Six Chess Endgames for Tournament Players by GM Ben Finegold (Video)
Kids' Chess Lecture Video: GM Finegold on King+Pawn Endgames
Hello chess blog friends, here's a cool new chess lecture by GM Benjamin Finegold from the St Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Centre YouTube video channel. GM Finegold covers King and Pawn Endgames in this lecture for kids. Meanwhile, we have another cute video of Chess Queen Alexandra Kosteniuk introducing chess to a class full of kids! Enjoy.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Labels: Alexandra Kosteniuk, Ben Finegold, chess lecture, Chess video, king pawn endgame, saint louis chess
Saint Louis Chess Club Resident GM Ben Finegold Resigns
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Saint Louis (August 16, 2012) — Grandmaster Ben Finegold has resigned his position as the Resident Grandmaster at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL). Citing personal reasons for his resignation, Finegold and the Chess Club are parting on good terms, and the club hopes he will continue to support American Chess at all levels, from developing strong scholastic players to coaching players at the top tier.
GM Finegold was hired to be the Resident Grandmaster at the CCSCSL in January 2010, and he was integral in helping shape the growing scholastic chess movement in Saint Louis and in helping organize numerous world-class events.
Tony Rich, executive director of the CCSCSL, thanked GM Finegold for his service to the Chess Club. “Ben was a valuable addition to our staff, and we are thankful for his expertise and input throughout his tenure here,” Rich said. For more information about the CCSCSL, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com
Labels: Ben Finegold, chess club saint louis
U.S. Junior Chess Championship 2012 Begins Today
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Round 1 of the 2012 U.S. Junior Closed Championship begins today in Saint Louis, and the marquee match-up pits GM-elect conrad Holt against IM Darwin Yang, who recently secured his second GM norm last month at the New York International. The first round begins at 11 a.m. CT, Noon EST, and the event will feature live play-by-play from GM Ben Finegold and FM Aviv Friedman. Round two will take place today at 5 p.m. CT, 6 p.m. ET. Access the live commentary by visiting www.uschesschamps.com/live.
Tournament play will run through July 15, and the event will feature two rounds per day. The event features an overall prize fund of $18,000.
Read more »Labels: aviv friedman, Ben Finegold, conrad holt, daniel naroditsky, darwin yang, marc arnold, st louis chess, us junior chess, victor shen
Karpov-Seirawan Chess Exhibition: Karpov Pulls Off Win in Blitz Section
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012Hi everyone,Former World Champion Anatoly Karpov defeated four-time U.S. Champion Yasser Seirawan in a match held from June 10-13 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. In the first three days of play, two classical and two rapid games were drawn, increasing the tension as the players headed into a 10-game blitz match held on June 13.  Karpov-Seirawan Karpov drew first blood in game one when he prevailed in a razor-sharp pawn endgame. But the match was far from over, as the two traded victories. Seirawan won a particularly nice game in round five, highlighting the weakness of Karpov’s second rank.But after a half-time break, Karpov came back sharp and hungry, and he won three games in a row to clinch the match victory and $10,000 first prize.The final score of the blitz match was 6-4 in Karpov’s favor while the overall match score (one point for each of the four draws in the classical and rapid) was 10-8.At the post-game press conference both players spoke highly of the overall quality of the blitz match and the playing conditions. The tournament concluded with a cocktail party and tandem chess exhibition at the World Chess Hall of Fame. Karpov was inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2004, while Seirawan was inducted into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in 2006.The blitz games with commentary by GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jennifer Shahade. From Alexandra Kosteniuk'swww.chessblog.comAlso see her personal blog atwww.chessqueen.com Labels: Anatoly Karpov, Ben Finegold, Jennifer Shahade, saint louis chess club, World chess hall of fame, yasser seirawan
Legends' Chess Rapid - Time Squeezed Karpov Accepts Seirawan Draw
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Grandmasters Anatoly Karpov and Yasser Seirawan moved to their rapid matches after drawing the classical section. In the first game, Karpov achieved a dominant position in the same line of the Slav that they played in round one of the classical match. In the post-game commentary, Karpov and Seirawan agreed that Yasser's main hope was Karpov's time deficit. In the end, Karpov accepted Yasser's draw offer in a better position due to his rapidly dwindling clock. He also pointed out that even though black was worse in the final position, he had no active plans, so Seirawan's position was easier to play quickly.
