Preview: Champions Showdown
While we’re all looking forward to the upcoming World Championship Match, beginning on November 11th, we’ll simultaneously have the chance to watch two of America’s top players compete in an exciting exhibition against two former World Champions, starting the day before.
The Contenders
Fabiano Caruana
Fabiano Caruana at the U.S. Championships. Photo: Spectrum Studios
- Current Rating: 2823
- World Rank: 2nd
- Highest Rating Ever: 2844
- Greatest Achievements: 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist, 2016 U.S. Champion & 2014 Sinquefield Cup Champion
Fabiano Caruana has been on fire this year. He won the U.S. Championship on his debut and then led the American team to a gold medal at the Olympiad. He also tied for 1st place at both the Isle of Man Open and Gashimov Memorial. In addition, he was Sergey Karjakin’s main competitor in the Candidates Tournament. Caruana’s recent success has made him the clear number 2 in the world by rating---within 30 points of Carlsen.
Hikaru Nakamura
Hikaru Nakamura at the recent Isle of Man Open. Photo: Isle of Man International
- Current Rating: 2779
- World Rank: tied for 7th
- Peak Rating: 2816
- Greatest Achievements: 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist, Four-time U.S. Champion & 2011 Tata Steel Champion
Hikaru Nakamura has been one of the top grandmasters in American chess and one of the top 10 players in the world for many years. He began 2016 by winning both the Tradewise Gibraltar Open and Zurich Chess Challenge for the second time in a row.
In addition, Nakamura is 4th in the world in blitz chess and 2nd for rapid, making him the favorite for those segments of the competition.
Viswanathan Anand
Vishy Anand at Your Next Move, Grand Chess Tour. Photo: Spectrum Studios
- Current Rating: 2779
- World Rank: tied for 7th
- Peak Rating: 2817
- Greatest Achievements: 2007-2013 World Champion & 2000-2002 FIDE World Champion
Viswanathan Anand, the 15th World Champion, is a chess legend. He held the undisputed World Championship for 6 years and the FIDE World Championship for 2 years. His peak rating, 2817, is the 6th highest rating achieved in history. His vast World Championship-level experience makes him a great contender in the Champions Showdown.
“I always considered him [Anand] to be a colossal talent, one of the greatest in the whole history of chess.”
-Vladimir Kramnik
Veselin Topalov
Veselin Topalov at last year's Sinquefield Cup. Photo: St. Louis Chess Club
- Current Rating: 2760
- World Rank: 15th
- Peak Rating: 2816
- Greatest Achievement: 2005 FIDE World Champion
Veselin Topalov has the most aggressive playing style of any of the contenders. Because of this, he can be an entertaining and very competitive wild card to have in any field. He’s capable of fantastic tournament victories, such as Norway Chess in 2015 and the FIDE knockout World Championship in 2005. He was also the Board 1 gold medalist at the 2014 Olympiad.
The Showdown
The Champions Showdown takes place on November 10-14 and will feature 6 classical chess games, 6 rapid games, and 12 blitz games. Each phase will be round robin style, allowing for numerous games between each of the players in every time control. By the end of the 24-game marathon, who will come out victorious?
Watch live games and commentary on the Official Website, starting at 1 p.m. CST on November 10.
