Jennifer on a Saint Louis Simul
Republished with permission
Jennifer Shahade, USCF - February 13, 2009
Chess could be extremely popular if it was integrated into a cardiovascular routine. (Are you listening, Wii?) I had one of my best chess workouts recently at a series of blitz simuls at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, also the host of the 2009 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's.
I played five boards at a time and had ten minutes on each board, with my opponents taking five minutes each. At first I thought that I could easily flag everyone, but despite my running and my sensible flats, I had to win most of the games on the position. In fact, I was in danger of losing on time on many boards; I literally had to run and jump in order not to lose the majority of the games. Those on the edges were the toughest. In the end, I lost two games, drew two and won 11.
The recent success of the first CCSCSL tournament of 2009, the Winter Open, has brought new hope for the success of tournament chess in the Saint Louis region. Forty One players braved the cold to ensure a full prize fund payout on January 17th. With the apparent equation for success firmly in hand, the CCSCSL tournament directors have focused their attention to the "Knights" tournaments.