Sinquefield Cup: Ding and Gukesh compete in the first round
A prelude to the World Cup fight
Just three days after Alireza Firouzja won the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz tournament in style, the final leg of the 2024 Grand Chess Tour begins in the chess capital of the United States. The Sinquefield Cup will determine the winner of the annual series. All 9 “regulars” of the tour will take part in a single round-robin tournament with classical time control at the Saint Louis Chess Club together with World Champion Ding Liren.
One of the tour’s “regulars” is D Gukesh, the 18-year-old who surprised the chess world earlier this year by winning the Candidates Tournament. The Indian star has thus secured the right to challenge Ding Liren in the upcoming World Championship match. If Gukesh beats his Chinese counterpart, he will become the youngest world champion in chess history. This record is currently held by Garry Kasparov, who won the title in 1985 at the age of 22.
Attack like a super grandmaster
In this Fritztrainer: Attack Like a Super GM with Gukesh, we cover all aspects of his game, with a special focus on how you can become a better attacking player.
According to the draw, the two contenders for the match will face off in the first round, with Ding receiving the white pieces. Just over three months after their match in Saint Louis, on November 23, Ding and Gukesh will meet again at Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore, where a 14-game confrontation will decide who will hold the crown of world champion for the next two years or so.
In addition to the preliminary match, the Sinquefield Cup will also see Alireza Firouzja and Fabiano Caruana battle it out for first place in the 2024 Grand Chess Tour – and a $100,000 bonus prize. Firouzja took the lead in the overall standings after his win last week, but Caruana is less than 4 points behind him in second place. Wesley So still has a theoretical – albeit very slim – chance of winning the series.
Participants of the Sinquefield Cup
Rankings at the Grand Chess Tour
