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| Source: World Chess. Kramnik (left) will replay José Alcántara (Jospem, right) in August 2024. |
World Chess, a chess organisation committed to enhancing the global mass market appeal of chess, will host Clash of Claims 2, a chess rematch after the first Clash of Claims between Vladimir Kramnik and José Alcántara ended in controversy. The event will feature live commentary from prominent figures in the chess community and interactive segments for viewers.
Kramnik, the 14th World Chess champion, has been actively sharing evidence of what he believes indicates cheating in online chess tournaments. With the ease of access to software that could help players cheat, the results of some online tournaments have led to accusations of deception.
Following Kramnik’s claims, a hybrid approach was suggested in June this year with Kramnik playing against Grandmaster José Alcántara, a well-known online chess player, in a three-day chess event. This first Clash of Claims event was held in Madrid and was a hybrid mix of in-person board games and online matches via the Chess.com platform.
Due to technical issues with Chess.com, World Chess has invited the players to return for Clash of Claims 2 in London from 19 - 21 August 2024, hosted on its Chessarena.com platform. This rematch will have stringent physical and online anti-cheating methods in place to address previous alleged shortcomings. Chessarena.com is the only online platform that has an anti-cheating engine approved by FIDE, the international governing body of chess.
Chessarena.com plans to leverage this event to highlight new platform features, including the introduction of in-game emoticons, and to run a Clash of Claims 2 promotion for new subscribers.
Ilya Merenzon, CEO of World Chess said: “We are so excited to welcome these two renowned players, once again, to the stage to battle it out in London.
“World Chess and the FIDE Arena are looking forward to resolving once and for all the fair play allegations raised by Kramnik, and to enhance the reputability of online chess tournaments.
“We are confident Chessarena.com will provide advanced anti-cheating measures and a superior platform from which the games will be hosted.
“Online chess is going through a major transformation right now. We are possibly witnessing the ultimate way to address all anti-cheating allegations — by taking an online dispute to the physical board, marking a truly hybrid approach.”
