Maxime Vachier-Lagrave took the sole lead after the first day of blitz in Saint Louis, thanks to a fantastic 7/9 performance to give him a total score of 17/27. Trailing with 15 points each are Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi, with nine more games of blitz to be played on Saturday. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
Despite a last round loss Grandmaster Ray Robson ended up winning the rapid portion of the 2023 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz, with a score of 11.0/18 heading into the blitz tomorrow. Tied for second were GMs Fabiano Caruana and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, both on 10.0/18, with several players (Firouzja, Nepomniachtchi, Giri, Liem) trailing closely behind with an even 9.0/18. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
The last leg of the 2023 Grand Chess Tour kicked off Tuesday, November 14, in Saint Louis with the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz at the Saint Louis Chess Club. The Sinquefield Cup takes over next Tuesday, November 21, with six of the same ten participants playing in the classical Round Robin.
The second day of rapid started off slow with ten straight draws, before an explosive final round left GM Ray Robson at the top of the standings after an important win over GM Alireza Firouzja. Heading into the final day of rapid, Robson leads with 8.0/12, while GMs Maxime Vachier Lagrave, Anish Giri, and Le Quang Liem trail closely behind with 7.0/12. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes
The 2023 Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz kicked off on Monday with the first three rounds of rapid action, as the Grand Chess Tour makes its fourth stop of the year. After the first day of play, wildcard GM Le Quang Liem leads the field with 5.0/6, with GMs Alireza Firouzja and Ray Robson tied for second with 4.0/6. | Photo courtesy of Saint Louis Chess Club, Lennart Ootes