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