- Ian
- Apr 7, 2021
- 2 min read
Kramnik & Polgar reveal Challengers Chess Tour line-ups
14th World Chess Champion Vladimir Kramnik and all-time women’s no. 1 Judit Polgar captain 20 young stars as the $100,000 Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour starts this Thursday with the Polgar Challenge. The likes of Praggnanandhaa, Nihal Sarin, Carissa Yip and Zhansaya Abdumalik will compete in a series of 4-day rapid events on chess24, with each winner gaining a chance to play in the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The best individual performers play an 8-player knockout final, while the winning team will also get to travel to Dubai for the 2021 World Championship match.
Young chess players have been among the hardest hit by the pandemic, with their chances to make a name for themselves, while chasing rating and title goals, heavily curtailed. The Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour is therefore a chance for some young stars to take centre stage, and it starts this Thursday, April 8th, with the Polgar Challenge.
The Polgar Challenge is a 20-player rapid round-robin taking place on chess24 from April 8-11. The first of five events on the $100,000 Julius Baer Challengers Chess Tour, it features two teams of 10 young players captained by GM Vladimir Kramnik and GM Judit Polgar. The winner earns $3,000 as well as a place on the next event on the $1.5 million Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, starting April 24. The time control is 10 minutes for all moves, with a 5-second increment per move starting from move 1. The winner is decided by individual points, but the players’ scores also count towards team standings.
There are 20 players, 10 male (Under 18) and 10 female (Under 25), and the pairings are already out:
Live commentary with GM Judit Polgar and GM Vladmir Kramnik https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/julius-baer-challengers-chess-tour-polgar-challenge-2021/1/1/1
Pairings and live games https://chess24.com/en/watch/live-tournaments/julius-baer-challengers-chess-tour-polgar-challenge-2021/1/1/1
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