2012 U.S. Championships News

For more information, please contact:
Kiley Herndon
Marketing Communications Associate
(314) 309-0799
kherndon@saintlouischessclub.org

America’s Rising Chess Stars Converge in Saint Louis

2018 U.S. Junior & U.S. Girls’ Junior Chess Championships Set for the Saint Louis Chess Club

SAINT LOUIS (July 2, 2018) –  The skilled and competitive new generation of chess talent will compete for the U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior Chess Championship titles at the Saint Louis Chess Club July 11-21, 2018. The two 10-player fields are filled with young prodigies who are ready to test their mettle in 9 rounds of classical chess. For many of these players, the tournament will serve as a stepping stone to achieving such lofty goals as the Grandmaster titles, elite player status, and potentially World Championship competitions.

This year’s tournament includes an exciting opponent in the 2018 Junior field, as 16-year-old WIM Annie Wang will be competing against all male opponents. She secured the wildcard position in the tournament due to her spectacular second place finish against IM Nazi Paikidze during the playoff of the 2018 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship in April. Wang will be competing for the prize fund of more than $20,000 and a coveted spot in the 2019 U.S. Chess Championship, where she would compete against America’s big three: GM Wesley So, GM Hikaru Nakamura, and world championship contender, GM Fabiano Caruana. Alongside her in the field will be other talented juniors, including previous champions GM Akshat Chandra and defending champion GM Awonder Liang.

“The U.S. Junior Championships are always a great opportunity for us to see what the future of chess looks like,” says Executive Director Tony Rich. “With Annie Wang as the wildcard and all the other young, yet seasoned players, the future of American chess is brighter than ever.”

The U.S. Girls’ Junior section also promises to offer exciting battles with previous U.S. Women’s Championship players FM Maggie Feng, WIM Emily Nguyen, and WIM Jennifer Yu. For many of these players, the tournament is an opportunity to improve their rating and prepare for future major tournaments. Although this tournament is fairly new, it has produced many players who have gone on to shine at major national and international tournaments, while others have taken the skills learned from chess to study at elite universities like Agata Bykovtsev at MIT. Along with winning the title, players will be up for the chance to win a piece of the more than $10,000 prize fund.

Covering all the action will be the expert commentary team of WGM Tatev Abrahamyan and GM Robert Hess. The team will be providing game analysis daily starting at 1 p.m. For more information, visit www.uschesschamps.com.

* Invitational ratings are calculated and certified by the USCF. The USCF is solely responsible for invitational ratings.

About the Saint Louis Chess Club

The Saint Louis Chess Club is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons and special lectures.

Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Saint Louis Chess Club is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.

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For more information, please contact:

Kiley Herndon

Communications Coordinator

(314) 309-0799

kherndon@saintlouischessclub.org

World Champion Magnus Carlsen and Americans Dominate

 at Champions
Showdown in Saint Louis

SAINT LOUIS (November 15, 2017) – Six days of fast time controls with
no increment or delay proved to be exactly what viewers were wanting to watch.
Blood was literally spilled as the three Americans, Grandmasters Fabiano
Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, and Wesley So beat their opponents Alexander
Grischuk, Veselin Topalov, and Leinier Dominguez, respectively. By the end of
day six, the reigning World Champion, Magnus Carlsen, also proved that he is
nearly impossible to beat. 

Two of the matchups came down to the last day, with GMs Wesley So and
Fabiano Caruana narrowly edging out their opponents. Both players were down on
the second to last day of play and came back to win nearly all of the final
blitz games to clinch the victories. Wesley So was hitting his clock so hard he
broke open a callus on his hand leaving blood splatter covering the clock.  At the same time, GMs Hikaru Nakamura and
Magnus Carlsen dominated their opponents to prove their true grit in the rapid
and blitz games.   

“The time controls provide some of the most frenetic chess we’ve see in
a quite a while, said Tony Rich, executive director of the Saint Louis Chess
Club. “These are the best players in the world and to watch these games come
down to pieces flying, was an outstanding experience for chess enthusiasts.“

At the end of the tournament, each winner took home $60,000, while the
opponents took home an impressive $40,000 for a grand total of $400,000,
courtesy of the generous support of Saint Louis Chess Club founders Dr. Jeanne
and Rex Sinquefield. As chess continues to rise in prominence around the globe,
this prize fund reflects that of what true professional athletes make for their
hard work at the board. 

For more information, visit www.uschesschamps.com.

About The Chess Club and
Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is a non-profit,
501(c)(3) organization that is committed to making chess an important part of
our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play
tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes,
beginner lessons and special lectures.

Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Chess
Club and Scholastic Center is committed to supporting those chess programs that
already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new
in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.

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