Chess Club Black & White (CCBW)

Monday, July 14, 2025

NBA Star Quinten Post is 1st NBA Chess Champion

Las Vegas, NV – July 14, 2025 – Golden State Warriors forward Quinten Post has claimed the title of first-ever NBA Chess Champion, winning the blitz tournament at the inaugural Chesstival, a unique crossover event co-hosted by Derrick Rose and Freestyle Chess at the Wynn Las Vegas. Post scored an impressive 4.5 out of 5, defeating several top basketball personalities in five fast-paced rounds. His performance earned him the unofficial crown of top chess player in the NBA – and a $25,000 charity donation to Reading Partners, a nonprofit that provides personalized literacy tutoring to elementary school students.

Wearing a checkered shirt to match the mood, Post demonstrated flair and skill, including a stunning rook sacrifice against Chicago Bulls guard Tony Snell in round three. His only draw came against Dallas Mavericks forward Grant Williams in round four. Former Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo finished just behind with 4 points.

While players were on their own during the games, they received grandmaster insight beforehand. The format was fast, fun, and full of surprises – just as Derrick Rose had envisioned when he dreamed up the event.

Grant Williams and Judit Polgar Win Head & Hand

The earlier "Head & Hand" knockout tournament brought basketball stars and chess grandmasters together on the same side of the board. In this format, the grandmaster calls the piece to be played, while the NBA player decides where to move it – all under a 10-minute time control. Communication, instincts, and clock management all played a role.

Early rounds saw early exits for strong teams: Derrick Rose and world number one Magnus Carlsen were knocked out in the quarterfinals, as were Rajon Rondo and world number two Hikaru Nakamura.

The winners: Grant Williams, Dallas Mavericks forward, and former chess World Championship candidate Judit Polgar, who defeated Tony Snell, Chicago Bulls guard, and Fabiano Caruana, world number three, in the final.

Polgar praised Williams for his calm timing, while Williams compared the chessboard to the free-throw line. The duo donated their $25,000 prize to the Grant Williams Family Foundation.

Chesstival was held three days before the $750,000 Freestyle Chess Grand Slam and marked a new milestone in bringing chess to a wider audience. "Being able to do this now is unreal, it’s a blessing and it’s just a start," said Rose. The event raised $50,000 for charity.

The Freestyle Chess Grand Slam begins Wednesday, July 16, with 16 of the world’s top players competing in a high-stakes double elimination tournament at Wynn Las Vegas.

Carlsen, Niemann Meet in Las Vegas Freestyle Chess

Featuring Tour Leader Magnus Carlsen and Late Qualifier Hans Niemann: One-of-a-Kind Chess Event Lands in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, NV – June 24, 2025 – For the first time, the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour comes to the United States. From July 16 to 20, Wynn Las Vegas will host 16 of the world’s top chess players, competing for $750,000 in prize money in a format designed to reward creativity and skill. The event marks the fourth stop of the 2025 global tour. It is the first to welcome a live audience.

Freestyle Chess is based on Chess960, also known as Fischer Random. Before each game, the back-rank piece setup is randomized from 960 possible starting positions – rendering opening theory useless and putting the emphasis on original thinking and adaptability. The goal is to bring chess closer to a true spectator sport: dynamic, tense, and visually accessible.

The Players

The full field for Las Vegas is now confirmed, featuring the tour leader and world number one Magnus Carlsen (Norway), world number two Hikaru Nakamura (USA), and rising stars such as Arjun Erigaisi and Praggnanandhaa R (both India). Hans Niemann (USA) secured the last spot by winning the online qualifier. The 16 participants, listed by Freestyle rating, are:

· Magnus Carlsen – 2909

· Hikaru Nakamura – 2818

· Fabiano Caruana – 2804

· Praggnanandhaa R. – 2773

· Ian Nepomniachtchi – 2771

· Vincent Keymer – 2766

· Arjun Erigaisi – 2758

· Leinier Dominguez – 2749

· Levon Aronian – 2737

· Wesley So – 2737

· Hans Niemann – 2722

· Vidit Gujarathi – 2713

· Parham Maghsoodloo – 2712

· Javokhir Sindarov – 2702

· Nodirbek Abdusattorov – 2702

· Bibisara Assaubayeva – 2506

The players are split into two eight-player round-robin groups, each playing rapid games (10 minutes plus 10 seconds increment per move) on the opening day. From there, the top 4 players per group advance to the quarterfinal knockout bracket, while the bottom four qualify for the lower bracket. The two-game knockout matches will be played with a longer time control (30+30). This unique structure guarantees that every match has direct consequences.

