2012 U.S. Championships scheduled in Saint Louis

[imagefield_assist|fid=14011|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=2011 U.S. Champion GM Gata Kamsky and 2011 U.S. Women's Champion IM Anna Zatonskih will each look to retain their respective crowns in Saint Louis next May.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=467]

SAINT LOUIS, October 13, 2011 -- GM Gata Kamsky and IM Anna Zatonskih will look to defend their respective crowns next May in Saint Louis.

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) will host the 2012 U.S. Championship and 2012 U.S. Women’s Championship simultaneously May 7 through May 20 of next year. This marks the fourth consecutive year that each of these prestigious events will be held in Saint Louis.

Tickets for the opening ceremony, which will take place on May 7, and the closing ceremony, scheduled for May 20, will be available soon. Round one for each event begins on May 8.

The 2012 U.S. Championship will feature an elite field of just 12 players and will feature a guaranteed prize fund of at least $160,000. In addition, the CCSCSL will sponsor the “$64K Fischer Prize,” to be awarded to anyone that scores a perfect 11-0 in the U.S. Championship, in honor of Bobby Fischer’s result at the 1963-64 U.S. Championship. Invitations for the 2012 U.S. Championship are as follows:

• (1) 2011 U.S. Champion: GM Gata Kamsky
• (1) 2011 U.S. Open Champion: GM Alex Lenderman
• (1) 2011 U.S. Junior Closed Champion: NM Gregory Young
• (7) The seven remaining highest-rated players according to the January supplement: TBD
• (2) Two wildcard invitations: TBD

The 2012 U.S. Women’s Championship will feature 10 players and a guaranteed prize fund of $64,000. Invitations for the 2012 U.S. Women’s Championship are as follows:

• (1) 2011 U.S. Women’s Champion: IM Anna Zatonskih
• (7) The seven remaining highest-rated players according to the January supplement: TBD
• (2) Two wildcard invitations: TBD 

The U.S. Championship and the U.S. Women’s Championship will both be classic round-robin tournaments, in which each participant will play every other participant exactly once. The schedule of events is as follows:

In addition to the U.S. Championship and the U.S. Women’s Championship, the CCSCSL will organize an open blitz tournament with large prizes to which all of the competitors in both Championships will be invited. Stay tuned for more details!