[imagefield_assist|fid=15092|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=Students from Saint Louis Language Immersion School marvel at the size of the World's Largest Chess Piece.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=467]
By Alex Vergilesov
The U.S. Championship Community day is intended to demonstrate the experience and talents of the competitors in the 2012 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship to students participating in the CCSCSL's scholastic chess program. The country's finest chess players are role models to many young chess enthusiasts. More than 400 students met the competitors, learned about their experiences and even got to play casual chess!
The community day blasted off just outside of the World Chess Hall of Fame with the unveiling of the biggest chess piece ever made! More than 80 students from Saint Louis Language Immersion School took pictures with the installment, took tours of the CCSCSL and the WCHoF, met the competitors in the U.S. and Women's Championship, had lunch and casual chess play with IM Anna Zatonkih, GM Alex Stripunsky, WGM Sabina Foisor and GM Ray Robson. Kids also enjoyed a cozy interview with defending champion GM Gata Kamsky, GM Alex Lenderman and WIM Iryna Zenuk.
Following the unveiling ceremony, competitors in the U.S. and Women's Championship visited schools in the Saint Louis area that participate in scholastic chess programming. The first stop was at the Innovative Concept Academy and Blewett School in the Saint Louis Public School District. WGM Jennifer Shahade, along with GM Robert Hess, IM Irina Krush, and GM Varuzhan Akobian spoke to the students about the U.S. and Women's Championship and proved to the students how good they actually were over the boards.
I joined GM Ben Finegold, GM Yury Shulman, WIM Viktorija Ni, GM Gregory Kaidanov, and IM Rusudan Goletiani at a school assembly at Parkwood Elementary School in the Pattonville School District. Ben and I gave a presentation about the U.S. and Women's Championship and had competitors speak about their experiences in chess. GM Gregory Kaidanov stepped up to tell the kids about one of his many achievements, a major setback, and his love for the game. Claire Grothe, representing the World Chess Hall of Fame, also presented and told the kids about all the awesome art exhibits at the WCHoF. Following the presentation, nearly 200 students participated in a Q&A with the competitors.
Simultaneously, competitors in the U.S. and Women's Championship visited St. Gabriel the Archangel School, Miriam Academy, and the Youth Learning Center. Gm Alex Onischuk and NM Alena Kats visited a big class of 30 students at St. Gabes; WGM Tatev Abrahamyan and GM Ale-Alejandro Ramirez visited a small class of just a five students at Miriam, and GM Yasser Seirwan and WGM Camilla Baginskaite visted a slew of students at the Youth Learning Center.
All in all, the community day event went off without a hitch. Every one of the competitors in the U.S. and Women's Championship participated, and we incorporated many of the students in our school programs. We also wanted to make it a point to show that no classroom is too small, or too big to learn from the best. Until next year!
