Kortchnoi Zurich Chess Challenge Opens in Savoy Hotel

Hikaru Nakamura won the blitz warm-up.

On Wednesday, April 12, the famous Savoy Hotel hosted an opening ceremony of the traditional supertournament Zurich Chess Challenge, which is dedicated this year to the outstanding chess warrior Viktor Korchnoi. 

The participants are Vishy Anand (India), Vladimir Kramnik (Russia), Hikaru Nakamura (USA), Boris Gelfand (Israel), Ian Nepomniachthi (Russia), Peter Svidler (Russia), Grigory Oparin (Russia), Yannick Pelletier (Switzerland). The event is a double round round-robin; the first half is played with a neoclassical time control (45 minutes plus 30 seconds per move), the second half is rapid (10 minutes plus 5 seconds per move). The scoring formula for the first half is 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, while in rapid a more standard chess scoring is used. 

After a moment of silence in the memory of Viktor Lvovich Korchnoi, and welcome speeches of the Zurich Chess Club President Christen Issler, and main organizer and sponsor of the event Oleg Skvorstov, an hour-long concert ensued. The world-famous musicians Boris Andrianov (cello), Dmitry Illarionov (guitar), Ilya Gringoltz (violin), and Leonard Schreiber (violin) played several chamber pieces are received ovation from the audience. 


A blitz tournament, both for warming the players up and drawing the lots, followed. The outcome:

Nakamura, Gelfand – 4.5
Kramnik – 4
Nepomniachtchi, Anand – 3.5
Oparin – 3
Svidler, Pelletier – 2.5

The players picked up the following starting numbers: Nakamura – 4, Gelfand – 3, Kramnik – 1, Nepomniachtchi – 2, Anand – 8, Oparin – 6, Svidler – 7, Pelletier – 5.

Official site