6TH LONDON CHESS CLASSIC (6-14 DECEMBER 2014) PRO-BIZ CUP - 9 December 2014, Olympia Conference Centre A unique chance to play chess alongside world champions! The 2014 London Chess Classic features a doubles chess rapidplay knock-out tournament in which eight super-GMs – the Super Six, Fabiano Caruana, Vishy Anand, Vlad Kramnik, Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura and Mickey Adams, plus leading English grandmasters Nigel Short and Gawain Jones – partner top business leaders in competition for the prestigious Pro-Biz Cup currently held by Barclays Bank. Hikaru Nakamura will be partnering Jeremy Hodgson (right). If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Jeremy is the younger brother of English grandmaster and London Classic commentator Julian Hodgson. Jeremy is a keen player in his own right, with a rating in the 1800s. Jeremy has a more positional style than his four-times British champion brother, not to mention the hard- hitting American super-GM whom he will be partnering. Jeremy himself commented: “Although famous for his tactical brilliance, Hikaru might have to calm his explosive style for my sedate positional play. ” As brother to the ‘Grandmaster of Disaster’, Jeremy should have no trouble bonding with the ‘H- Bomb’. Those two GMs have the most macho nicknames in the business, don’t they? Jeremy is being sponsored to play in the Pro-Biz Cup by his company, Interactive Data, a global provider of financial information. Jeremy comments: “I am a supporter of the Chess in Schools and Communities initiative because it provides children with an opportunity to learn a lifelong skill – the ability to play the most fascinating game on earth – chess! ” Link to support Jeremy and Hikaru - https://www.justgiving.com/Jeremy-Hodgson-Chess-Challenge/ Doubles Chess Competition format : knock-out rapidplay with 25 minutes for each two-player team. In doubles chess, the four players each make a move in turn on the same board, hence the two players of a team play alternate moves without conferring. A new rule this year allows teams to take two one-minute time-outs in order to confer during a game. Play takes place in the auditorium. The three rounds are webcast at 10.45, 12.00 and 14.00. Link to the Pro-Biz Cup Page: http://www.londonchessclassic.com/probizcup.htm Register a bid for the Pro-Biz Cup: http://www.londonchessclassic.com/probizcupform.htm Video of the 2013 London Chess Classic Pro-Biz Cup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qyHUiGi_eZg ELITE EVENT SCHEDULE (Times given in UTC/GMT) Date Event Time Notes 9 December Pro-Biz Cup 10.45 Eight super-GMs each partner a top business leader in a doubles chess rapidplay knock-out tournament in the Auditorium. Malcolm Pein, Chief Executive Press Release dated 13 November 2014 Website : www.londonchessclassic.com For further information, press accreditation, etc: [email protected] Twitter: @LondonClassic2014 Press Officer: John Saunders, email [email protected], phone +44 (0)7777 664111 .