The final will be played on July 20. In total, $750,000 will be distributed, with $200,000 for the winner.

More Than a Tournament: The Chesstival by Freestyle Chess and Derrick Rose

Just three days before the Grand Slam begins, Freestyle Chess will premiere another first: the Freestyle Chesstival, a charity event bringing together NBA stars and chess grandmasters in a light-hearted but competitive showdown.

Held on July 13, the Chesstival features a double tournament format:

• In the “Head & Hand” event, NBA players team up with top-level grandmasters, controlling the pieces on the board while taking verbal cues from their partners.

• In the NBA Blitz Championship, basketball pros compete directly against each other for the unofficial title of NBA’s Chess King.

The total Chesstival charity prize fund is $50,000. The prize money goes to charitable organisations of the winners’ choice.

Live Experience at Wynn Las Vegas

Hosted in the 50,000-square-foot Lafite Ballroom at Wynn Las Vegas, both the Grand Slam and Chesstival are open to the public. Grand Slam Tickets start at $90 and include options for VIP access and private booths with player meet-and-greets. For the first time, fans can experience Freestyle Chess as a live show – complete with arena lighting, silent commentary headsets, and immersive broadcast technology.

Freestyle Chess is backed by a $20 million investment, co-founded by Magnus Carlsen and entrepreneur Jan Henric Buettner. Following previous events in Weissenhaus, Paris, and Karlsruhe, Las Vegas marks the fourth Grand Slam stop in 2025. The series will culminate in the final in Cape Town, South Africa, with the crowning of the first-ever Freestyle Chess Champion.

A press conference with Magnus Carlsen will be held on July 13 at 1:00 PM in the Lafite Ballroom at Wynn Las Vegas.

Lucknow's renowned polyglot and educationalist Dr Manju Anand with the winners of the CCBW Rapid Chess Open

Teenager Lakshya Nigam (Oxford Model Convent) scored a perfect 7/7 ahead of Lucknow’s senior chess players to win the Rapid Open hosted by Chess Club Black & White (CCBW).

Dr Manju Anand, Executive Director of IFLAPS (Institute of Foreign Languages and Professional Studies) spoke on the deep Indo-Russian chess connection from the times of the Mahabharata. The players enjoyed the special session on learning Russian vocabulary particularly how to say “I love chess (ya lyublyu shakhmaty)”.

From left to right: Dr Manju Anand, Kavya Agrawal and Vishesh.

Dr Anand is Lucknow's renowned polyglot and educationalist with Doctorates in Russian and French teaching since 1985. She and her team gave away 64 trophies, 15 medals and 20 consolation prizes to more than 100 players from across Uttar Pradesh in the age group 4 to 85 years.

Playing hall at The Hotel Golden Apple, Mahanagar

The star of the tournament was ten-year-old Abhigyan Katiyar (Modern School, Aliganj) who beat Khare and 2nd seed Arif Ali to stand third with 5/7 points.

Main category 3rd prize winner Abhigyan Katiyar

Under 16 unrated Champion Samarth Gupta

Teenager Samarth Gupta (CMS Aliganj Cambridge) won the under 16 unrated section with 6.5/7 points. DPS Eldeco's Soumil Shaildendra Singh scored creditable 6/7 points to finish as runner up.

Senior Citizen winners (left to right): KK Khare, Sakiluddin (top), Sayeed Ahmad (bottom) and Mohd Irfan

Kapil Kumar Khare took the senior citizens’ trophy with 5.5 points. Sakiluddin, Sayeed Ahmad and Mohd Irfan were joint second with 5 points each.

Dr Anand with Under 8 category winners

The Under 8 section was won by Viyan Agarwal (CMS Gomti Nagar 1) with 4/4 points. Atharv Sarin Shukla (Modern School, Aliganj) and Avyaan Gupta (La Martiniere Boys) were joint second with 3/4 points.

More photos in Facebook album (including newspaper clippings): https://www.facebook.com/share/16ehDrXL6q/

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