Blog

Thanksgiving Open Draws Largest Crowd of the Year

By CCSCSL Staff on December 11, 2015 in News

The Thanksgiving Open, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis’ most attended of the 2015 tournaments, took place November 27th-29th and featured players from as far away as Canada as well as titled players from here in Saint Louis. Notable players included Grandmasters Alex Shimanov, Ben Finegold and Ashwin Jayaram, International Masters Michael Brooks and Priyadharshan Kannappan, and National Masters Nick Karlow and Matthew Larson. The prize fund was $10,000 with top prize for the open section being $1,500.

Showdown in Saint Louis

By Resident Grandmaster on November 19, 2015 in News

The 2015 Showdown in Saint Louis at the Saint Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis took place November 12 – 15, 2015. The Showdown showcased America’s two highest rated grandmasters: U.S. Chess Champion, Hikaru Nakamura versus Fabiano Caruana. In a second match-up, Chinese Grandmaster and former Women’s World Champion, Hou Yifan, played against Indian Grandmaster Parimarjan Negi. Whenever the two best players in any discipline square off against one another, it is an occasion to be savored.

Ladies’ Knight: A Fun and Feminine Introduction to Chess

By CCSCSL Staff on November 09, 2015 in News

The atmosphere in the boardroom of the Chess Club was inviting and exciting as nearly a dozen women took their seats in front of chess boards, snacks and drinks in hand, waiting for the first of the weekly Ladies’ Knight classes to begin. Taught this week by IM Irene Sukandar, the goal of this new weekly class was apparent from the beginning: to make chess both accessible and approachable for women interested in learning the basics of the game.

ladies knight, class, chess, women, adult

The Chess Club and World Chess Hall of Fame Take On GroveFest

By CCSCSL Staff on October 15, 2015 in News

Fall weather hit just as the Tenth Annual GroveFest occurred on October 3rd. Colder weather did not keep the crowds from flooding the streets nor did it keep the World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) and the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) from entertaining GroveFest attendees. The organizations stood among other vendors selling clothing or food within the kid-friendly section of the festival.

Sinquefield Cup: A tournament unlike any other

By Resident Grandmaster on September 10, 2015 in News

Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan reflects on the 2015 Sinquefield Cup. Thoroughtly highlighting in detail the field, standings, play-by-plays, and the flawless group effort, Seirawan tells us a story of the Sinquefield Cup.

Sinquefield Cup, recap, Yasser, Seirawan, chess, tournament

Back to School Bash Blunders

By Jonathan Schrantz on August 03, 2015 in News

The third and final summer scholastic tournament concluded this weekend with a surprisingly low number of upsets but left many players with heartache. Time trouble blunders and accidental stalemates were in abundance during the Back to School Bash, but the higher-rated opponent continually seemed to come out on top this month.

Amateur & Premiere Tournament Brings Many Success

By Jonathan Schrantz on July 21, 2015 in News

The Saint Louis Amateur and Premier Tournament drew a crowd of 35 players this year. The tournament was split into two sections: Under 1800 (Amateur) and 1800 and over (Premier). A $1,600 unconditionally guaranteed prize fund was awarded to the top five finishers in each section.

chess, club, tournament, swiss, july, amateur, premiere, saint louis

Monsanto Fund Donates $20K for Rural Chess Programs

By Mike Wilmering on July 11, 2015 in News

The educational outreach initiative of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis can stretch a little farther this fall thanks to help from Monsanto, a global leader in sustainable agricultural products headquartered in Creve Coeur, Mo.

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto, recently awarded the Chess Club a $20,580 grant to grow scholastic chess programs in 14 different rural schools across both Missouri and Illinois.

Monsanto, fund, donation, development, chess, rural, outreach

3 Days Until the Battle for U.S. Junior Champion Begins

By CCSCSL Staff on July 03, 2015 in News

The top ten chess players in the United States under 21 years old will compete in the 2015 U.S. Junior Closed Championship July 6-15 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL). The winner will receive $6,000 and a seat at the 2016 U.S. Championship.

chess, club, scholastic, xiong, GM, juniors, championship, saint, louis, CCSCSL

State Championships Break Century Mark for 1st Time

By Jonathan Schrantz on June 30, 2015 in News

Attendance at the Missouri Novice and Class Championship broke the century mark for the first time this year as 124 players competed for the chance to become a state champion between the two events. The winner of each class was awarded a plaque and earned the right to call themselves a Missouri State Champion. The extra participants meant exciting chess, a blitz playoff, and a controversial last round ruling in the Class E section.