My opponent just got 65 years younger!

For more information, please contact:
Mike Wilmering
Communications Specialist
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

Robson Replaces Korchnoi for Match Play in St. Louis

Nakamura vs. Ponomariov, Finegold vs. Robson: May 16-25

ST. LOUIS, May 12 -- GM Viktor Korchnoi, who was originally scheduled to take on GM Ben Finegold in a 10-game match, has been forced to withdraw due to health concerns. Organizers said the ailment was not serious in nature, but that it impaired Korchnoi's ability to travel internationally. GM Ray Robson will fill Korchnoi's legendary shoes.

The CCSCSL will also host a 10-game match (six classical, four rapid) between St. Louis Grandmaster (GM) Hikaru Nakamura, ranked No. 7 in the world, and GM Ruslan Ponomariov, ranked No. 11 in the world, May 16-25. Nakamura moved up to No. 7 on the live list after GM Veselin Topalov's rating tumbled following his Candidates Match loss to GM Gata Kamsky.

The players will take part in a live, virtual press conference at 10 a.m. CDT on May 16. Journalists and fans from all over the world can log onto livestream.com/uschess to submit questions to the players and watch their answers streamed live online.

Robson, 16, became the youngest grandmaster in U.S. history in 2009 when he was just 14. He had a solid performance at this year's U.S. Championship finishing third in his round-robin field of eight, just a half point shy of qualifying for the finals.

"My opponent just got 65 years younger!" joked Finegold.

Who will win the match?

Who will win the match?
	R. Ponomariov
	H. Nakamura

Who will win the match?
	V. Korchnoi
	B. Finegold

Ponomariov vs Nakamura / Korchnoi vs Finegold

Nakamura, Korchnoi Headline International Match Play in St. Louis

Nakamura vs. Ponomariov, Korchnoi vs. Finegold: May 16-25

ST. LOUIS, May 2 -- For the first time ever, St. Louis will host an international chess match featuring the top players in the world. Be there to witness a living legend and one in the making.

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will host a 10-game match (six classical, four rapid) between St. Louis Grandmaster (GM) Hikaru Nakamura, ranked No. 8 in the world, and GM Ruslan Ponomariov, ranked No. 11 in the world, May 16-25.

Legendary GM Viktor Korchnoi also will take on the Chess Club’s Resident GM Ben Finegold in a 10-game match.

The players will take part in a live, virtual press conference at 10 a.m. CDT on May 16. Journalists and fans from all over the world can log onto livestream.com to submit questions to the players and watch their answers streamed live online. More details including the specific Livestream channel will be available soon.

The 23-year-old Nakamura, who declined his invitation to the 2011 U.S. Championship, recently moved up to No. 8 in the world on the top rating list by FIDE, the World Chess Federation. His international rating of 2774 is the second-highest rating ever attained by an American, second only to GM Bobby Fischer’s rating of 2785. Nakamura’s first six classical games against Ponomariov will be FIDE rated, and Nakamura can break Fischer’s record with a +3 score, which would make him the highest-rated American ever. (A +3 score, for example, can be attained by winning three games and drawing (or tying) three; or losing one, winning four and drawing one.)

Since moving into the top 10 in the world, Nakamura said he has shifted his focus to prepare for the world's best to make a run at the next World Championship cycle, which will begin in two years.

Korchnoi, 80, is the oldest active player on the tournament circuit and a 10-time candidate for the World Championship. He is also a four-time USSR Champion and winner of the 2006 World Senior Chess Championship.

"It's a real honor to take on Viktor [Korchnoi]," Finegold said. "He's a living legend."

Round one of the 10-game matches will take place at 1 p.m. CDT on May 17.

The big dance is about to start

2011 U.S. Chess Championships are about to start
By Ben Finegold, Grandmaster

Posted 11:46 am, Tue., 4.12.11

The buzz is starting in St. Louis - the equipment is primed, the players are working on their best moves and the doors are ready to open to the public. Oh, I'm not talking baseball, I'm talking chess. Chess's star is rising, and St. Louis is fast becoming a chess hub to newbies, veterans and future chess legends via the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.

The Club, which opened in 2007, is so well appointed that it could beckon players on its looks alone. This year marks the third time it has been selected to host the U.S. Championship Tournament. The tournament is the big event for chess in the United States - think of it as the World Series of chess - and this year's event is notable in that it is the first time that the U.S. Championship will be held concurrently with the U.S. Women's Chess Championship.

On April 13 through 28, our city will welcome the best chess players from around the U.S. as they vie for prizes ranging from $18,000 to $40,000. The championship features 16 formidable players, 15 of whom have attained the highest title a player can attain: grandmaster (or GM). The Women's Championship has eight participants, all strong players capable of capturing the crown.

Defending U.S. Champion Gata Kamsky and defending U.S. Women's Champion Irina Krush will be playing to retain their thrones. Kamsky's main threats will be former U.S. Champions Alex Onischuk, Yury Shulman and Yasser Seirawan - think Albert Pujols going head to head with Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Jim Thome.

Full article here.