Executive Director, Tony Rich, tells his story
I remember the first time I met a chess Grandmaster. It was the winter of 1999, and GM Sergey Kudrin came through Saint Louis to play against dozens of people at the same time. With just a couple hundred Grandmasters in the world, this was a rare opportunity for amateur players to match wits with a chess professional.
As he entered the bookstore where our little chess club met, the room fell silent, players took their seats and GM Kudrin followed a circuitous path around the room, shaking hands and moving pieces. Amidst the rich scent of coffee and shelves lined with books, Kudrin forced resignation out of his hapless opponents one by one. When the dust settled, the Soviet expat had lost just one game and drawn another, and I was in awe.
That sense of wonderment will be shared by many when the Sinquefield Cup returns to Saint Louis. Held August 22 through September 3, the Sinquefield Cup is the second leg of the Grand Chess Tour and has become one of the most prestigious tournaments in the world over the past two years. Featuring 10 of the best players internationally, $300,000 in prizes and an unparalleled spectator experience, the Cup promises to enthrall fans.
Fabiano Caruana, who dazzled the chess world with his 7-out-of-7 start last year, will attempt to defend his title. Spectators can expect awe inspiring performances from this star-studded lineup, which includes youthful players like Anish Giri and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, World Champions like Magnus Carlsen, Vishy Anand and Veselin Topalov, and the American triumvirate of Hikaru Nakamura, Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So.
Since those early days with GM Kudrin, I have had the opportunity to organize elite events and meet many Grandmasters. Their ability to memorize myriad openings, deeply calculate variations and effortlessly coordinate their forces for battle is a testament to the complexity and wonder of the Royal Game. As the best players in the world converge in Saint Louis this fall, I look forward to that sense of wonderment again.