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Two spots remain for 2011 U.S. Championship, Women’s field set

By on February 15, 2011 in

SAINT LOUIS, February 15, 2011 -- All but two spots have been confirmed for the 2011 U.S. Championship, scheduled to be held concurrently with the U.S. Women’s Championship in Saint Louis April 13-28, and two significant surprises have helped shape a dynamic field that will compete for more than $166,000 in prizes.

CCSCSL Staff Dominates Club Ladder

By on February 07, 2011 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=9067|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=CCSCSL employee Mike Kummer won the prize for most points and tied for the most-games-played prize.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=680|height=453]The final five days of the Chess Club Ladder saw a slew of activity with 33 rated games as members tried to hold on to their spot and fight for a portion of the $250 prize fund. Bill Thompson, comfortable with his leads in all three money categories with just five days remaining, chose to play only two games in the last five days and lost them both.

Lecture Video with Jennifer Shahade

By on February 04, 2011 in

WGM Jennifer Shahade presented a special lecture at the CCSCSL in November on the topic of pawn promotion.

Jeff Wasem wins Phil Wasem Memorial

By on February 02, 2011 in

Hikaru Dominates World's Best

By on January 31, 2011 in

2011 Club Championship

By on January 29, 2011 in

Final Recap

The dust has settled and we have a clear winner - Resident GM Ben Finegold! Congratulations to Ben and to all the other competitors who participated. There were some upsets (Spencer Finegold bested Doug Eckert, Jason Zhou defeated William Nesham) and the games were all exciting. Check out the game section to see the players in action.[imagefield_assist|fid=9024|preset=article_thumb|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=250|height=167]

Chess Carnival at Mo. History Museum

By on January 28, 2011 in

SAINT LOUIS, January 25, 2010 -- This Sunday, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and the Missouri History Museum will put on a Chess Carnival in conjunction with the exhibit Treasures of NAPOLEON. Join Grandmaster (GM) Ben Finegold and chess club staff at the History Museum's MacDermott Grand Hall from noon to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Janaury 30.

Scholastic Chess at Blossom Wood Day School

By on January 24, 2011 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=8943|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]On Friday, January 7, Scholastics Coordinator Alex Vergilesov made his first visit to Blossom Wood Day School in Hazelwood. This was the first time in the history of the school that chess lessons were offered as an option for after-school programming. Vergilesov and club employee Mike Kummer drove out to the event where they met up with a recently hired part-time instructor, Sam Hatfield. When they arrived 32 students were eagerly awaiting their first-ever chess lesson!

Kummer instructed a group of 16 K-4 students separately, while Vergilesov trained Hatfield on how to lead and implement a lesson. Sixteen more enthusiastic students in grades 4-7 made their first steps in understanding chess. The instructors began with a pawn exercise, challenging the students to play out “pawn wars” where the victory condition was promotion; the first player to promote a pawn wins.

Chess Comes to Sundance

By on January 20, 2011 in

In exciting news for chess in the mainstream, this year's Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah will premiere Bobby Fischer Against the World, a documentary directed by Liz Garbus about the late American World Champion. The World Chess Hall of Fame and Museum, set to open across the street from the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis on September 8th, 2011, will host a series of promotional events at the festival, including GM challenges and a photography exhibition by Harry Benson. See more details on the flyer below. I will be attending and so will CLO contributor GM Joel Benjamin so look for exclusive coverage right here!

WIM Iryna Zenyuk talks to the US Chess Scoop about her excitement for the upcoming event.

Club Ladder is Underway

By on January 19, 2011 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=8914|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|origsize=|align=left|width=200|height=200]The Chess Club Ladder got off to a great start with 52 CCSCSL Members signed up and 16 USCF rated games played in the first two weeks. Alexsey Kazakevich is on top of the leaderboard for total points with 2.5. If he can maintain his top position until the end of the month, he will be rewarded with $100. Alexsey is also in line to win another $100 as the member that plays the most games during a month. He has played three. CCSCSL Instructor Bill Thompson has been playing some good chess lately as well. He even managed to defeat CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich. An upset of 275 points. The player that delivers the biggest upset for the month receives $50.

To see the crosstable of the first two weeks of action, click here.

To see the rules and the official, up to date club ladder click here.