Saint Louis Chess Club to Unveil New World-Class Facility With a Month of Historic Events, Legendary Matches and U.S. & U.S. Women's Championships

Business Wire

18 hours ago

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Saint Louis Chess Club is proud to announce the grand reopening of its newly expanded campus this fall, marking a bold new chapter for the game of chess. With a transformed 30,000-square-foot facility, including a chess-inspired restaurant, expanded classrooms, a world-class tournament hall, and cutting-edge technology, the Club is poised to become the leading chess venue in the world.
The Saint Louis Chess Club is proud to announce the grand reopening of its newly expanded campus this fall, marking a bold new chapter for the game of chess.
This exciting milestone will be celebrated in October with a month of historic chess events, beginning with the epic Clutch Chess: The Legends match between legendary world champions Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand, followed by the induction ceremonies for the newest members into the U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame, the U.S. & U.S. Women's Championships and concluding with the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown, featuring top global stars.
'Our expansion is the realization of a long-held dream—to create the greatest chess club in the world, right here in Saint Louis,' said Rex Sinquefield, co-founder of the Saint Louis Chess Club. 'It's not just about square footage—it's about investing in the future of the game, inspiring the next generation and making chess accessible to everyone. We're proud to continue making Saint Louis the global epicenter for chess.'
Clutch Chess: The Legends | October 7-11
Two former world champions, Garry Kasparov and Viswanathan Anand, go head-to-head in a special Clutch Chess: The Legends exhibition match. This once-in-a-generation clash celebrates the legacy of two chess greats and officially launches the month of reopening festivities.
'Saint Louis has become the beating heart of global chess,' said Kasparov. 'The vision, the commitment, and the passion for the game here are unmatched anywhere in the world. It's an honor to return and play in a city that has redefined what it means to support and grow the chess community.'
The exhibition match will be the first event held in the Club's enhanced facility, reaffirming the city's role as the chess capital of the United States and a global leader in the game. The event will feature a $160,000 prize fund awarded across a spirited 12-game Chess960 (Fischer Random) match between the two icons, played at rapid and blitz time controls and with an innovative scoring system designed to captivate both players and fans.
2025 U.S. & U.S. Women's Championships | October 12–25
The most prestigious chess events in the country return to crown the nation's top players. Held in the upgraded tournament hall, the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women's Championship will showcase elite talent, fierce rivalries and the rising stars of American chess. Each field will feature 12 players facing off over the board October 12-25 as they compete for a total purse of more than $400,000.
During the opening ceremonies, National Master Bruce Pandolfini and Grandmaster Irina Krush will be inducted into the U.S. Hall of Fame, and Grandmasters Pia Cramling, Vlastimil Hort and Jan Timman will be inducted into the World Chess Hall of Fame.
Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown | October 25–30
The month culminates with the Clutch Chess: Champions Showdown, which will feature World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen, World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura, World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana and World Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in what will be the highest-rated chess tournament of the year.
With $412,000 in prize money, including daily win bonuses and a Champion's Jackpot, the stakes have never been higher. The event's 18-game rapid double round-robin format (10 minutes plus a 5-second increment) will feature escalating point values each day: Wins are worth 1 point on Day 1, 2 points on Day 2 and 3 points on Day 3–a comeback-friendly format that cultivates increased tension and fan excitement into the very last round.
Transforming The Future Of Chess
The Saint Louis Chess Club's upgraded facility will feature an entire first floor dedicated to education, supporting a robust scholastic chess program that reaches more than 60 schools across St. Louis City and County and has introduced the game to more than 100,000 students since 2007. Dedicated classroom spaces and expanded event halls will now allow the Club to host larger scholastic tournaments, member events and community outreach programs, helping to grow the next generation of chess enthusiasts and critical thinkers.
Saint Louis already boasts more Grandmasters per capita than any city in the world, and the expanded facility will further solidify its reputation as a global hub for elite chess competition and training. The Club's growing emphasis on supporting girls and women in chess is also a core priority, with targeted initiatives, programming and mentorship to help close the gender gap in the sport and empower more young women to thrive in chess.
In response to the rising popularity of chess, the expansion includes revamped technology and a fully upgraded broadcast production studio, designed to support live-streamed tournaments and content creation on platforms like Twitch and YouTube, bringing world-class chess directly from Saint Louis to millions of fans worldwide.
With expanded classrooms, elite competition spaces, local and international partnerships, and deep roots in education and community, the newly transformed Saint Louis Chess Club isn't just growing—it's redefining what it means to be a global leader in the game.
Make plans to experience elite chess in Saint Louis, learn more at saintlouischessclub.org.
About the Saint Louis Chess Club
The Saint Louis Chess Club 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 Saint Louis Chess Club 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.