[imagefield_assist|fid=6789|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]Saint Louis, September 7, 2010 -- The highest-rated chess player in the country and Saint Louis resident, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, will take on the world’s top chess player on Friday, September 10 in a unique worldwide event.
The event, titled the RAW World Chess Challenge, pits the world’s highest-rated chess player, 19-year-old Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, against the rest of the world in a live chess game in New York City. The event, which begins at 11 a.m. CDT, is sponsored by the Amsterdam-based denim company G-Star RAW.
Three grandmasters have been selected to represent the world: Judit Polgar of Hungary, the highest-rated female player in the history of chess, Frenchman Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Nakamura, the two-time U.S. Champion.
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is partnering with ALIVE Magazine to promote the event as a part of Fashion Week. During the event, the Chess Club will be holding a fashion show and viewing party at Bar Italia in the Central West End beginning at 11 a.m. The Delmar Loop-based boutique Sole and Blues will be providing the G-Star RAW denim as well as the shoes and tops to complete the outfits.
The world will tune into a central Web site to watch Carlsen battle these worthy opponents.
After Carlsen makes his first move, each of the three grandmasters will have one minute to submit his or her response, and participants worldwide will then have the opportunity to vote on the move they like best. A move for white and a response by black will take only about 3.5 minutes, so the game should produce a victor in just a matter of hours.
Carlsen was recently tabbed by G-Star RAW to represent its brand worldwide alongside model and actress Liv Tyler. The “brains and beauty” approach is a core example of one of G-Star’s key philosophies: to combine contrasting and unexpected elements, the company said in a press release.
Nakamura, 22, is the highest-rated player in the country and is ranked 15th in the world. He won his first U.S. Championship in 2005 at the age of 16 and won the title again in 2009 in St. Louis. Nakamura moved to St. Louis just weeks before the championship took place in May.
For more information, visit http://rwcc.g-star.com/banners.php?bannersource=Saintlouischessclub.
