FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 8, 1999
Press Release #11
IT'S GETTING SERIOUS AT THE WORLD CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP
Out of 100 chessplayers who started the World Chess Championship on July 30, 16 are still playing-all from the European qualifying zone. They include four Russians, two Englishmen, two Bulgarians, and one player each from Armenia, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel, Romania, Spain, and the Ukraine.
Nine U.S. players were seeded into Round 1, but have been eliminated in the fierce competition. The last two players from the Western hemisphere, the Brazilians Milos and Leitao, were knocked out today in quick-play tiebreak matches.
Also notable is that the oldest remaining player is 34 years old. Chess at the highest levels, played under the inexorable pressure of the ticking clock, is getting younger.
Of the top 10 seeded players, seven are still in the hunt. Alexei Shirov, the brilliant Latvian player who now represents Spain, squeaked past Milos today in two fast games played at 25 minutes for each side. This is the second time that the #2 seed has escaped to the next round through tiebreak games.
Las Vegas bookmakers have made #1 seed Vladimir Kramnik of Russia the favorite to win. Shirov is given the next best chance, while the tough and experienced English players, Michael Adams and Nigel Short, are also attracting smart money. Short lost a match for the world title against Russian Garry Kasparov in 1993. Adams has good nerves and has proven himself in past events with a knockout format.
The World Chess Championship, with a $3 million prize fund, is being held at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The winner receives $660,000. Sponsoring the event is the World Chess Federation, called FIDE. The month-long, seven-round knockout event will culminate in the crowning of a new world chess champion on August 29.
Chess fans around the globe are following the moves live on the U.S. Chess Federation Web site, uschess.org.
CONTACT: Timothy Hanke, Press Officer for the World Chess Championship, at 702-731-7110, extensions 5913 through 5927.