Our Resident Grandmaster: Var Akobian
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis warmly welcomes back GM Varuzhan Akobian as its Resident Grandmaster through January 18.
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis warmly welcomes back GM Varuzhan Akobian as its Resident Grandmaster through January 18.
Familiar around the Chess Club has been the face of Julian Proleiko, who first walked through our doors at the age of 12. He began like any St. Louis chess novice -- attending Sunday’s Kids Beginner classes, taught by Grandmasters -- and within six months, Julian had made a complete transformation from beginner to a competitive chess athlete.
Two Games That Ended a Career
By GM Ben Finegold
You know, one of the top players in the world from 1987-1990 was GM Mikhail Gurevich. Although you may not have heard of him, almost everyone else in the world thought he was No. 3 on the planet -- behind Kasparov and Karpov. Mikhail won many tournaments, had a great strategical understanding, and great opening knowledge. He was a solid player: he didn’t take too many risks, but he didn’t play a lot of boring draws, either.
One of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis’ rising local stars, Julian Proleiko, became the 2014 Knights Champion after employing the Benko Gambit to upend Thalia Cervantes in the final round of the December Knights championship event.
Game analysis provided by Grandmaster Ben Finegold
By GM Ben Finegold
Hey everyone!
I have been the Rotating Resident GM for 2 weeks, and boy am I dizzy (rotating for 2 weeks is tough!).
I want to talk a bit about the chess world and then get on to the CCSCSL world!
The Saint Louis Arch Bishops are the 2014 U.S. Chess League champions!
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is excited to have GM Ben Finegold back as its Resident Grandmaster through the month of December. Moving to the area from Michigan in 2009, Finegold was the CCSCSL’s very first Resident, a position that leads all of the Club’s regular lectures and programming, and has since become a staple in the St. Louis chess scene.
The 2014 U.S. Chess League championship match between the Saint Louis Arch Bishops and the Dallas Destiny will go live at 7:30 p.m. CT, with live commentary and analysis by GM Ben Finegold.
The Saint Louis Arch Bishops have advanced to territory never seen before: The U.S. Chess League Semifinals!
It is wonderful to be back at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. And it is simply the best of times to be a chess enthusiast, as the crown jewel in the chess world -- the World Chess Championship Match between Champion Magnus Carlsen and Challenger Viswanathan Anand -- is in full swing. It has been a pleasure to watch the official website broadcasts: