[imagefield_assist|fid=17304|preset=fullsize|lightbox=true|title=GM Georg Meier (pictured here at SPICE Cup) is one of the top players at Webster University's elite collegiate chess program. Image courtesy Susan Polgar.|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=700|height=468]
By Mike Wilmering
This article was originally published on stlpublicradio.com on January 30
Webster University’s Georg Meier etched his name in the St. Louis record books over the weekend by winning the 6th annual Club Championship, held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).
Meier, 26, is a world-class grandmaster who ranks No. 2 in Germany and No. 141 in the world.
His fourth-round victory over Webster U teammate, GM Denes Boros of Hungary, proved pivotal. Meier was able to draw Lindenwood University’s Priyadharshan Kannappan, an international master from India, in the final round to secure the title and the first-place prize of $1,000.
This wasn’t a particularly impressive win: Meier entered the event as the clear favorite. He held a more than 100-point rating edge over Mexican GM Manuel Leon Hoyos, another Webster U teammate and the next highest-rated player in the field.
What is impressive, however, is seeing the name of a world-class grandmaster like Meier’s engraved on the club championship trophy of what, just five-and-a-half years ago, was simply a local chess club starting up in the middle of the country.
Click here to read the full story at news.stlpublicradio.org.
