round match with GM Levon Aronian on Saturday. Considering the improbable streak and the caliber of opponents he achieved it against — all six players are among the world’s top-ten — Caruana’s performance in Saint Louis is already being argued as one of the best-ever.
The reigning World Champion GM Magnus Carlsen, who sarcastically referred to Caruana’s performance as “depressing” to thunderous laughter in the post-event press conference, took second place with 5.5/10. In the tenth and final round, last year’s Sinquefield Cup winner Carlsen found his way into an early and easy draw-by-repetition with the only player who could have challenged him for second place, GM Veselin Topalov. Carlsen won $75,000.
Topalov (5/10), who had begun the tournament with two straight losses, settled for $50,000 in clear third. Aronian (4/10) finished tied for fourth with GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, both winning $35,000 for their efforts. GM Hikaru Nakamura (3/10) drew with Vachier-Lagrave in the final round to earn $20,000.
FINAL STANDINGS
Final Standings Rank Name Rating Score
1 GM Fabiano Caruana 2801 8.5
2 GM Magnus Carlsen 2877 5.5
3 GM Veselin Topalov 2772 5
4 GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2768 4
5 GM Levon Aronian 2805 4
6 GM Hikaru Nakamura 2787 3
While the tournament is over, excitement is not, as two bonus events are to follow. On Monday, September 8, a special exhibition titled “Ultimate Moves” will feature teams of amateurs paired with Grandmasters, who will alternate moves and play through a knockout bracket.
Tuesday’s exhibition will be a six-game friendly between GMs Levon Aronian and Hikaru Nakamura, playing the popular chess variant of Chess960, also known as FischerRandom Chess. Both players are former World Champions to the variant.
Last year’s inaugural Sinquefield Cup, which featured Carlsen, Aronian, Nakamura and American’ No. 2 Gata Kamsky, became the strongest tournament ever held on U.S. soil. The 2014 player field featured six of the top-ten players in the world and averaged a historical 2802 rating, with a prize fund that totaled $315,000.
This oatzer got lucky Nakamura is off on his game. Naka will pulverized this toddler the next time they meet.
Nakamura will teach this kid a chess lessons he has never played before the next time they face. Naka is much much way better smarter than this kid.
No way. Nakamura in US Chess League is more impressive.
The most impressive tourney performance I have seen since Karpov destroyed the Linares field sometime in the mid 90s.
Nakamura has more solid resume than Carjacker. So it shows that Naka is way way much better and smarter than this pretender who gets lucky once in a while. All of you brainless hogs are blind.
Schedule a match one on one between this toddler and Nakamura and guaranteed Naka will prevail by big margin. Naka will destroy and toy with this thick wearing gkasses wannabe with fanfare. Amen to that.
Watch out for Nakamura in his next tournament and you be the judge who is the best player in chess. You don’t count him out with one loss, idiots. Your mama educated you but you never use your brain. One good performance does not mean you will be consistent forever.
Consistent sub par performance for Naka playing among the elite will make him better the next time they meet?? You fu****n idiot is hallucinating, maybe high on drugs…
This carjacker is a real thief. He stole this tournament and everybody condone his unethical criminal behavior. Unluckily, Naka, with distraction, I guess, was unable to stop the thievery of this scamboy. He will punished him dearly the next time they meet.
This Naka basher is one and the same. A really sorry sicko.
Caruana is superb, a rising super star.