Chess 9LX: Caruana on 3/3, Kasparov beats Dominguez

10/29/2024 – The rise of chess960, Bobby Fischer's favoured variant, continues with a new edition of the Chess 9LX event in Saint Louis. Legendary Garry Kasparov returns to compete against elite players, including newly crowned US Champion Fabiano Caruana, who leads the standings after a perfect opening day. Meanwhile, top rivals Hikaru Nakamura, Sam Sevian, and Wesley So are sharing second place. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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Newfound appreciation

Bobby Fischer would surely be pleased to see that the chess variant he advocated for, now commonly known as chess960, is steadily gaining popularity in the chess world. Over two decades ago, Hans-Walter Schmitt held notable chess960 events in Mainz, demonstrating early support for this unique approach to the game. FIDE's official Fischer Random World Championships in 2019 and 2022 further legitimised this variant, while Jan-Henric Buettner and former world champion Magnus Carlsen have rebranded it as "Freestyle Chess", lending their own influence to promote it globally. This increased recognition reflects a new appreciation for Fischer’s vision, bringing creativity and fresh challenges to modern chess.
The Saint Louis Chess Club has also contributed significantly to the rise of chess960 by hosting the annual Chess 9LX event since 2019. This year's edition includes an exciting lineup, with legendary player Garry Kasparov once again joining top international competitors for nine rounds of rapid chess960, played at a 20+10 time control. Last year, Kasparov scored 3/9, achieving memorable victories against Wesley So and Ray Robson. In this year's opening rounds, he started with a varied result - a win, a draw, and a loss - claiming victory over the 2021 champion, Leinier Dominguez in the first round.
Between 2004 and 2007 the 13th World Champion Garry Kasparov recorded a large 3-volume Najdorf video course. ChessBase is publishing this great classic in a complete edition in the current ChessBase Media format. Look forward to this classic of chess!

Currently leading the standings is Fabiano Caruana, fresh from winning his fourth US Championship title. Caruana had an impeccable first day, achieving three consecutive victories against Grigoriy Oparin, Sam Shankland and fellow title contender Hikaru Nakamura. Nakamura is tied for second place with Sam Sevian - the defending champion - and Wesley So, with each scoring 2/3 and trailing Caruana by a full point.
On day two, Garry Kasparov, now 61 years old, faces a challenging set of opponents: Oparin, Shankland, and Nakamura. Fans are surely eager to see whether he can regain momentum and showcase his timeless skill against these younger talents.
Garry Kasparov
The inimitable Garry Kasparov | Photo: Lennart Ootes