By GM Ben Finegold
Hey everyone!
I have been the Rotating Resident GM for 2 weeks, and boy am I dizzy (rotating for 2 weeks is tough!).
I want to talk a bit about the chess world and then get on to the CCSCSL world!
The Saint Louis Arch Bishops are the 2014 U.S. Chess League champions!
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is excited to have GM Ben Finegold back as its Resident Grandmaster through the month of December. Moving to the area from Michigan in 2009, Finegold was the CCSCSL’s very first Resident, a position that leads all of the Club’s regular lectures and programming, and has since become a staple in the St. Louis chess scene.
The 2014 U.S. Chess League championship match between the Saint Louis Arch Bishops and the Dallas Destiny will go live at 7:30 p.m. CT, with live commentary and analysis by GM Ben Finegold.
The Saint Louis Arch Bishops have advanced to territory never seen before: The U.S. Chess League Semifinals!
It is wonderful to be back at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. And it is simply the best of times to be a chess enthusiast, as the crown jewel in the chess world -- the World Chess Championship Match between Champion Magnus Carlsen and Challenger Viswanathan Anand -- is in full swing. It has been a pleasure to watch the official website broadcasts:
IM Priyadharshan Kannappan overcame a strong field to win the 6th Annual Saint Louis Thanksgiving Open at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis on November 7-9. This year’s event featured a 47-player Open section with 17 titles, including Grandmasters Walter Browne, Ben Finegold and Fidel Corrales; along with two lower sections for a tournament total 91 players.
It’s playoff time for the 2014 U.S. Chess League, and Saint Louis is taking this win-or-go-home idea perhaps a bit too seriously. The Southern Division champions begin their playoff push in the quarterfinals, and the Arch Bishops aren’t just leaving losses out of sight, out of mind -- they’re leaving losses right out of the lineup.
The Chess Club has a solid team of associates and instructors who possess exceptional skill, knowledge and teaching styles. One of these chess gurus is Jason Fredericks, who recently joined our staff over the summer. Fredericks, 30 years old, currently holds a rating of 1982 and is the the number-one chess player from the country of Guyana, and still represents the South American federation as such. The youngest of four children, Fredericks was born in Guyana and moved to the U.S.
SAINT LOUIS (November 4, 2014) – From the same venue that hosts such high-quality events as the U.S. Championships and the global super-tournament Sinquefield Cup, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis now presents a high-stakes slugfest between two of the world’s heavyweights.
OUR MISSION It is the mission of the Saint Louis Chess Club, an educational organization, to maintain a formal program of instruction to teach the game of chess and to promote and support its educational program through community outreach and local and national partnerships to increase the awareness of the educational value of chess.
Wheelchair access is available in the rear of the STLCC building. Please proceed through the parking lot to our east and around to our back door. If you need additional assistance, please contact us at 314-361-2437 .
The STLCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, and any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws or regulations in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, events, programs, or activities.
The Saint Louis Chess Club complies with the Internal Revenue Service's guidelines regarding publication of its non-discrimination policy in its brochures, catalogs, advertisements and otherwise making it known to the general community.
Any violation of this policy should be reported to the General Manager, Joy Bray, jbray@saintlouischessclub.org - 314.361.2437, Administrative Director, Tad Middleton, tmiddleton@saintlouischessclub.org -314.361.2437 and/or the HR Manager, Cathy Gallaher, cgallaher@saintlouischessclub.org - 314.332.5582.
The integrity of Saint Louis Chess Club's relationship with minor players is paramount to the Chess Club's educational mission and success. All individuals employed by or working under the direction or authority of the Saint Louis Chess Club are expected and required to maintain appropriate boundaries and relationships with minors and are strictly prohibited from engaging in sexual misconduct, hazing and harassment.
We encourage any victim or other persons with information regarding inappropriate conduct to contact Cathy Gallaher, Saint Louis Chess Club HR Manager at cgallaher@saintlouischessclub.org. You may also make a report confidentially, and if you wish, anonymously, through our ethics reporting hotline managed by Navex at (833)221-3624.