Zurich Chess Challenge

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The Zurich Chess Challenge 2012 was a six-game chess match between Vladimir Kramnik (Russia) and Levon Aronian (Armenia) from 21 to 28 April 2012.{{Cite web |url=http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/4-tournaments/5920-zurich-chess-challenge-kramnik-vs-aronian.html |title=FIDE: Zurich Chess Challenge: Kramnik vs. Aronian |access-date=2013-04-28 |archive-date=2013-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131009045846/http://www.fide.com/component/content/article/4-tournaments/5920-zurich-chess-challenge-kramnik-vs-aronian.html |url-status=dead }}[http://crestbook.com/node/1687 Crestbook: Zurich Chess Challenge 2012] Each player won one game and there were four draws.

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Italy's Fabiano Caruana won the Zurich Chess Challenge 2013 which took place from 23 February to 1 March 2013.[http://www.chessdom.com/caruana-wins-zurich-chess-challenge-2013/ ChessDom: Fabiano Caruana wins Zurich Chess Challenge 2013][http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/caruana-wins-zurich-chess-challenge-anand-second ChessVibes: Caruana wins Zurich Chess Challenge, Anand second] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130513234453/http://www.chessvibes.com/reports/caruana-wins-zurich-chess-challenge-anand-second |date=May 13, 2013 }}[http://www.chess.com/news/caruana-wins-zurich-chess-challenge-2013-8066 ChessNews: Caruana Wins Zurich Chess Challenge]

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The Zurich Chess Challenge 2014 took place from 29 January to 4 February 2014. The average rating of its participants is 2801, the highest ever at the time, and it is also the first category 23 tournament ever.{{cite web|url=http://en.chessbase.com/post/zurich-2014-a-few-hours-away|title=Zurich 2014 a few hours away|last=Ramirez|first=Alejandro|date=2014-01-29|publisher=ChessBase|access-date=31 January 2014}} Magnus Carlsen won the tournament.

The opening day included five rounds of blitz to decide the draw, which was won by Carlsen. The main tournament consists of five rounds of classical chess and finally five rounds of rapid chess on the closure day.[http://www.chessdom.com/zurich-chess-challenge-2014/ ChessDom: Zurich Chess Challenge 2014][http://theweekinchess.com/chessnews/events/zurich-chess-challenge-2014 The Week in Chess: Zurich Chess Challenge 2014]

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For games that ended in a draw in under 40 moves, a subsequent rapid game between the two players was mandatory, although these particular rapid games had no relevance to the tournament standings. Two such games were played: Gelfand–Aronian (0–1) in the third round and Gelfand–Nakamura (1–0) in the fifth round.

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The combined final score for the tournament was calculated by scoring each game in the classical competition on a 2–1–0 basis and each game in the rapid competition on a 1–½–0 basis.

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The 2015 tournament featured Fabiano Caruana, Viswanathan Anand, Vladimir Kramnik, Levon Aronian, Sergey Karjakin and Hikaru Nakamura. The tournament was held from 13-19 February 2015 at the Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville in Zurich.{{cite web|title=Zurich Chess Challenge 2015 Announced, Carlsen Not Playing|url=http://www.chess.com/news/zurich-chess-challenge-2015-announced-carlsen-not-playing-4560|website=chess.com|date=22 September 2014 |access-date=22 September 2014}}

A Blitz Tournament determined the colors distribution on the first day of the tournament (Friday, February 13, 2015).[http://www.zurich-cc.com/results.html Official website "ZURICH CHESS CHALLENGE 2015"] After the opening, 5 classical games were played following by another 5 rapid games on the last day of the tournament. The rules stated that wins (2 points) and draws (1) count double for classical games, with a draw before move 40 “punished” by an extra rapid game.

Vishy Anand and Hikaru Nakamura ended up with 9 points. For determining the winner, although it was said before that the previous games between two must decide the result, they changed the rules midway and asked the players to play an armageddon game in which Hikaru Nakamura won with the black and ended up as the tournament winner.

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After the games Nakamura and Anand were the leaders with 9 point. An Armageddon tiebreak game between the two tied leaders, Anand and Nakamura. White was given five minutes, black four. White had to win in order to win the tournament. Hikaru Nakamura won as black making him the winner of the tournament. [http://www.zurich-cc.com/results/standings.html Official website]

The combined final score for the tournament was calculated by scoring each game in the classical competition on a 2–1–0 basis and each game in the rapid competition on a 1–½–0 basis.

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In the 2016 tournament, held from 12–15 February 2016, starting on a Friday and already ending on the following Monday, players were awarded two points for a win and one point for a draw in the rapid section, and one point for a win and half a point for a draw in the blitz section. No classical chess was played. Hikaru Nakamura won the blitz section on tiebreaks and tied with Viswanathan Anand in the rapid section. Nakamura won the overall event.{{cite web|url=http://www.zurich-chess-challenge.com/results/standings.html|title=Standings|website=Zurich Chess Challenge 2016|date=15 February 2016|access-date=20 February 2016}}

The tournament was also held alongside a match between Alexander Morozevich and Boris Gelfand.

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A two-game exhibition match was played between Alexander Morozevich and Boris Gelfand, in the same time control as the Rapid portion of the main tournament. Boris Gelfand won the mini-match.

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American Hikaru Nakamura won the total standings by winning a blitz tournament half a point ahead of the Indian Viswanathan Anand and a full point ahead of Ian Nepomniachtchi.{{Cite web|url=http://www.zurich-cc.com/en/166-all-good-things-come-in-three-nakamura-is-king-again|title=All good things come in three - Nakamura is king again}}

• Zürich 1934 chess tournament
• Zurich 1953 chess tournament

{{reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.zurich-cc.com/}}
• [http://www.chessdom.com/zurich-chess-challenge-2015-live/ Live games]

{{Chess tournaments}}

Category:Invitational chess tournaments

Category:Chess in Switzerland

Category:Sports competitions in Zurich

Category:International sports competitions hosted by Switzerland

Category:Recurring sporting events established in 2012

Category:2012 establishments in Switzerland