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Nakamura, Kamsky, 17 more confirmed for 2010 U.S. Championship

By on March 10, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=3514|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]SAINT LOUIS, March 10, 2010 -- Nineteen players have accepted invitations to the 2010 U.S. Championship, scheduled to be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis May 13-25. Four wild card spots and the winner of the Internet Chess Club (ICC) State Champion of Champions online tournament, all yet to be determined, will round out the 24-player field.

International Master Anna Zatonskih won an automatic bid to the 2010 U.S. Championship as the winner of the 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship, but had to decline because of prior commitments and familial obligations.

Ben's Blog: Texas Trip and Skokie Sacrifices

By on March 08, 2010 in

Time for me to earn my salary, as I go to two big tournaments.

First, the strong Spring Spice Cup in Lubbock, TX.

Each year, SPICE puts on two strong tournaments, The Spring Spice Cup, and the Spice Cup (usually in September). The Spring Spice Cup is usually a Category 8-10 RR, whilst the Spice Cup in the Fall features at least two strong RR tournaments, with the "A" group average rating over 2625.

Club Championship: Pairings & Results

By on March 04, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=3480|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]The Club Championship is the culmination of the 2009 "Knights" series tournaments, in which competitors played a series of G/90 games, once per week, over the course of a month. Each month a new contestant qualified to play in the Club Championship, which takes place each Wednesday night in March.

Round 1 saw some exciting action and round 2 pairings are a must-see. Check it out below!

Ben's Blog: Keepin' It Real

By on February 23, 2010 in

Hey avid blog readers! Sorry I have not posted in a while, but, I WAS BUSY! I mean, I was involved in many projects pertaining to chess and The CCSCSL.

A lot of people have been asking about my schedule, and, although they will still ask after I post it on ICC, Facebook, and the blog, well, I will post it anyways!

March 12-19: Spring Spice Cup, Lubbock, TX

March 20-24: NACA Masters, Skokie, IL

GMs Nakamura, Hess and Finegold to play in Saint Louis Open

By on February 18, 2010 in

SAINT LOUIS, February 15, 2010 -- The 2009 U.S. Champion, Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura, has agreed to participate in the Bill Wright Saint Louis Open, scheduled to be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, April 10-11.

2009 U.S. Championship runner-up Robert Hess and 12-time Missouri State Champion and International Master Michael Brooks have both agreed to participate in the event as well. All three competed in the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship.

Metro Class Championship brings out 58-player field

By on February 15, 2010 in

The 2nd Annual Metro Saint Louis Class Championship brought out 58 players on Mardi Gras weekend. The club once again flirted with the 60-player mark as word of the best club in the country continues to spread.

Grandmaster Ben Finegold took first place overall with a perfect score, and Todd Plageman, Tony Rich and Steve Landrum split first place in Class A with 2.5 points each.

Winter Open a success

By on February 12, 2010 in

In case you missed it in this month's Check This! newsletter, last month's Winter Open was a resounding success. Read about all the action here, and stay tuned for more tournament updates.

After finishing 2009 with two strong tournaments, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis was geared up for 2010. The newest addition to the CCSCSL staff, Grandmaster Ben Finegold, was slated to participate in the inaugural event to kick off the 2010 tournament schedule.

Podcast interview with IM John Donaldson at the WTC

By on February 09, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=1820|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]During round three of the World Team Championship in Bursa, Turkey, CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich got the chance to sit down with U.S. Team Captain and International Master John Watson for a candid interview about the chances of his young team, his background and the history of American chess.

The interview is available as a podcast on the front page of our Web site, but we have also transcribed the interview here for your enjoyment.

To access the podcast directly, click the link here!

Ben's Blog: Weight Update

By on February 06, 2010 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=1818|preset=frontpage_200x200|lightbox=true|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]It has been a little more than 2 weeks, and so far I have lost 12 pounds. I go to the health club everyday, and work the treadmill for one hour. I listen to music and watch tv whilst I work out, so the time passes pretty quickly. I have been sticking to my diet of fruits, veggies, rice, and soup, and that has been easy as well.

I have been receiving a lot of congratulatory texts and emails due to being on the cover of the recent Chess Life magazine. Also, I am featured on the back cover of the latest issue of "New In Chess" magazine, in the column "checking in."

Ben's Blog: Chess Life Cover

By on February 01, 2010 in

In other news, the GMs from the Silver Medal Winning World Team Championship have and will come to the CCSCSL over the next couple of months. Sunday, January 31, GM Yury Shulman lectured for over 2.5 hours, and everyone enjoyed his stories and games from the WTC.