Chess is Fun: Anatoly Karpov and Yasser Seirawan
In the second game, Karpov chose the Lasker Defense of the Queen's Gambit Declined. This surprised Yasser, and he did not get much with the white pieces. The game was drawn after 34 moves.
A 10-game blitz showdown will determine the winner of this tight match. Tune in to livestream.com/uschess starting at 1 p.m. local/2 EST for live commentary by GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jennifer Shahade.
The players are also scheduled to host an extended live press conference via Livestream at 4:30 p.m. local time today, and chess journalists, bloggers and fans worldwide are encouraged to visit the Chess Club's Livestream channel and log in using Facebook or Livestream to submit questions. Questions can also be submitted using the hashtag USChess (#USChess) on Twitter.
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
Also see her personal blog at
Labels: Anatoly Karpov, Ben Finegold, Jennifer Shahade, saint louis chess club, yasser seirawan
Special Chess Show - Karpov versus Seirawan in Saint Louis
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
SAINT LOUIS, May 24, 2012 -- The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is going to host former World Champion GM Anatoly Karpov in a special match against four-time U.S. Champion GM Yasser Seirawan. The two will face off June 9-13 in a unique competition that will test their classical chess skills along with their abilities at both blitz and rapid play.
Tourney Format:
Two Classical Games: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of a 30-second increment per move starting from move one
Each Classical game is worth three points.
Two Rapid Games: 25 minutes plus a five-second increment
Each Rapid game is worth two points.
Ten Blitz Games: Five minutes plus a two-second increment
Each Blitz game is worth one point.
Prize Fund:
1st Place: $10,000
2nd Place: $7,000
The opening ceremony for the event will take place on June 9 at 6 p.m. Central and will feature a special book signing event for fans and spectators. Play begins on June 10 at 1 p.m. Central with the first round of classical chess. Visit www.saintlouischessclub.org/karpov-vs-seirawan for the full event schedule and more information.
The event will feature live commentary from GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jennifer Shahade. The Chess Club will be hosting a series of big events throughout the summer including the U.S. Junior Closed Championship, which will be held in Saint Louis July 10-16.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
www.chessblog.com
Also see her personal blog at
www.chessqueen.com Labels: Ben Finegold, chess exhibition, chess match, Jennifer Shahade, Karpov, seirawan
Fantasy Chess Online Contest with Great Prizes on Sidelines of 2012 US Chess Championships
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012
Hi everyone,
Do you know where the 2012 US Chess Championships (Men and Women's) is going to be held? In Saint Louis from May 7-20. But, this chess news is not about the event itself. It's about an exciting online parallel contest called Fantasy Chess that even you could participate in.
Defending US chess champions
Gata Kamsky and Anna Zatonskih.
Fantasy chess is about anyone, from anywhere on the planet, making predictions and guessing about who is going to win. It is free to join and you could sign up at www.uschesschamps.com - the official website of the event. Sponsors have helped the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis offer great prizes for the fantasy chess event. These prizes include:
- Biasov Luxury Chess Table and personalized U.S. Championships poster signed by the 2012 U.S. Champion and U.S. Women's Champion. Ships to continental U.S. only.
- Private lesson (in person or online) with GM Ben Finegold, a joint membership to the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis and the World Chess Hall of Fame and a signed poster from the 2012 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship.
- Private lesson (in person or online) with WGM Jennifer Shahade, signed copies of Jennifer's books "Chess Bitch" and "Play Like a Girl", and a vinyl board signed by the participants in the 2012 U.S. Women's Championship.
- A wooden chess board signed by the players in the 2012 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship.
- A 2012 U.S. Championships polo, vinyl board and Championship poster signed by the players in the 2012 U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship
Labels: 2012 us chess championship, Ben Finegold, biasov luxury chess, Jennifer Shahade, st louis chess club, uscf, World chess hall of fame
Saint Louis chess update by GM Ben Finegold - GM Georgi Kacheishvili wins Chess Club Invitational
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everyone,
Here is some neat chess update from Saint Louis Chess Club by Grandmaster Ben Finegold. That's were the CCSCSL Invitational Chess event concluded on Friday night. Go ahead and read it. Enjoy.
GM Georgi Kacheishvili
The CCSCSL Invitational wrapped up Friday night with a lot of exciting games. I was wondering two things when I went to sleep Thursday:
- Would GM Georgi Kacheishvili continue his blistering pace?
- And would IM Angelo Young be able to tighten up and avoid a clean sweep?
The amazing run by Kacheishvili continued until the end, as he won a complicated struggle against GM Andre Diamant and finished with an amazing 8-1 to win the event easily.
