July 9-20th at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

Saint Louis completes the Triple Crown of chess championships next month when it plays host to the prestigious 2010 U.S. Women’s Championship and the 2010 U.S. Junior Closed Championship, July 9-20.
Right on the heels of the 2010 U.S. Chess Championship, which took place in Saint Louis last month, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis has organized yet another unique U.S. Championship tournament experience as it will host these two prominent events simultaneously.
Each championship will be comprised of a 10-player field and will feature nine rounds of tournament play. Reigning U.S. Women’s Champion Anna Zatonskih and current U.S. Junior Champ Ray Robson aim to defend their respective titles this year in Saint Louis against a strong field of contenders.
“Encouraging more women and juniors to play chess are both vital goals of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis,” said Executive Director Tony Rich. “So we are very excited to host the tournaments simultaneously.”
Grandmaster commentary will be provided by GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jennifer Shahade. Saint Louis resident and #1-ranked U.S. player GM Hikaru Nakamura will also provide special commentary for two days yet to be determined.
The field for the 2010 U.S. Women’s Championship is as follows:
IM Anna Zatonskih: Defending Champion
IM Irina Krush: Rating
WGM Camilla Baginskaite: Rating
WGM Sabina Foisor: Rating
WGM Katerina Rohonyan: Wildcard
WIM Alisa Melekhina: Rating
WFM Iryna Zenyuk: U.S. Women’s Open Champion
WFM Abby Marshall: Rating
WFM Tatev Abrahamyan: Rating
WIM Beatriz Marinello: Rating
The field for the 2010 U.S. Junior Closed Championship is as follows:
GM Ray Robson: Defending Champion
IM Sam Shankland: Rating
FM John Bryant: Rating
FM Darwin Yang: Rating
FM Stephen Zierk: Rating
FM Conrad Holt: Rating
Parker Zhao: Rating
Warren Harper: Rating
Tyler Hughes: Rating
Eric Rosen: U.S. Junior Open Champion
The 2010 U.S. Women’s Championship will feature a $65,000 prize fund, the largest prize fund in the history of the tournament. The breakdown is as follows:
1st: $16,000
2nd: $12,000
3rd: $9,000
4th: $7,000
5th: $5,500
6th: $4,500
7th: $3,500
8th: $3,000
9th: $2,500
10th: $2,000
The 2010 U.S. Junior Championship will also feature a record-breaking prize fund. The ten participants will fight for $10,300 in prizes and will also receive a laptop computer as a part of their prize. The breakdown is as follows:
1st: $3,000
2nd: $2,000
3rd: $1,500
4th: $1,000
5th: $750
6th: $600
7th: $500
8th: $400
9th: $300
10th: $250
July 16 will be the player’s rest day, which will feature an all-day celebration in honor of the two-year anniversary of the CCSCSL. The event will feature a block party and special appearances by top-level grandmasters and members of the professional tennis team the Saint Louis Aces including special guests to be named.
Spectators are encouraged to come down to the club to enjoy the commentary and witness the action live. Games begin at 2 PM Local time (3 PM EST) each day. Live spectators need only to purchase a club membership, which is just $5/month for students or $12/month for adults. The live streaming coverage of grandmaster commentary and play-by-play can be followed online at www.uschesschamps.com.
Full schedule and more information on the official website