Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, founded by retired investment fund manager Rex Sinquefield opened in July 2008. It is located at 4657 Maryland Avenue in St. Louis’ historic Central West End. With three levels the 6,000-square-foot chess club includes DGT chess boards, hand-made wooden chess tables, LCD-screen televisions, video installation art, overhead paging and an adjustable lighting system.
Scholastic Chess
The Chess Club And Scholastic Center of Saint Louis was founded in 2007 as a not-for-profit organization to promote the game of chess, with emphasis on promotion of scholastic chess across the entire greater Saint Louis area. Impetus for creation of the club came largely from Mr. Rex Sinquefield, a retired executive with strong interests in both chess and helping people. Club goals include providing ample opportunities for existing players to play as well as introducing newcomers, including students, to the game. Club goals include providing ample opportunities for existing players to play as well as introducing newcomers, including students, to the game.
STLCCSC MISSION
The underlying goal of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is to create a world class destination for chess players, both beginning and advanced and to elevate the game of chess throughout the Saint Louis metropolitan area. Additionally, the Center financially supports existing local scholastic chess programs while providing new programs, at no cost, to local schools currently without programs.
U.S Chess Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship
ST. LOUIS, October 8, 2008 -- The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, has been selected by the United States Chess Federation to host the 2009 U.S. Women’s Championship. The U.S. Women’s Chess Championship dates back to 1937. This is the second major tournament announcement made by The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis since its recent opening in July 2008. In September of 2008 the organization announced that it would host the United States Chess Championship in the Spring of 2009.
“I am delighted that The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis will host both the U.S. Chess Championship and the U.S. Women’s Championship in the coming year,” said Sinquefield. “I’ve had the privilege, and the occasional pain, of studying chess with Grand Master Jennifer Shahade, who focuses much time and energy in encouraging young women to take up the game. It is the goal of the Chess Club to encourage all of Saint Louis’ young people to learn chess and believe that bringing the best chess players in the country to Saint Louis will have helped us achieve that goal.”
The players’ room is private and enclosed with its own kitchen and restroom. There is ample natural lighting with windows along two walls and two skylights in the space. Recessed adjustable lighting fixtures cover the ceiling to ensure an even light with appropriate brightness.
The championship will be held in late summer or early fall 2009. The tournament is a 9 round event, paired using the Round Robin pairing system with one round per day and a rest day between rounds 5 and 6. Time controls will be the classical 40 moves in 2 hours, with the remaining moves in 1 hour. Invitations will be sent to the top 10 U.S. women by their rating.
The championship will have a purse of $64,000, with $15,000 awarded to the winner. In case of even scores, no tie-breakers will be used. Instead, prize funds will be evenly divided between winners.

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