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Top Seed Edges Closer To Title At U.S. Women's Chess Championship

By on October 11, 2009 in

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ST. LOUIS, Oct. 11, 2009 -- Top-seeded Anna Zatonskih moved one step closer to winning the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship by defeating third-seeded Rusudan Goletiani, of Hartsdale, N.Y., in round seven. The nine-round tournament is being held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

Zatonskih, of Long Island, N.Y., remains one point ahead of her nearest rival, Camilla Baginskaite of Sioux Falls, S.D., who kept pace by winning her game.

Zatonskih is trying to win the tournament by leading wire to wire. She has six wins and one draw and if she is able to win her final two games she will equal the lofty winning score of 8.5 out of 9, turned in by Irina Krush in 1998. Zatonskih has already beaten Krush, her closest rival, in round three. "I was expecting seven (wins) out of seven (games)!" Zatonskih joked after the game.

Sci-Fest Photos

By on October 11, 2009 in

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Almost 80 students joined seven of the 10 competitors and Evelyn Moncayo, a WIM from Ecuador, for a massive simul at the Saint Louis Science Center. The event, Queens' Chess Express, was just one of many events going on during Sci-Fest at the Saint Louis Science Center. Camilla Baginskaite and Battsetseg Tsagaan stayed behind at the CCSCSL to put on a simul with the chess club from Sperreng Middle School, and Alisa Melekhina could not attend Sci-Fest due to a test in Cognitive Psychology test she had scheduled through her university.

The event was informative and entertaining for tournament competitors, students and teachers alike. Check out the photos from this fun-filled community event!

Student Simul at the CCSCSL Photos

By on October 11, 2009 in

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Twelve lucky students from the Sperreng Middle School Chess Club (a feeder school for Lindbergh High School) got the opportunity to compete against tournament competitors WIM Battsetseg Tsagaan and WGM Camilla Baginskaite.

Read the article about the event here!

Chess For Life Event Photos

By on October 11, 2009 in

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The Chess for Life kick-off event featured the unveiling of five chess tables donated to the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. The program is designed to brighten the lives of cancer patients and their families by providing them intellectiual stimulation and a welcome distraction from the effects of their treatment. To read more about the program and kick-off event, click here!

Round 6 Photos

By on October 10, 2009 in

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Round 6 brought us a hard-fought battle between defending champion Anna Zatonskih and tournament surprise Alisa Melekhina. In the end, Zatonskih's experience overwhelmed Melekhina in the longest game of the match.

Camilla Baginskaite remained within striking distance of Zatonskih as she defeated Iryna Zenyuk. Baginskaite is going to have to rely on an upset if she has any chance of catching Zatonskih. Read the recap for Round 6 here!

Zatonskih Stays On Top At U.S. Women's Chess Championship With Key Win Over Close Rival

By on October 10, 2009 in

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ST. LOUIS, Oct. 10, 2009 -- Anna Zatonskih dispatched one of her two closest rivals in round six of the U.S. Women's Chess Championship at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. In the longest match of the day, Zatonskih, of Long Island, N.Y., used an impending pawn storm and slowly overwhelmed Melekhina's defenses.

Melekhina, of Philadelphia, Pa., was tied for second with Camilla Baginskaite going into the round, but she is still overperforming for someone of her rating. She was ranked ninth going into the tournament and at 18 is the youngest player. "Even in a very bad position, (Melekhina) came up with some very interesting ideas," Zatonskih said.

The entire field of 10 women all came perilously close to overstepping the time limit. Forced to make their first 40 moves in two hours, many women were reduced to fewer than 30 seconds before crossing the threshold. In the end, all five games were decisive for the first time in the tournament.

'Chess For Life' Program Kicks-Off At Siteman Cancer Center

By on October 09, 2009 in

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St Louis, MO, Oct. 9, 2009 -- Chess for Life, the partnership program founded by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, kicked-off at the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine. The program's mission is to bring chess into Siteman for patients and their families.

"Chess for Life is special for us. Playing chess can help bring an escape and enjoyment in a time of tremendous stress," said Chess Club Executive Director Tony Rich to the crowd, which included competitors in the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship.

Chess for Life provides chess tables, boards and pieces, along with volunteers who will play and offer instruction. In addition, Siteman patients will be able to access a website allowing them to play with other people or a computer.

"Our goal is to grow our Chess for Life outreach program throughout the U.S., and we are honored to have the program launch here at the Siteman Center," said Rich.

Chess for Life was inspired by Jim Corbett, a Siteman patient who was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer. During his treatment, Corbett's mood was lifted when he began playing chess. The Chess Club established Chess for Life as a tribute to Corbett who died last December.

For more information on how to volunteer for Chess for Life call the Siteman volunteer office at 314-747-7222 or the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis at 800-600-3606 or visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.

Sperreng Middle School Students Take on Top US Female Grandmasters

By on October 09, 2009 in

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A dozen area chess champions from Sperreng Middle School visited the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis on Friday to test their skills against two of the best female players in the country. The duo of Battsetseg Tsagaan and Camilla Baginskaite played a tandem simultaneous exhibition on their day off; the two women are in town competing in the 2009 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship.

Sperreng Middle School has won the Missouri State Middle School Chess Championship for three of the past five years, and the 12 children chosen to play the masters were picked because they are the best from the school chess team, said Rick Nelson, who has coached the team for the past 11 years.

“They’re so excited,” said Nelson. “This is an event they didn’t want to miss.”

Melekhina Might Be Young, but She's Proving Formidable at U.S. Women's Chess Championship

By on October 09, 2009 in

Past the halfway mark of the 2009 U.S. Women's Championship, two of the three leaders will use their day off to rest and regroup, but one player will not have that luxury. She has homework to do.
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Alisa Melekhina, 18, of Philadelphia, is the youngest player in the field as she competes in her second U.S. Women's Championship, an invitation-only event held this year at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. During the only free day from competition, Melekhina, a sophomore at Drexel University, has to spend the morning studying for a test in cognitive psychology. In 2007, she played in her first championship, and she was again the youngest.

After five rounds of play this year, Melekhina is tied for second place (with a woman more than twice her age) with 3.5 points out of five. She trails only the defending champion, Anna Zatonskih, of Long Island, N.Y., who is 13 years her senior, a virtual extra lifetime in the world of chess experience.
"I'm not that young anymore," she insisted.

Round 5 Photos

By on October 08, 2009 in

Check out the images from Round 5! The players have an off day on Friday, and play will resume Saturday at 2 p.m. See if Alisa Melekhina can upset defending champion Anna Zatonskih to pull into a first-place tie!