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Monsanto Fund Donates $20K for Rural Chess Programs

The educational outreach initiative of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis can stretch a little farther this fall thanks to help from Monsanto, a global leader in sustainable agricultural products headquartered in Creve Coeur, Mo.

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of Monsanto, recently awarded the Chess Club a $20,580 grant to grow scholastic chess programs in 14 different rural schools across both Missouri and Illinois.

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Monsanto, fund, donation, development, chess, rural, outreach

Sinquefield Cup Brings Grandmasters to St. Louis

Executive Director, Tony Rich, tells his story

I remember the first time I met a chess Grandmaster. It was the winter of 1999, and GM Sergey Kudrin came through Saint Louis to play against dozens of people at the same time. With just a couple hundred Grandmasters in the world, this was a rare opportunity for amateur players to match wits with a chess professional.

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sinquefield, cup, news, 2015, tournament, chess, world

3 Days Until the Battle for U.S. Junior Champion Begins

The top ten chess players in the United States under 21 years old will compete in the 2015 U.S. Junior Closed Championship July 6-15 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL). The winner will receive $6,000 and a seat at the 2016 U.S. Championship.

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chess, club, scholastic, xiong, GM, juniors, championship, saint, louis, CCSCSL

State Championships Break Century Mark for 1st Time

Attendance at the Missouri Novice and Class Championship broke the century mark for the first time this year as 124 players competed for the chance to become a state champion between the two events. The winner of each class was awarded a plaque and earned the right to call themselves a Missouri State Champion. The extra participants meant exciting chess, a blitz playoff, and a controversial last round ruling in the Class E section.

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Record Knights Turnout Pits Teacher Against Student

The participation in the June Knights skyrocketed this week as ten more players increased the field to 22 players -- a record high for the year. The players were in for a special treat this week as they learned that all of the games would be broadcasted throughout the club.

Game of the Week...

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Scholastic Summer Tournament Season Opens With Exciting Chess

Twenty elementary school students showed up for the Summer Slam Bash. The favorite was “Adjourn” Puri. He was one of five talented youngsters rated over the 1000 mark. “Adjourn” is currently trained by NM Loal Davis. He had previously been taking lessons from Tournament Director Mike Kummer. Kummer had three students in the tourney: Jaden Meyerstrom, Justin Zhang, and his newest student Agastya Diwan. 

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chess, club, scholastic, tournament, summer, slam, bash

Joey Micheal Kelly earns National Master Title at the CCSCSL

Joey Michael Kelly clinched his national master (NM) title at the CCSCSL when he defeated Machuca in a non-ladder rated game. The game was played May 31st in the VIP Board Room. Kelly won the coin toss and quickly chose the white pieces. The game turned in Kelly’s favor early and he never backtracked. With the win, Kelly bolstered his rating over the 2200 barrier for the first time in his life.  

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Knights Newcomer Takes Crown, Earns Game of the Month

The largest turnout of the year produced a very exciting month of chess for the May Knights Tournament. The 20 player field was strengthened by the inclusion of Joseph Garnier (2003), who hadn’t played a standard rated game in over a year. Garnier won first place overall with a perfect 4/4 score.

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chess, club, scholastic, knight, tournament, swiss, may

Three Exciting Club Tournaments Close Out Month of May

The final three days of May finished with a flourish of chess and competition with over 80 people squaring off against each other in three different tournaments. Friday night filled the tournament hall with 9 quads in the Friday Action Quads (FAQ), each fighting it out to see who would win prizes and glory. On Saturday and Sunday, the Club hosted the monthly Unrated Adults’ Beginner Tournament and Unrated Beginner Tournament for Kids 12 & under, respectively.

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Junior Closed will be exciting after Xiong's 1st-place finish at the Chicago Open

IM Jeffery XiongInternational Master Jeffery Xiong was the surprise winner of the Chicago Open, earning him over $10,000 in prize money at the strongest annual event held over Memorial Day weekend. Jeffery won the event in style, beating Grandmasters Avrukh and Bruzon in the final two rounds, both of whom are higher rated than the 14-year-old phenom.

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