Adopt-A-Danny Set To Return This Sunday With Wesley So
A much-anticipated second edition of "Adopt-A-Danny" is set to kick-off on Sunday, April 26 at 9 a.m. Pacific time / 18:00 Central Europe on Chess.com/tv.
The show's second guest, GM Wesley So, the world's eighth highest-rated player, will be playing in his first competitive event on Chess.com since his loss to GM Hikaru Nakamura in last February's Speed Chess Championship Final.
IM Danny Rensch will be looking to avoid "adoption" (losing in 10 consecutive games) against strong grandmasters across three different blitz and bullet time controls. In the Adopt-A-Danny debut, Rensch was able to withstand French grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave's pressure in the first two time controls, before succumbing to adoption in the bullet portion.
Sunday's event will offer the American grandmaster three opportunities to adopt Rensch, though just like in the Speed Chess Championship, So will have to race against the clock.
- Segment 1: 60 minutes in 5|0 blitz
- Segment 2: 45 minutes in 3|0 blitz
- Segment 3: 30 minutes in 1|0 bullet
As an interesting twist on this format, ongoing adoption streaks can only be ended with a Danny win or draw. He cannot be saved by the time running out in the segment.
So will earn $300 for each successful adoption, totaling a possible $900 across the three segments. Following the three segments, Adopt-A-Danny will conclude with a best-of-three, blindfold 3|0 blitz match, with an additional $100 prize for the winner.
So will also earn half of all "bits" donated on Twitch throughout the show, with the other half donated to a charity of So's choice.
Rensch seemed eager about this opportunity: "Every child deserves a happy, healthy home...and while I'm not sure So can truly fulfill all my needs (how much video-game time will I get per day?), I welcome the possibility that a new daddy can make me happy."
So is no stranger to winning in big moments on Chess.com. The 26-year-old grandmaster has reached two consecutive Speed Chess Championship Finals in addition to winning the World Fischer Random Championship title against GM Magnus Carlsen last year. So has also been a critical player for the Saint Louis Arch Bishops since the inaugural season of the PRO Chess League.
Can Rensch turn the tables on So and thwart him in his efforts to adopt the self-proclaimed "super-IM"?
Come and show your support for So this Sunday, April 26 at 9 a.m. Pacific Time (18:00 Central Europe) on Chess.com/tv—and stay tuned for more editions of Adopt-A-Danny coming later this year!
