Chess world champion Magnus Carlsen competes in Fife abbey’s online tournament

Twelve of the world’s finest players, including World Champion Magnus Carlsen top of the bill, are currently competing in the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge, which runs until Wednesday, June 3.

It replaces the elite Lindores Chess Stars tournament held last year in the historic site near Newburgh, that is believed to be the birthplace of Scottish whisky.

However, with sport in lockdown and players unable to travel, the tournament is taking place without anyone having to leave their home.

The event has also been named part of the prestigious $1 million Magnus Carlsen Tour, the richest online chess tournament in history.

Lindores was where Wallace and his army rested after the Battle of Black Earnside in 1298 after they defeated the English.

The abbey is now a distillery and its custodians recently uncovered evidence which found that the monks who used to brew whisky at the medieval site more than 500 years ago would also play chess against each other.

Lindores is also considered by many to be the spiritual home of Scotch whisky as the first ever written record of Scotch distillation took place there in 1494.

Drew McKenzie Smith, founder and managing director of Lindores Abbey Distillery, said: “This is a hugely exciting event building on the tournament we held last year. It is also a big honour to be named part of the Magnus Carlsen Tour.

“We are expecting chess fans everywhere to tune in to watch the action and we hope they learn all about the abbey, its history and its chess heritage.”

Other stars of the tournament include former World Champion Vishy Anand, Russia’s Sergey Karjakin, and Chinese number one Ding Liren

The event is being broadcast live on chess24.com in association with the Lindores Abbey Heritage Society.

Fans can use #HeritageChess to learn more about a participating player and his country’s chess history every day in an effort to show its rich heritage.