For more information, contact:
Kiley Herndon
Phone: (314) 309-0799
Five Unique Matchups Showcase Elite Chess Talent at the Saint Louis Chess Club
American Kings of the Game and International Opponents Battle in Rapid and Blitz Chess
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.
The tournament was comprised of the top five American players who then got to choose their international opponents for 12 rapid and 24 blitz games. The first match to be decided was Caruana versus Harikrishna; going into the fifth day, Caruana had already clinched the match but his remaining games were nothing short of thrilling, including an unexpected resignation by Caruana in a winning position. Their games, like many of the other players’, were exciting for fans who got to see unique styles clash in epic proportions at the Saint Louis Chess Club February 20-24, 2019.
When asked in an interview about what the city of Saint Louis means to the international chess scene, Caruana explained, “With each year it becomes more and more prominent. The Grand Chess Tour is expanding and there is so many more international events bringing players from all over the world. Saint Louis has become, for sure, the capital of chess in the world.”
Each day of play was called by the expert commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Jennifer Shahade, and GM Maurice Ashley on uschesschamps.com. The commentators expressed how exciting it is calling these exhibition matches and asked players too about their feelings for these types of events. GM Wesley So’s opponent GM David Navara reflected on his invitation to the tournament saying, “It is quite a nice event and I’m very happy that I was invited to play here. It was quite interesting.”
The Saint Louis Chess Club’s busy schedule will include the U.S. & U.S. Women’s Chess Championships which start on March 18, 2019. The tournament will include all five kings from the Champions Showdown, as well as seven other U.S. players, along with 12 female players competing in the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship. All games will be streamed live on uschesschamps.com.
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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.