Other Events
I haven't covered them (and don't intend to), but that doesn't mean others might not be interested. So here are some ongoing and just-finished events readers might be curious about.
1. Moscow-St. Petersburg: This is a 10-board, 2-day event taking place in Moscow, and it's enormously strong. There are six 2700s participating (Morozevich, Vitiugov, Nepomniachtchi, Jakovenko, Dreev and Malakhov), along with some near- and ex-2700s, including former FIDE world champion Khalifman. After the first day, the score is 5-5. (Good coverage on TWIC.)
2. Shenzhen Women's Grand Prix: After 9 of 11 rounds, women's world champion Hou Yifan leads with 7 points, good for a one-point lead over Anna Muzychuk. It's another fine result for Hou (at least so far!), who has recovered from some bumpy results and seems ready for her championship match with Humpy Koneru, scheduled to start in early November.
3. Kings vs. Queens: This event in St. Louis resembled the Amber tournaments in Monaco and Nice, except that instead of blindfold games the participants prefaced their rapid battles with Chess 960. Hikaru Nakamura was the top scorer overall with 9.5/10; the top female scorer was the well-known Swiss player Alexandra Kosteniuk with 5.5. Overall, the men won this Schveningen-style competition by a decisive 31.5-18.5 margin. (Anatoly Karpov and Judit Polgar were originally scheduled to play, and were replaced by expert Kevin Cao and IM Martica Fierro, both of whom finished with 2.5 points apiece. Cao, by far the lowest-rated player in the event, was the only player on the men's squad with a minus score; everyone else on his team finished with at least six points.)
4. USCL: The 2011/12 season of the United States Chess League got underway several weeks ago; this Monday will see the start of week 4.
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