Saint Louis to host 2014 U.S. Chess Championships

Chess Blog for Daily Chess News and Trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2013

Hello everyone,

SAINT LOUIS (January 15, 2014) -- The best chess players in the U.S. will gather in Saint Louis once again to fight for the title of U.S. Champion and U.S. Women’s Champion.

For the sixth consecutive year Saint Louis will host the top chess tournaments in the nation.

GM Gata Kamsky will defend his title at the 2014 U.S. Championship while recently anointed Grandmaster Irina Krush will look for her sixth title at the 2014 U.S. Women’s Championship. The events will be held simultaneously May 7 through May 21 at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL).

The U.S. Junior Closed Championship also will be held in Saint Louis once again from June 20 through July 3. This marks the fifth consecutive year the CCSCSL has hosted the top event in the nation for players under the age of 20.

Tony Rich, executive director of the CCSCSL, said he is excited to continue the long-standing and growing tradition of U.S. Championship chess in Saint Louis.

“Since 2009, we’ve worked to raise the prominence and profile of the U.S. Championships,” Rich said. ”We’re honored the U.S. Chess Federation once again awarded these prestigious events to Saint Louis, and we hope our U.S. Champions will continue to serve as role models for young chess players across the country.”

These three events are the most prominent invitational tournaments in the nation, and the players will be competing for more than a quarter of a million dollars in prize money.

2014 U.S. Championship
Dates: May 7-21, 2014
Format: 12-player Round Robin
Prize Fund: $171,000 plus $64k Fischer Bonus (breakdown to be published soon)
Invitations:
2013 U.S. Champion: Gata Kamsky
2013 U.S. Junior Closed Champion: Daniel Naroditsky
2013 U.S. Open Champion: Josh Friedel
(1) - Wildcard (TBD)
(8) - Rating (TBD - March supplement)

2014 U.S. Women's Championship
Dates: May 7-21, 2014
Format: 10-player Round Robin
Prize Fund: $65,000 (breakdown to be published soon)
Invitations:
2013 U.S. Women's Champion: Irina Krush
(2) - Wildcard (TBD)
(7) - Rating (TBD - March supplement)

2014 U.S. Junior Closed Championship
Dates: June 20 - July 1, 2014
Format: 10-player Round Robin
Prize Fund: $10,000 (breakdown to be announced soon)
Invitations:
(1) - 2013 U.S. Junior Closed Champion (Daniel Naroditsky)
(1) - 2013 U.S. Junior Open Champion (Justus Williams)
(2) - Wildcard (TBD)
(6) - Rating (TBD - April rating supplement)

For the U.S. Championship, the CCSCSL once again will sponsor the “$64K Fischer Prize,” to be awarded to anyone that scores a perfect 11-0, in honor of Bobby Fischer’s similar accomplishment at the 1963-64 U.S. Championship.

Check www.uschesschamps.com for the latest updates, info about past U.S. Championships and news about the top players in the U.S.

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