[imagefield_assist|fid=17454|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=GM Wesely So was one of the five top-place finishers at the Saint Louis Open.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=800|height=533]
By Brian Jerauld
Finally, the weather warmed and the sun said hello - but there were no walks in the park in Saint Louis last weekend.
[imagefield_assist|fid=17452|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=GM Varuzhan Akobian is the club's current Resident GM.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=1120|height=747]
This article was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on April 23.
For six years, St. Louis has been steadily pumping its proverbial chess muscle.
There is, perhaps, no better way to gauge the strength of the city than to count the number of tough guys around here. The Chess Club and Scholastic Center opened in 2008 as a hopeful magnet to the game, and a year later GM Ben Finegold rode into town as the city’s very first Grandmaster. Today, backed by the murderer’s row of the Webster University collegiate team - including 2014 U.S. Championship-hopeful GM Ray Robson - St. Louis is home to 11 Grandmasters.
[imagefield_assist|fid=17450|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Konstantin Landa (image courtesy Chessbase)|desc=|link=none|align=center|width=500|height=414]
By CCSCSL Staff
Starting this Thursday, April 24, all classes will be cancelled. The U.S. Championships require us to repurpose a lot of our space, and it is difficult to host our regularly scheduled programming. However, we will present a very speicial lecture on Thursday featuring GM Konstantin Landa.
[imagefield_assist|fid=17449|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Gregor and Jacqueline Piatigorsky. Jacqueline will be inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame on May 7.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=715|height=585]
[imagefield_assist|fid=17446|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Maurice Ashley interviews Gata Kamsky after Kamsky won the 2013 U.S. Championship.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=439]
By Brian Jerauld
This article was originally published on stlpublicradio.org on April 16.
Maurice Ashley is sleeping just fine these days.
The International Grandmaster is about to put a million dollars down in Las Vegas -- and he might have the best odds in the house.
[imagefield_assist|fid=17440|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=WGM Jennifer Shahade and Yasser Seirawan will join GM Maurice Ashley (not pictured) to provide live online commentary of the 2014 U.S. Championships.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=525]
SAINT LOUIS, April 14, 2014 -- Next month, the top chess players in the country will meet in Saint Louis to compete for the tile of U.S. Champion and U.S. Women’s Champion.
The fields are set for both the 2014 U.S. Championship and 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship, scheduled to be held simultaneously May 7 through May 20 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).
Ashritha Eswaran, 13, received the final wildcard invitation to the U.S. Women’s Championship to round out the fields.
This marks the sixth consecutive year that each of these prestigious events will be held in Saint Louis. The opening ceremony takes place on May 7, and the first round for both events will kick off at 1 p.m. Central on May 8.
[imagefield_assist|fid=17437|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Ashritha Eswaran, 13, is the youngest competitor of the U.S. Championships.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=1626|height=1138]
By Brian Jerauld
Apparently, the U.S. “Women’s” Chess Championship is a description that gets more liberal by the year.
Where last season’s national title fight featured Dallas’ Sarah Chiang - 15 at the time - this year’s will feature Ashritha Eswaran, a 13-year-old National Master out of San Jose, Calif. Over the weekend, Eswaran accepted the invitation as the wildcard to the 2014 event, rounding out the 10-player field. The tournament will take place May 7 through May 20 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis in the Central West End.
[imagefield_assist|fid=17431|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Students from John Burroughs School contemplate a position on the mega chess set.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=525]
By Matt Barrett
There has been an all-time high of student traffic at the beginning of April, both on campus and in local scholastic programs.
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By Ben Conover
The March Unrated Kids Beginner Tournament brought a total of 66 students to the world-famous Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis in hopes of winning their choice of an annual student membership to the Club or an annual United States Chess Federation (USCF) membership to compete in rated tournaments. After four rounds of brilliancies, blunders, and beginner battles, Evan Marion and Logan Huyette emerged as K-3 co-champions while returning competitor Aaradya (Adi) Diwan successfully emerged past the six-way tie for second place to capture the 4th-6th grade title.
[imagefield_assist|fid=17388|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Gata Kamsky, center, is honored by Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield for his first-place finish at the 2013 U.S. Championship.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=940|height=320]
By GM Alejandro Ramirez
Being a resident grandmaster here at the Saint Louis Chess Club is always a true pleasure. The experienced staff, the beautiful facilities and the many opportunities provided to players of all experience levels is truly staggering. The club has had some recent, noticeable changes. First of all the new schedule is awesome, and it is far easier for everyone to remember when the club is open (10 a.m. - 10 p.m., seven days a week!)
OUR MISSION It is the mission of the Saint Louis Chess Club, an educational organization, to maintain a formal program of instruction to teach the game of chess and to promote and support its educational program through community outreach and local and national partnerships to increase the awareness of the educational value of chess.
Wheelchair access is available in the rear of the STLCC building. Please proceed through the parking lot to our east and around to our back door. If you need additional assistance, please contact us at 314-361-2437 .
The STLCC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, citizenship, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, disability, and any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws or regulations in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, events, programs, or activities.
The Saint Louis Chess Club complies with the Internal Revenue Service's guidelines regarding publication of its non-discrimination policy in its brochures, catalogs, advertisements and otherwise making it known to the general community.
Any violation of this policy should be reported to the General Manager, Joy Bray, jbray@saintlouischessclub.org - 314.361.2437, Administrative Director, Tad Middleton, tmiddleton@saintlouischessclub.org -314.361.2437 and/or the HR Manager, Cathy Gallaher, cgallaher@saintlouischessclub.org - 314.332.5582.
The integrity of Saint Louis Chess Club's relationship with minor players is paramount to the Chess Club's educational mission and success. All individuals employed by or working under the direction or authority of the Saint Louis Chess Club are expected and required to maintain appropriate boundaries and relationships with minors and are strictly prohibited from engaging in sexual misconduct, hazing and harassment.
We encourage any victim or other persons with information regarding inappropriate conduct to contact Cathy Gallaher, Saint Louis Chess Club HR Manager at cgallaher@saintlouischessclub.org. You may also make a report confidentially, and if you wish, anonymously, through our ethics reporting hotline managed by Navex at (833)221-3624.