Clutch Chess: Battle of Legends Begins
The state-of-the-art playing halls at the Saint Louis Chess Club will host a historic showdown between two of the most influential and greatest chess players of all time—Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand. As part of the inaugural Clutch Chess series, starting October 8, 2025, these former world champions will face off in Chess960 (Fischer Random/Freestyle Chess) over three days.
Viswanathan Anand, who consistently challenged Kasparov at his peak, is now semi-retired while serving as FIDE Deputy President. Despite his retirement, Anand makes time for select events, with his most recent being the 38th Leon Masters. Garry Kasparov, retired for 20 years, continues to compete in rapid, blitz, and Chess960 events. The two legends will battle it out in a long match, their first since the 1995 World Championship, playing 12 Chess960 games (6 rapid and 6 blitz) with a unique point system:
- On Day 1, a win shall be worth 1 point, a draw 0.5 point, and a loss 0 points.
- On Day 2, a win shall be worth 2 points, a draw 1 point, and a loss 0 points.
- On Day 3, a win shall be worth 3 points, a draw 1.5 points, and a loss 0 points.
Time Control
Rapid: 25 minutes + 10 seconds increment from move 1
Blitz: 5 minutes + 3 seconds increment from move 1
The match offers a substantial prize fund of $144,000 (Winner: $70,000, Runner-Up: $50,000, Bonus: $24,000). The games begin tonight, October 8, 2025, at 8:00 PM UTC. This legendary Kasparov-Anand clash will be followed by the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown, featuring Carlsen, Nakamura, Caruana, and World Champion Gukesh D, starting October 25.
The event can be followed on Saint Louis Chess Club’s YouTube channel.
