Executive Director, Tony Rich, tells his story
I remember the first time I met a chess Grandmaster. It was the winter of 1999, and GM Sergey Kudrin came through Saint Louis to play against dozens of people at the same time. With just a couple hundred Grandmasters in the world, this was a rare opportunity for amateur players to match wits with a chess professional.
As he entered the bookstore where our little chess club met, the room fell silent, players took their seats and GM Kudrin followed a circuitous path around the room, shaking hands and moving pieces. Amidst the rich scent of coffee and shelves lined with books, Kudrin forced resignation out of his hapless opponents one by one. When the dust settled, the Soviet expat had lost just one game and drawn another, and I was in awe.
That sense of wonderment will be shared by many when the Sinquefield Cup returns to Saint Louis. Held August 22 through September 3, the Sinquefield Cup is the second leg of the Grand Chess Tour and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world over the past two years. Featuring 10 of the best players internationally, $300,000 in prizes and an unparalleled spectator experience, the Cup promises to enthrall fans.
| Magnus Carlsen | |
|---|---|
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|
| Country | Norway |
| Born | November 30, 1990 Norway |
| Title | Grandmaster (2004) |
| World Champion | 2013, 2014 |
| FIDE rating | 2863 (April 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2882 (May 2014) |
| Ranking | No. 1 (Feb 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 1 (Jan 2010) |
| Fabiano Caruana | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | Italy |
| Born | July 30, 1992 USA |
| Title | Grandmaster (2007) |
| Peak Performance | 2014 Sinquefield Cup |
| FIDE rating | 2802 (April 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2844 (Oct 2014) |
| Ranking | No. 2 (Feb 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 2 (Oct 2014) |
| Hikaru Nakamura | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | USA |
| Born | Dec 9, 1987 Japan |
| Title | Grandmaster (2003) |
| Peak Performance | 2011 Tata Steel |
| FIDE rating | 2798 (April 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2798 (May 2014) |
| Ranking | No. 3 (Feb 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 3 (March 2015) |
| Veselin Topalov | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Country | Bulgaria |
| Born | March 15, 1975 Bulgaria |
| Title | Grandmaster (1992) |
| World Champion | FIDE (2005) |
| FIDE rating | 2798 (April 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2813 (July 2009) |
| Ranking | No. 4 (Feb 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 1 (Oct 2008) |
| Alexander Grischuk | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Country | Russia |
| Born | Oct 31, 1983 Russia |
| Title | Grandmaster (2000) |
| World Champion | Blitz (2006, 2012) World Team (2013) |
| FIDE rating | 2794 (April 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2810 (Dec 2014) |
| Ranking | No. 5 (Feb 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 3 (May 2014) |
| Viswanathan Anand | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Country | India |
| Born | Dec 11, 1969 India |
| Title | Grandmaster (1988) |
| World Champion | Classical (2007) FIDE (2000) Rapid (2003) |
| FIDE rating | 2791 (April 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2817 (March 2011) |
| Ranking | No. 6 (Feb 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 1 (April 2007) |
| Anish Giri | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Country | Netherlands |
| Born | June 28, 1994 Russia |
| Title | Grandmaster (2009) |
| Peak Performance | 2012 Reggio Emilia |
| FIDE rating | 2790 (April 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2797 (Feb 2015) |
| Ranking | No. 7 (Feb 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 7 (Feb 2015) |
| Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | France |
| Born | Oct 21, 1990 France |
| Title | Grandmaster (2005) |
| World Champion | Junior (2009) |
| FIDE rating | 2762 (April 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2775 (Feb 2015) |
| Ranking | No. 11 (Feb 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 5 (April 2015) |
| Levon Aronian | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Country | Armenia |
| Born | Oct 6, 1982 Armenia |
| Title | Grandmaster (2000) |
| World Champion | Chess960 (2003, 2006) Rapid (2009) Blitz (2010) |
| FIDE rating | 2770 (April 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2830 (March 2014) |
| Ranking | No. 9 (Feb 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 2 (January 2012) |
| Wesley So | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Country | USA |
| Born | October 9, 1993 Philippines |
| Title | Grandmaster (2008) |
| Peak Performance | 2014 Millionaire Chess World Youth (2007, 2008) |
| FIDE rating | 2778 (July 2015) |
| Peak rating | 2794 (April 2015) |
| Ranking | No. 7 (April 2015) |
| Peak ranking | No. 5 (April 2015) |
Fabiano Caruana, who dazzled the chess world with his 7-out-of-7 start last year, will attempt to defend his title. Spectators can expect awe inspiring performances from this star-studded lineup, which includes youthful players like Anish Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, World Champions like Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand and Veselin Topalov, and the American triumvirate of Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So.
Since those early days with GM Kudrin, I have had the opportunity to organize elite events and meet many Grandmasters. Their ability to memorize myriad openings, deeply calculate variations and effortlessly coordinate their forces for battle is a testament to the complexity and wonder of the Royal Game. As the best players in the world converge in Saint Louis this fall, I look forward to that sense of wonderment again.
