A good year for Carlsen

Magnus Carlsen is the star attraction at this year’s London Chess Classic. The festival, now in its 11th edition, runs from 29 November to 8 December at the Olympia Conference Centre in Kensington. The World Champion will play in the final leg of the Grand Chess Tour, in a four-player knockout event with a $350,000 prize fund which begins on Monday 2 December. He will be joined by Ding Liren, Levon Aronian and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
 
‘The Classic’ as the festival is affectionately known, features a wide variety of events, including a Fide-rated Open tournament, weekend events, and a ‘Super Blitz Open’ on the final Sunday. I will be playing in the British Knockout Championship, along with all the other members of the England squad who won bronze medals at the European Team Championships earlier in November. Attendees can also enjoy discounted tickets for Ravens: Spassky vs Fischer, a play which opens at the Hampstead Theatre on 29 November.