50 challengers sought for attack WR clock simulacrum by Daniel Dardha

On Whit Monday, June 9, grandmaster Daniel Dardha will undertake an ambitious attempt to break the world record for clock simultaneous chess. That record currently stands in the name of Dutchman Sipke Ernst, set on Nov. 19, 2022 in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands.

The challenge: play simultaneously against 50 opponents, with two hours of thinking time per game – and score at least 70 percent of the points. This unique chess event continues at the Brielpoort in Deinze. The organization is looking for as diverse a group of challengers as possible (of strength, club, age, gender & nationality). Besides an unforgettable experience, each challenger will receive a unique certificate with the result of their match afterwards. This will be signed by Grandmaster Daniel Dardha and the organization.

Don’t hesitate! More info & registration at the link below:

ATTENTION: A clock simultaneous is in no way comparable to a regular simultaneous!

In a regular simultaneous, there are no clocks present & Daniel Dardha would walk from board to board. The 50 challengers would on the one hand wait for Daniel Dardha to pass by to make their move & on the other hand would be obliged to play their move when Daniel Dardha appears at their board.

In a clock-simultaneous game, then, there is a clock on each board. The 50 challengers, on the one hand, do not have to wait for Daniel Dardha to come by to make their move (and press the clock) &, on the other hand, are also not obliged to play their move when Daniel Dardha appears at their board. So each challenger can play at their own pace and not depend on when Daniel Dardha comes along. So the big disadvantage for Daniel Dardha is that his clocks will run down on several boards at once, if his challengers have put there.

Additional difficulties are that Daniel Dardha will have to crisscross the room to see which boards he is on & each time upon arrival will not immediately see what move the respective challenger has played. As a result, he will have very little time to think of a counter-move anywhere.

In other words, Daniel Dardha’s challenge is phenomenal. It is not for nothing that the current record of grandmaster Sipke Ernst (47 boards with a 74% success rate) has been on the tables for 3 years!