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.
Taught how the pieces move at 5 years old, Finegold was born into a heavy chess-playing family (his father once played Bobby Fischer), and he has remained one of the more impactful American chess players for several decades. Finegold was a U.S. Junior champion in 1989 who has since played in nine U.S. Championships, also a recipient of the prestigious Samford Chess Fellowship in 1993.
Now a local chess celebrity, Finegold has become a popular player and entertaining commentator for the city’s U.S. Chess League team, the Arch Bishops, as well as that for the Club’s high-profile events in the U.S. Championships and Sinquefield Cup. His incredible depth of experience across all levels of chess has earned Finegold a solid reputation as a superior trainer to children, amateurs and tournament players alike. Be sure to check him out leading all of our weekly lectures, including the Sunday kids classes, or let him fine-tune your game individually with a private GM lesson!
