News

Americans Shine in the Champions Showdown Chess9LX Exhibition

SAINT LOUIS (September 6, 2019) – The second annual Champions Showdown Chess 9LX exhibition was held at the Saint Louis Chess Club from September 2-5. The exhibition featured four tremendous contests in Fischer Random chess spotlighting eight of the top chess players in the world, including legendary world champion Garry Kasparov and 2018 World Chess Championship contender Fabiano Caruana.

Saint Louis Chess Club to Host Champions Showdown Chess 9LX Exhibition matches feature eight chess champions including legendary World Champion Garry Kasparov and the top four U.S. players

SAINT LOUIS, August XX, 2019 – The Saint Louis Chess Club will bring eight of the top chess players in the world, including legendary world champion Garry Kasparov and 2018 World Chess Championship contender Fabiano Caruana, to play in the Champions Showdown this September 2-5. The matches will be played in Chess 960 style, also known as Fischer Random, with a $200,000 prize purse. The competition will include six rapid games and fourteen blitz games over the four days of play.

2019 U.S. Junior, U.S. Girls’ Junior and U.S. Senior Champions Crowned in Saint Louis

SAINT LOUIS (July 22, 2019) – The national junior and senior chess championships have concluded in Saint Louis, the nation’s Chess Capital, with 16-year-old Awonder Liang taking home the U.S. Junior Championship, another 16-year-old, Carissa Yip, winning the U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship and U.S. Chess Hall-of-Famer Alex Shabalov beating out a field that included four other hall-of-famers to be crowned the first-ever U.S. Senior Champion.

Saint Louis Chess Club to Host Legends and Prodigies of American Chess in Upcoming National Championships

SAINT LOUIS (June 10, 2019) – This summer marks a hallmark first for Saint Louis, America’s Chess Capital, as the Saint Louis Chess Club will host national championships showcasing the best of American junior and senior chess. For the first time-ever, the U.S. Senior Championship - an invitation-only tournament for the top 10 players in the United States over 50 years old - will run simultaneously with the U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior Championships from July 10-20, 2019.

2019 U.S. Chess Champions: Teenage Talent Wins U.S. Women’s Championship While Veteran Nakamura Claims Fifth U.S. Championship Title

SAINT LOUIS (April 2, 2019) – 24 of America’s best chess players gathered in Saint Louis, America’s Chess Capital, at the Saint Louis Chess Club for the 2019 U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships held from March 18–April 1, 2019. 17-year-old Jennifer Yu was crowned 2019 U.S. Women’s Champion with a round to spare, finishing with an incredible 10/11 score. Hikaru Nakamura claimed the 2019 U.S. Chess Championship, his fifth national title, with a victory in the final round to finish a half point ahead of super Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana and Leinier Dominguez.

2019 U.S. and U.S. Women’s Chess Championships Fields Announced

SAINT LOUIS (March 5, 2019) – The Saint Louis Chess Club will once again host America’s best at the U.S. Chess Championship and U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. The fields are confirmed and fans are sure to see great battles on the chessboard March 18 through April 1, 2019.

Five Unique Matchups Showcase Elite Chess Talent at the Saint Louis Chess Club

SAINT LOUIS, MO, February 26, 2018 – Over five days of electric rapid and blitz chess play, ten kings showed their tenacity and fighting spirit, even in games after the matches were decided. During the event, each player faced the same opponent in head-to-head matches. In the end, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Wesley So, Veselin Topalov, and Richard Rapport won their matches against Pentala Harikrishna, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, David Navara, Leinier Dominguez, and Sam Shankland, respectively.

Russian Grandmaster Valentina Gunina Crowned First Cairns Cup Champion

SAINT LOUIS, February 19, 2019 - Russian Chess Grandmaster Valentina Gunina was named champion on Friday of the inaugural Cairns Cup, an elite tournament for the top female chess players worldwide. Gunina claimed the tournament victory in the final round with a draw against Russian Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk, earning the competitors $40,000 and $30,000 respectively. American Grandmaster Irina Krush edged out Indian Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli for a clear third place finish and $20,000 prize.

Champions Showdown Features Ten Kings of Chess

ST. LOUIS, February 14, 2019 - The 2019 installment of the Champions Showdown will feature five unique matchups between top world players, as well as up-and-coming chess stars. Five U.S. players have chosen opponents from around the world and will face-off in a head-to-head format with three days of rapid play and two days of blitz from February 20-24, 2019 at the Saint Louis Chess Club. In the end, $300,000 in prize money will be divided with each winner receiving $36,000 and the opposing player receiving $24,000.

2019 Cairns Cup – Round 1

At the opening ceremony of the Cairns Cup Tuesday evening, the players promised to do all they could to play fighting chess.  They certainly didn’t disappoint. The first round of the Cairns Cup was a bloody affair, with most of the players taking lots of risk and playing aggressive chess.  There was only one draw, and black had a good day, scoring three wins to white’s one. Here are the results of the round, along with a summary of what went down in each game.  

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