Young had a fine last day, with a solid draw against IM Greg Shahade and another draw with IM Irina Krush, where Angelo was clearly pressing.
In somewhat unusual fashion, the three GMs took the top three places on the crosstable with GMs Mesgen Amanov and Diamant tied for 2nd place with 6-3.
Kacheishvili was simply awesome. He was not lucky at all, simply outplaying everyone to demonstrate he was the clear deserving winner. Amanov played solid chess and was undefeated with two wins and seven draws, very Finegoldesque. Diamant started on fire with 3 out of 3, then went into drawing mode, as he could not keep up with the amazing Georgi! Three players scored +1. IM Marc Arnold played solidly for the most part,but was never really in the norm hunt. Darwin Yang, 14, played well, and only lost one game in this tough field. Certainly Darwin has a bright future on the American chess scene, and I expect he will play in many U.S. Championships, and represent the U.S. in International competition in the not-too-distant future. Krush started well (even drawing an exciting game with the seemingly unstoppable Kacheishvili), and needed 3 out of 4 for a GM norm, but a tough loss to Greg Shahade with a time-trouble error dashed her hopes. Shahade is back after a long hiatus from tournament chess, and he played well. He was the only player to score 50%, and he seemed reasonably happy with his effort. IM Danny Rensch started quite badly, losing his first five games, but he finished well to score 2.5. This was not his best effort, but Rensch plays a sharp enterprising style, and his games are always exciting and fun to watch. Young clearly was not in his best form, but he is capable of beating anyone. This was simply not his event.
Watching the games was quite exciting for me, as there were so many decisive games, time trouble was always fun to watch, and seeing some new players come to our chess club (Rensch, Shahade, Diamant) was exciting. Hopefully we will have another similar event soon, and we can see if America’s talent can earn some norms.
From Alexandra Kosteniuk's
Also see her personal blog at
Labels: Ben Finegold, georgi kacheishvili, saint louis chess club
Confessions of a grandmaster - the chess and weight connection
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hello everybody,
As you know, the very nice chess exhibition was organised in Saint Louis. Before we tell you all the results, here's a nice piece written by Grandmaster Ben Finegold after his not so nice loss to the 16-year-old Ray Robson. It's a cute piece. The fun part aside, it shows how important physical fitness is if you want to play top-class chess.
Confessions of a Grandmaster
By Ben Finegold, Grandmaster, special to the Beacon
The world did not end Saturday, but maybe those who were making predictions were just a little off. Perhaps their lines got crossed, and instead of "the end of the world will occur on May 21" they meant "Ben Finegold will lose his match on May 22."
 When I lost to America's youngest-ever grandmaster, 16-year-old Ray Robson, in this week's international match, it made me think of one of my son's favorite laments: "What world do we live in?" I have decided to stop idly wondering and take some steps to proactively make it a world that works better for me.
I have a lot of bad habits (who doesn't?), and I decided Sunday night - after losing the last slow chess game in my match with young Robson - that I was going to make some changes in my life. What specifically?
- Spend more time studying/working on my chess game
- Lose weight (eat less of the wrong stuff and enjoy more of the right stuff and go to the gym more)
- Keep my home clean and my thoughts more clear
The most important decision was No. 2 on that list. I have had trouble with my weight, and this became more obvious during my chess match. My esteemed opponent is a tall, thin 16 year old. He is probably 5 foot 11 inches and 110-120 pounds. Conversely, I am 5 foot 8 and 315 pounds. Looking at the webcam and pictures from the match was quite disturbing, to say the least.
Now, I'm not making such rash life changes because it is the best thing for me. That would make too much sense. I decided to improve my life simply due to my suffering chess game. Chess is what I do best, and lately I have been playing poorly. About five years ago, I lost 100 pounds, and my chess rating soared. I went from about twenty-fifth rated in the U.S. to the top 10. I was playing and feeling great! Since then, I have gained all the weight back, and my chess has suffered. Now I am barely in the top 30. Enough is enough.
My birthday is Sept. 6. I will lose 50 pounds by then, and another 50 by the year's end. And that is just the beginning. Why all the fuss? Let's have a look at the sixth match game played Sunday.
****
Will my chess improve as my health gets better and my weight decreases? Only time will tell.
We wish him the best with his goals and all of you who are inspired to set similar goals! Don't forget to share you experiments with us. Labels: Ben Finegold, Exhibition chess match Saint Louis
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