User:Michael james campbell/Chess Classic

The Chess Classics were chess tournaments initiated by Hans-Walter Schmitt, they were organized in the years 1994 to 2010. Among other things, the world champions in rapid chess and - also under rapid chess time control - the world champion in Chess960 and the computer Chess960 world champion were determined.

Overview
The Chess Classic took place seven times in Frankfurt am Main (1994 to 2000) and then ten times in Mainz, a total of seventeen times. In Mainz were the Chess Classic, shortly CCM in the Rheingoldhalle discharged. Hans-Walter Schmitt acquired the sponsors and was able to win Jens Beutel, Lord Mayor of Mainz, as patron of the event. There were different events such as the Chess Classic Championship, Quick Chess Open, Chess960 Rapid Chess World Championships, FiNet Open in Chess960 and Chess960 Computer World Championship. In addition, 13 duels against machine (rapid chess and Chess960) and 26 simultaneous sessions (including Chess960) were conducted.

Pocket Fritz was created in 2001 in the Rheingoldhalle Mainz. in 2002 Jens Beutel played against Viswanathan Anand, both using Computer assistance, on the stage in the Rheingoldhalle.



Carmen Kass in the Chess Classic 2004


The super-model Carmen Kass from Estonia was a star guest in the Rheingoldhalle Mainz at the Chess Classic in 2004 and played a blitz game with Viswanathan Anand. Kass had recently been elected President of the Estonian Chess Federation. It was also about the application for the hosting of the Chess Olympiad 2008, after all Dresden was the second applicant.

On the occasion of the opening event on August 4, 2004, a press conference was held at which Carmen Kass commented on the Chess Olympiad. The video shows World Champion Antoaneta Stefanowa, Carmen Kass with some sentences in English, organizer Hans-Walter Schmitt and interviewer Hartmut Metz.

Mini-Ordix und Mini-FiNet Open
In the years 2007 to 2009 special talent tournaments took place for the children. These were three Mini Ordix Open and three Mini FiNet Open: 2009 seven rounds with separate scoring in 5 age groups (U16, U14, U12, U10 and U8), and in 2008 and 2007 six rounds each with separate scoring for 4 age groups ( U14, U12, U10 and U8).

1. Mini ORDIX Open U14 (2007) Final score after 6 rounds with 107 participants: Constantin Göbel, Ramil Babayev and Anna Endress. Best in the age groups were: Anna Endress (U14), Constantin Göbel (U12), Stephan Hansch (U10) and Björn-Benny Bauer (U8).

1. Mini FiNet Open U14 (2007) Final score after 6 rounds with 35 participants: Anna Endress, Alexander Jussupow and Constantin Göbel. Best in the age groups were: Anna Endress (U14), Constantin Göbel (U12), Stephan Hansch (U10) and Björn-Benny Bauer (U8).

2. Mini ORDIX Open U14 (2008) Final stage after 6 eounds with 104 participants: Dennis Wagner, Joshua Aarash Hager and Johannes Carow. Best in the age groups were: Joshua Aarash Hager (U14), Dennis Wagner (U12), Alexander Donchenko (U10) and Elias Müller (U8).

2. Mini FiNet Open U14 (2008) Final score after 6 rounds with 26 participants: Sebastian Kaphle, Carlo Pauly and Frederik Eigemann. Best in the age groups were: Sebastian Kaphle (U14), Frederik Eigemann (U12), Alexej Paulsen (U10) and Pascal Karsay (U8).

3. Mini ORDIX Open U16 (2009) Final score after 7 rounds with 72 participants: Alexander Donchenko, Dominik Will and Frederik Eigemann. Best in the age groups were: Matthias Eimer (U16), Dominik Will (U14), Alexander Donchenko (U12), Robert Baskin (U10) and Samuel Weber (U8).

3. Mini FiNet Open U16 (2009) Final score after 6 rounds with 32 participants: Johannes Carow, Carlo Pauly and Frederik Eigemann. Best in the age groups were: Achim Bluhm (U16), Johannes Carow (U14), Sonja Maria Bluhm (U12), Robert Baskin (U10) and Elias Müller (U8).

Chess960 Computer World Championship
As the highlight of the different show battles between humans and computers and humans versus computers, the Chess960 Computer World Championships in Mainz were held from 2005 to 2009.

Videos in the Chess Classic
Below are some videos of the Chess Classic in Mainz, like the first: Press Conference and Simultaneous Games of the Chess Classic on August 14, 2002 with Hartmut Metz (moderator), Ruslan Ponomarjow (talking about the daily routine of a World Champion, Dagobert Kohlmeyer ), Elisabeth Pähtz ( tells how she defeated the flood in Dresden), simultaneous play of Ruslan Ponomarjow (with Eckhard Freise and Alfred Schlya ) as well as simultaneous play of Alexandra Kosteniuk (with Claus Spahn and Jens Beutel).

Literature

 * Jussupow, Fietz, Metz: Premiere der Top Ten. Edition FCC, ISBN 3-931192-18-0
 * KARL (Hrsg. Harry Schaack): Das Kulturelle Schachmagazin, Heft 2/2011, Schwerpunkt: Chess Classic auf den Seiten 3 bis 49,
 * Frankfurter Chess Classic 1996 in der Stadthalle Ffm-Zeilsheim, 28.-30. Juni 1996. SCHACH 96/3, S. 36
 * Frankfurter Chess Classic 1998. SCHACH 1998, Heft 7, Seiten 4 bis 15
 * Frankfurter Chess Classic 1999. SCHACH 1999, Heft 8, Seiten 5 bis 28
 * Hans-Walter Schmitt: Chess Classic Mainz 2009. Rochade Europa, Nr. 5, S. 5/7
 * Oliver Brendel: Chess Classic Mainz. SCHACHWELT - Das Magazin für Schachspieler, September 2009, S. 16/18