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U.S. Champion GM Hikaru Nakamura to play in St. Louis Open

By on November 24, 2009 in

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

Another GM, the CCSCSL's own GM-in-Residence Ben Finegold, will also be in town for the event, which will make this the strongest field in the history of the Saint Louis Open. The presence of these two chess giants is sure to attract interest from other masters around the region and, perhaps, the rest of the country.

November Knights tournament results

By on November 19, 2009 in

Frank jumped into the event in Round 2 with a half-point bye and never looked back. He defeated fellow expert Kevin Dale Johnson in the final round to clinch first place and, more importantly, a spot in the 2010 Club Championship. Frank finished with a final score of 3.5/4.0.

Sunday is Kid's Day at the CCSCSL

By on November 17, 2009 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=1722|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]SAINT LOUIS -- The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis presents Sunday: Kid's Day! Twice a month, the club offers a kids-only class, free to the public. We're encouraging parents to bring their kids by the club to interact with other kids and play chess with someone their own size!

This is also a great opportunity for parents to interact with other parents. Kid's Day at the CCSCSL will help parents meet other parents who recognize the benefits chess has to offer a developing child.

Field set for 2010 World Team Championship

By on November 10, 2009 in

The 2010 World Team Championship, scheduled to be held Jan. 4 - 13 in Bursa, Turkey, will pit the top chess players from 10 different countries against one another in a round-robin tournament. Along with the organizing country, Turkey, continental champions Russia, Brazil, China and Egypt all earned an automatic bid to the tournament. China had a late withdrawal, however, so India is slated ...

CCSCSL welcomes Ben Finegold, GM-in-residence

By on November 09, 2009 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=1721|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]SAINT LOUIS -- The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis has hired Grandmaster (GM) Ben Finegold as its first GM-in-residence. As GM-in-residence, Finegold will give weekly lectures, provide lessons to members and others, teach summer camps and work with the club’s scholastic program.

Finegold is expected to start shortly after New Year’s. The Detroit native, who now lives in Ann Arbor, Mich., will move to St. Louis to work at the club full time.

Few chess clubs have full-time GMs-in-residence.

CCSCSL sponsors U.S. players in World Team Championship

By on November 02, 2009 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=1726|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|origsize=|align=left|width=200|height=200]SAINT LOUIS, Oct. 31, 2009 – The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis agreed to sponsor the U.S. team in the 2010 World Team Chess Championship being held Jan. 4-13 in Bursa, Turkey.

“One of the primary purposes of the Chess Club is to promote top-level chess," said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. " What better way to do that than by sponsoring the U.S. team in this international event.”

15 spots up for grabs at 2010 U.S. Chess Championship

By on November 02, 2009 in

Tournament play will take place April 23 to May 6, with the competitors vying for more than $130,000 in prize money.

Chess for Life seeks volunteers

By on October 29, 2009 in

Chess for Life, the partnership program between the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and the Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, is in need of volunteers to help bring chess to patients and their families. The program is designed to provide a welcome escape in a time of extreme duress. Chess for Life provides chess tables, boards and pieces, along with volunteers who will play and offer instruction. In addition, Siteman patients will be able to access a website allowing them to play with other people or a computer.

Blitz Tournament Standings

By on October 20, 2009 in

Joseph Garnier delivered a perfect performance to win the $26 top prize outright. Nathan Phan and Brian Gadson split the bottom-half prize with two points apiece. Here are the standings from the latest Saturday Blitz Tourney:

Friday Action Quads: The Return

By on October 20, 2009 in

The Friday Action Quads made its triumphant return following the Women's Championship. Fourteen fierce competitors slugged it out in three sections. In the top quad, Jialin Ding and Kevin Cao, two of Saint Louis' best scholastic players, finished with 2.5/3.0 (drawing each other) to split the $36 prize. In quad 2, Namit Gaur dominated the field, going undefeated with a perfect 3.0/3.0 performance for clear first. The bottom section featured a six-player Swiss in which unrated Filippo Massari's 2.5/3.0 was good enough for the clear $36 first place prize.