2012 US Junior Chess Championship in Saint Louis from July 6-20

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012

Hi everyone,

The latest chess news from Saint Louis is that the US Junior Closed Chess Championship for the year would be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis July 6-20 this year. This is going to be third edition of the event to be held again in Saint Louis - which already is home to the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Defending champion Gregory Young

The 2012 Junior Closed Championship will be a 10-player, round-robin event that will feature some of the top junior players in the nation. Last year, Gregory Young, who was ranked seventh out of 10 players by rating, shocked the field with a superb 7.5/9 score to clinch the title of the 2011 U.S. Junior Closed Champion.

Invitations will be awarded to the six highest-rated players under the age of 21 according to the USCF’s March rating supplement. Three wild card invitations and an automatic invite to the defending champion will round out the field of 10.

The 2012 US Junior Closed Championship will feature a prize fund of more than $10,000. The winner also will receive an invitation to the 2013 US Championship and the 2012 World Junior Championship, scheduled to be held August 1 through August 16 in Athens, Greece.

Previous winners of the Junior Closed Championship include GM Bobby Fischer, GM Larry Christiansen, GM Patrick Wolff, IM Joshua Waitzkin, GM Tal Shaked, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Robert Hess, GM Ray Robson and 2010 champion GM Sam Shankland.
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis 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 Chess Club and Scholastic Center 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.

From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com