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On Chess: St. Louis Flexes Its Chess Muscle

By on May 01, 2014 in

By Brian Jerauld

This article was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on April 23.

For six years, St. Louis has been steadily pumping its proverbial chess muscle.

There is, perhaps, no better way to gauge the strength of the city than to count the number of tough guys around here. The Chess Club and Scholastic Center opened in 2008 as a hopeful magnet to the game, and a year later GM Ben Finegold rode into town as the city’s very first Grandmaster. Today, backed by the murderer’s row of the Webster University collegiate team - including 2014 U.S. Championship-hopeful GM Ray Robson - St. Louis is home to 11 Grandmasters.

Classes Suspended, Special Lectures, FAQs at Lester's

By on April 24, 2014 in

By CCSCSL Staff

Starting this Thursday, April 24, all classes will be cancelled. The U.S. Championships require us to repurpose a lot of our space, and it is difficult to host our regularly scheduled programming. However, we will present a very speicial lecture on Thursday featuring GM Konstantin Landa.

World, U.S. Chess Halls of Fame 2014 Inductions

By on April 24, 2014 in

April 23, 2014 (Saint Louis, MO) – Four exceptional chess players will take their places in history when two are inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame and two into U.S. Chess Hall of Fame during a ceremony on May 7.

On Chess: Millionaire Chess Ups The Ante In Vegas

By on April 21, 2014 in

By Brian Jerauld

This article was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on April 16.

Maurice Ashley is sleeping just fine these days.

The International Grandmaster is about to put a million dollars down in Las Vegas -- and he might have the best odds in the house.

Field, Commentators Set for U.S. Championships

By on April 14, 2014 in

SAINT LOUIS, April 14, 2014 -- Next month, the top chess players in the country will meet in Saint Louis to compete for the tile of U.S. Champion and U.S. Women’s Champion.

The fields are set for both the 2014 U.S. Championship and 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship, scheduled to be held simultaneously May 7 through May 20 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).

Ashritha Eswaran, 13, received the final wildcard invitation to the U.S. Women’s Championship to round out the fields.

This marks the sixth consecutive year that each of these prestigious events will be held in Saint Louis. The opening ceremony takes place on May 7, and the first round for both events will kick off at 1 p.m. Central on May 8.

On Chess: 13 Year Old To Vie For U.S. Women’s Championship

By on April 14, 2014 in

This article was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on April 10.

By Brian Jerauld

Apparently, the U.S. “Women’s” Chess Championship is a description that gets more liberal by the year.

Where last season’s national title fight featured Dallas’ Sarah Chiang - 15 at the time - this year’s will feature Ashritha Eswaran, a 13-year-old National Master out of San Jose, Calif. Over the weekend, Eswaran accepted the invitation as the wildcard to the 2014 event, rounding out the 10-player field. The tournament will take place May 7 through May 20 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis in the Central West End.

Schoolhouse Rook!: Chess Attracting Local Students

By on April 14, 2014 in

By Matt Barrett

There has been an all-time high of student traffic at the beginning of April, both on campus and in local scholastic programs.

Big Turnout, Big Competition in March Kids Beginner Tournament

By on April 14, 2014 in

By Ben Conover

The March Unrated Kids Beginner Tournament brought a total of 66 students to the world-famous Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis in hopes of winning their choice of an annual student membership to the Club or an annual United States Chess Federation (USCF) membership to compete in rated tournaments. After four rounds of brilliancies, blunders, and beginner battles, Evan Marion and Logan Huyette emerged as K-3 co-champions while returning competitor Aaradya (Adi) Diwan successfully emerged past the six-way tie for second place to capture the 4th-6th grade title.

2014 U.S. Championship Preview

By on April 09, 2014 in

By GM Alejandro Ramirez

Being a resident grandmaster here at the Saint Louis Chess Club is always a true pleasure. The experienced staff, the beautiful facilities and the many opportunities provided to players of all experience levels is truly staggering. The club has had some recent, noticeable changes. First of all the new schedule is awesome, and it is far easier for everyone to remember when the club is open (10 a.m. - 10 p.m., seven days a week!)

On Chess: Nakamura Declines U.S. Championship Invite

By on April 02, 2014 in

This article was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on March 19.

Twelve of the top chess players in the U.S. just got fantastic news: Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura will not be fighting for the title of 2014 U.S. Champion.

Nakamura, currently ranked No. 8 in the world, declined his invitation citing his decision to prepare for, and compete against, only the world’s elite.