Exciting Chess Events at London Chess Classic 2013 Live Today: Showbiz Celebrities, Chess Amateurs and Stars!

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

The Pro-Am Cup and Pro-Business Cup started is being held at the London Chess Classic 2013 today. This special chess event - before the start of the main GM event - includes amateurs and businessmen players paired with chess professionals in teams.

The Pro-Celebrity Challenge starts at 14:00 local time (15:00 CET) and includes showbiz stars. Games will be played with 10 minutes and 10 seconds on the clock and broadcast live. Lawrence Trent and Malcolm Pein will officiate. Each winning team receive £5000 for their favourite charity.

Confirmed celebrity line-up

Edgar Davids: Dutch footballing legend whose club career took him to Ajax, Juventus and Spurs, and included 74 international caps for Holland. His dreadlocked hair and protective goggles made Davids one of the most recognisable players of his generation.

Alex Zane: Alex is an English television personality and DJ best known for presenting Rube Tube on Channel 4. Alex was a guest at the 2010 London Chess Classic.

Shingai Shoniwa: Singer and bassist for the Noisettes, an English indie rock band from London who are best known for the single “Don’t Upset the Rhythm (Go Baby Go)”.

* Alex Zane has opted to give charity for Community Links
* Shingai Shoniwa has asked for her prize to go to the Philippines appeal
* Edgar Davids has his own foundation @Fountain

1st Pro-Am Cup

Four amateur players have bid to play with a chess legend in a rapid format game at the London Chess Classic on Tuesday 10 December. The winning bidders have been paired with top flight GM and will face another PRO-AM team across the board. The 1st London Chess Classic PRO-AM takes place at 10.30 in the auditorium at Olympia.

All proceeds go to support the charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC).

The players get to discuss tactics with the GM before hand but once underway there is no conferring. The GM and amateur make alternate moves. The games will broadcast live on the web and to the theatre audience so no pressure then !

The time limit will be 25 minutes plus 10 seconds per move

The pairings are:
Vladimir Kramnik Pro – Am Ravi Mansharamani
Judit Polgar Pro – Am Robert Mitchell
Luke McShane Pro – Am TBA
Nigel Short Pro – Am Rajko Vujatovic

Pro-Business Cup
UK charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC) has this year launched a new micro-tournament as part of its flagship event, the London Chess Classic, which sees the world’s leading chess players descend on London’s Olympia Exhibition Centre in December for a week of top class matches.

This year’s event, the fifth annual edition of the prestigious Classic, will challenge top business minds to face off against the best chess players in the world in the Pro-Business-Chess-Cup.

The tournament will give business leaders the chance to team up with one of the world’s top chess Grandmasters and take on other Pro-Business pairings. Pro players include the UK’s youngest ever Grandmaster and current British Chess Champion David Howell; twice British Champion and speed chess specialist, Matthew Sadler; the youngest ever Italian or American Grandmaster Fabiano Caruano; and, British Grandmaster and Commonwealth Champion, Gawain Jones.

For more details check out the London Chess Classic official website.

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