2014 Sinquefield Cup to Become Strongest Chess Tournament in History

ST. LOUIS, Aug. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — The 2014 Sinquefield Cup will be the highest-rated tournament in the history of chess, bringing six of the world’s top-nine Grandmasters together at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).

Last year, the inaugural super-tournament thrilled spectators as the strongest chess competition ever held on U.S. soil. For its 2014 encore, beginning August 27 to September 7, the tournament will be the strongest ever held on earth, its six players averaging a historical peak FIDE rating of 2802.

World Champion Magnus Carlsen, winner of the 2013 Sinquefield Cup, will return to defend his title against an expanded field. This year’s prestigious event will award $100,000 to its winner, part of a $315,000 total prize fund.

Returning with Carlsen is Armenia’s Levon Aronian and the United States’ Hikaru Nakamura, respectively the World’s No. 2 and No. 5 players. New challengers to the Sinquefield Cup include Italy’s Fabiano Caruana, Bulgaria’s Veselin Topalov and France’s Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.


World Rank
Name
Age
Country
Rating
No. 1
Magnus Carlsen
23
Norway
2877
No. 2
Levon Aronian
31
Armenia
2805
No. 3
Fabiano Caruana
22
Italy
2801
No. 5
Hikaru Nakamura
26
U.S.A
2787
No. 8
Veselin Topalov
39
Bulgaria
2772
No. 9
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave
23
France
2768


The 2014 Sinquefield Cup will be a six-player, double round-robin tournament, with additional special events for spectators. The main event will be followed by two bonus events: Ultimate Moves, to be held Monday, September 8; and Ultimate Showdown on Tuesday, September 9.

The CCSCSL, located in the historic Central West End neighborhood of Saint Louis, has hosted the U.S. Chess Championships for six consecutive years, helping to solidify the city as the pre-eminent chess destination in the United States. Also home to the World Chess Hall of Fame and the Guinness World Record largest chess piece, Saint Louiswas recently recognized by the U.S. Senate as the Nation’s Capital of Chess.

Tickets to the 2014 Sinquefield Cup start at $15 per round, but discounted ticket packages are available at $65 for five rounds or $100 for all ten rounds of the event. For more information on the event, including the full schedule, ticket information and lodging details, visit www.USChessChamps.com.

Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL)

Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
Susan Polgar August 21, 2014 Chess Improvement, General News, Scholastic Chess 1 Comment
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