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Mark Bretz
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NEW FORMAT, LARGE PURSE HIGHLIGHT COMPETITION BY NATION’S BEST PLAYERS AT 2010 U.S. CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP IN MAY IN ST. LOUIS
ST. LOUIS, January 22, 2010 -- The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, site of the exciting 2009 U.S. Chess Championship, will reprise its role as host of the prestigious tournament when two dozen of the nation’s top players participate in the 2010 tournament May 13-25. The competition, which dates back to 1845, will offer a purse of more than $170,000 at the event in St. Louis, named by the United States Chess Federation (USCF) in 2009 as “Chess City of the Year.”
Additionally, the format for this year’s tournament has been revised slightly to help ensure a dramatic conclusion to the 13-day event. All invitees will engage in a 24-player, seven-round Swiss competition. After the first seven rounds of play, the top four players will face off in a round robin, also known as a quad, in a championship final in the last three days of play. If there is a tie for fourth place after seven rounds, a playoff for fourth place will be held on May 21, the scheduled rest day. In the event there is a tie for first place at the tournament’s conclusion, a playoff will be held on May 25, the day of the closing ceremony.
Woman Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade and a special guest who will be announced at a later date will provide commentary and analysis for this year’s event. Spectators are welcome, and admission for club members will be free. Club memberships start at just $5 per month for students and $12 per month for adults.
“By structuring the 2010 tournament with both a preliminary Swiss competition and a more focused, quad final, we hope to provide even more drama and tension for devoted chess aficionados as well as casually interested fans,” said Tony Rich, executive director of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. Rich was honored by USCF as “Chess Organizer of the Year” in 2009.
The 24 invited players will include:
• defending U.S. Chess Champion, Grandmaster (GM) Hikaru Nakamura;
• winner of the 2009 U.S. Senior Open Championship, GM Larry Christiansen;
• winner of the 2009 U.S. Junior Championship, GM Ray Robson;
• winner of the 2009 U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, International Master (IM) Anna Zatonskih;
• top five qualifiers from the 2009 U.S. Open Championship: GM-elect Alex Lenderman, GM Sergey Kudrin, GM Alex Yermolinsky, GM Dmitri Gurevich and GM Jesse Kraai;
• winner of the 2010 ICC State Champion of Champions (to be determined);
• top 10 U.S. players by rating of the United States Chess Federation (to be determined);
• four wild card spots (to be determined).
The top 10 U.S. players will be determined by their ratings according to the February USCF rating supplement. The ICC State Champion of Champions will be determined through an online tournament that will pit state champions against each other.
Prize money has been increased for this year’s event to more than $170,000, including $35,000 for first place and $20,000 for the runner-up. Scores from the Swiss tournament will carry over into the final competition. Players who do not finish among the top four will play two additional rounds of the Swiss event. Prize money for fifth place through 24th will exceed $90,000, ranging from $10,000 for fifth place to a minimum of $3,000 for last.
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, which Steve Goldberg of USCF Online calls “certainly one of the most impressive chess centers” in the country, opened in July 2008.
Founded by retired investment fund manager Rex Sinquefield, the not-for-profit, 501(c)3 organization has more than 500 members. In 2009 the club was honored with the Renaissance Award by the Central West End Association.
The 100-year-old, three-level, 6,000-square-foot building, located in the city’s fashionable and historic Central West End neighborhood, possesses an array of customized features, including DGT chess boards, hand-made wooden chess tables, LCD-screen televisions, video installation art, overhead paging and an adjustable lighting system.
The United States Chess Federation is the official, not-for-profit U.S. membership organization for chess players and chess supporters of all ages and strengths, from beginners to grand masters. Founded in 1939 with the merger of the American Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation, USCF has grown to more than 80,000 members and nearly 1,200 affiliated chess clubs and organizations. USCF sanctions 25 national championship award titles to both amateurs and professionals, ranging from elementary school students to senior citizens. For more information, visit www.uschess.org.
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