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Chess for Life volunteers gather at Siteman Cancer Center

By on December 07, 2009 in

Volunteers and staff from the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis manned seven chess boards in the Siteman Cancer Center’s seventh-floor reception area. Patients in treatment were also invited to play with a volunteer who then was able to bring the game to them in their treatment area.

Ben Finegold and Iryna Zenyuk interviewed at King's Island Open

By on December 07, 2009 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=1641|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]CINCINNATI -- Grandmaster Ben Finegold finished in a four-way tie for first place at the King's island Open in Cincinnati with a score of 4.0/5.0. Three other players, Seth Homa, FM Peter Bereolos and FM Andrew Karklins also finished with four points. Because of tiebreaks, Finegold brought home $1,220, which was slightly more than the $1,140 that each of the other three first-place finishers received.

WIM Iryna Zenyuk also had an excellent tournament as her 3.5/5.0 performance secured a share of fifth place. The USCF's JW Holes was on hand to interview Finegold and Zenyuk following their performance.

Game Analysis: Camilla Baginskaite vs. Sabina Foisor

By on December 01, 2009 in

[imagefield_assist|fid=1731|preset=frontpage_200x200|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=200|height=200]SAINT LOUIS -- Sabina Foisor offers expert analysis of her Round 9 game against second-place finisher Camilla Baginskaite at the 2009 U.S. Women's Chess Championship. This is just one example of the superb fighting chess the participants of the championship displayed throughout a thrilling week.

Baginskaite proved to be a tough opponent as she took second place overall in the tournament. Foisor's analysis offers superb insight into a stellar game between these two competitors. The CCSCSL would like to congratulate all of the women who competed in the 2009 U.S. Women's Championship.

Thanksgiving Open draws record turnout

By on November 28, 2009 in

Kansas City delivered a large contingent of players to help fill out the field. A few players even traveled from as far as Indiana to take part in the post-holiday event. The field was broken up into Master/Expert, A, B, C, D and U1200.

Students shine at National Youth Action tourney

By on November 27, 2009 in

Students Kevin Cao, Jialin Ding, Isaiah Gadson, William Tong and William Nesham represented the CCSCSL in the K-9 division and finished with a combined score of 29 points out of a possible 36, easily securing first place.

Twelve-year-olds Kevin and Jialin were part of a three-way tie for first place ...

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.