How To Watch Nepomniachtchi vs Grischuk Speed Chess Championship Today

It's an all-Russian battle in the Speed Chess Championship this week as two of the world's best grandmasters face off. Ian Nepomniachtchi is the higher seed, but he could be the underdog against his countryman Alexander Grischuk.

Chess fans can expect one of the closest matches in the entire Speed Chess tournament, as the margin of victory should be razor-thin.

Watch the match live today, Tuesday, August 7 at 9 a.m. Pacific (12 p.m. Eastern, 4 p.m. UTC, 6 p.m. CEST)

The following viewing options will be available:

• Twitch.tv/chess: the official broadcast with IM Daniel Rensch and GM Robert Hess—watch here to see the Twitch chat.
• Chess.com/TV: watch here to see the Chess.com chat.

The match is the fifth of 15 action-packed events in the main Speed Chess Championship bracket.

The match format:

• 90 minutes of 5/1 blitz.
• 60 minutes of 3/1 blitz.
• 30 minutes of 1/1 bullet.
• 3-minute breaks between segments.
• Higher seed starts with White, and colors alternate thereafter.
• Highest cumulative point total wins. If points are tied after the bullet segment, a four-game 1/1 tiebreaker match will be played.
• If the match is still tied after the additional four 1/1 games, a single armageddon game will be played: White 5+0, Black 3+0, Black gets draw odds. The player with the highest Chess.com blitz rating at the start of the Armageddon chooses his color.
• Full match rules are available here.

The match prizes:

• Winner: $1,000 and advances to round two of the SCC.
• An additional $1,000 split by win percentage.
• Additional prize funds donated by the Twitch community during the live show will be split evenly between the two players. 

Who's the favorite to win? 

The Chess.com SmarterChess predictions show that Grischuk is a 63 percent favorite to win the match, but the margin expected is a paltry two games. Translation? Anything can happen. The SmarterChess statistical model bases its predictions on prior performance by the players in selected Chess.com events.

Be sure to read FM Mike Klein's interviews of the two players to preview the match.

Next up for the Speed Chess Championship is Andriasyan vs Vidit Gujrathi: Thursday, August 30, 9 a.m. PDT.

You can find all the information on the 2018 Speed Chess Championship here, including rules, format, players, and complete schedule. 

Let us know your match predictions in the comments or on Facebook.