You are here

Blog

U.S. Senate Names Saint Louis “Chess Capital"

U.S. Senate passes resolution days before the start of the nation’s most prestigious tournaments
SAINT LOUIS, May 6, 2014 – On the eve of hosting the most prestigious chess tournaments in the nation, St. Louis received national recognition from the United States Senate, which passed an official resolution late Monday night naming St. Louis the National Chess Capital.

View More

On Chess: The Kings Converge On Saint Louis

[imagefield_assist|fid=17460|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Grandmaster Gata Kamsky is seeking his fifth U.S. Championship title.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=756|height=627]


This story was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on April 30. 

By Brian Jerauld

In chess, conquering the center is a strategy nearly as old as the game itself.

It is a building block, a foundation, with centuries of theory backing the blueprint. American legend Bobby Fischer opened all but one of his myriad games by instantly striking into the center with 1. e4, famously referring to the first move as “best, by test.”

View More

Lecture with Sam Shankland: Sun., May 4

[imagefield_assist|fid=17458|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=960|height=400]

 


GM Sam Shankland has agreed to divulge all his secrets just days before he competes in the U.S. Championship!

Sam will present a special lecture at Lester's Restaurant tomorrow on Sunday, May 4 at 7:30 p.m. called Attacking a Color Complex.

View More

New Champions Check Russia's Hegemony in Chess

Now India and Norway have powerhouse players, and in the United States, St. Louis is turning into a hotbed.

[imagefield_assist|fid=17456|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Magnus Carlsen, winner of the inaugural Sinquefield Cup, is the reigning World Chess Champion.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=467]


By Yasser Seirawan

SAINT LOUIS, April 27, 2014 -- While he has taken over Crimea with relative ease, Vladimir Putin is presiding over the loss of an asset no doubt far dearer to the Russian people: hegemony in chess. To see the evidence, drop by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis any Sunday afternoon—if you can squeeze in, that is.

View More

Four GMs, One NM Top Bill Wright Saint Louis Open

[imagefield_assist|fid=17454|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=GM Wesely So was one of the five top-place finishers at the Saint Louis Open.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=800|height=533]


By Brian Jerauld

Finally, the weather warmed and the sun said hello - but there were no walks in the park in Saint Louis last weekend. 

View More

On Chess: St. Louis Flexes Its Chess Muscle

[imagefield_assist|fid=17452|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=GM Varuzhan Akobian is the club's current Resident GM.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=1120|height=747]


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.

View More

Classes Suspended, Special Lectures, FAQs at Lester's

[imagefield_assist|fid=17450|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Konstantin Landa (image courtesy Chessbase)|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=500|height=414]


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.

View More

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

[imagefield_assist|fid=17449|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Gregor and Jacqueline Piatigorsky. Jacqueline will be inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame on May 7.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=715|height=585]


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.

View More

On Chess: Millionaire Chess Ups The Ante In Vegas

[imagefield_assist|fid=17446|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Maurice Ashley interviews Gata Kamsky after Kamsky won the 2013 U.S. Championship.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=439]


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.

View More

Pages