Chess icons Anand, Kasparov to clash in vintage exhibition match this October

This October, chess fans will be treated to some vintage action when former world champions Viswanathan Anand and Garry Kasparov face off in an exhibition match.

The 12-game match in the Chess960 (Fischer Random) format will be played between October 7 and 11 at the Saint Louis Chess Club in Missouri, US.

The legendary players will compete in rapid and blitz games, unlike some of their iconic past meetings, which were mainly in the classical format.

Kasparov is one of the all-time greats, having won the most FIDE world championships (6), while Anand was crowned champion on five occasions. Kasparov defeated Anand in the 1995 World Chess Championship.

At 62, Kasparov is no longer an active player and occasionally plays exhibition games. Anand, who is also the Deputy President of FIDE, is semi-retired. He plays selective tournaments and has maintained his position in the top-15. As per the August update, Anand was India No 4, behind R Praggnanandhaa, D Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi.

In his prime, Kasparov attained a peak rating of 2851, and is only behind reigning World No 1 Magnus Carlsen, whose peak rating of 2882 is the world record.