Chess: Shooting the Rapids for the Holiday Season

Summary

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The holidays are traditionally a season of hustle and bustle, so what better time is there for holding a major rapid championship?

Georgian GM Baadur Jobava emerged as the new European rapid championship, topping a high-powered field this month with a 9-2 score in Warsaw. Once something of a curiosity, the rapid Game/25 format is now firmly ensconced in international play, with the faster time control often leading to more combative and aggressive play while allowing an entire continent to hold an 11-round championship tournament over the course of a long three-day weekend.

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Chess: Shooting the Rapids for the Holiday Season

While not as chaotic (and random) as faster blitz chess play can be, rapid is clearly a different animal than chess played at slower, "classical" speeds. Obtaining the initiative (often at the expense of material) can be cr...

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