by koneil
Last weekend, history unfolded at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Here, dozens of Boy Scouts, family members and visiting dignitaries celebrated brand-new Chess Merit Badge. Members of the Great Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America were the first to receive the badge, thanks to efforts led by Great Rivers Council Executive Board Member Jeanne Sinquefield. As of today (September 12), the Chess Merit Badge may be earned by scouts nationwide.
As the United States’ first Chess Merit Badge Counselor, Mrs. Sinquefield mentored nineteen area scouts in the fundamentals of chess. At the National Launch Event on September 10, chess pros (including Grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura) joined eager leaners for a life-size game of “human chess” in St. Louis’ picturesque Central West End. The celebration took place outside, between the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis and the World Chess Hall of Fame – a fitting homage to both organizations, which were founded and are generously funded by Mrs. Sinquefield and her husband, the philanthropist (and great chess player) Rex Sinquefield.
The National Launch Event garnered extensive media coverage. Now-famous scouts, including astronaut Greg Chamitoff, attended the event and signed the new Chess Merit Badge books. (Chamitoff also presented the Chess Hall of Fame with a very special gift – the chessboard that he took aboard the space shuttle Endeavor.) Thanks to the generosity of Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield and the dedication of the chess community, Boy Scouts will proudly earn the Chess Merit Badge for decades to come.
by eiles@slayandassociates.com
While the championship chess players took Friday off to rest and relax, two local elementary schools’ 4th grade classes kept the competitive spirit going at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis.
Fourth-grade students from City Academy in north St. Louis squared off against fourth graders from King of Glory Lutheran School in south St. Louis from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The King of Glory team won and was awarded a trophy.
The children were given a tour of the facility by Matt Lodge of the Chess Club, who also instructed them about tournament etiquette and how to use tournament clocks. The students not only were able to play their games at the U.S. Chess Championship competition tables on the Central West End facility’s second floor, but were allowed to view the action on the closed-circuit televisions at the Chess Club. Each child also was given an official nameplate to use at the tables.
Teacher Anthony Lemons (filling in for teacher and chess tutor Matt Virgil) accompanied five students from City Academy, while six students from King of Glory Lutheran School were joined by teacher Joel Gilbert. Chess Club scholastic director Frank Van Bree filled out the City Academy team so that each child could participate.
All of the students participate in Classroom Chess, a fourth grade through sixth grade curriculum developed by the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. The students participate in Classroom Chess for one hour each week for nine weeks.
“Chess can be an important tool in helping children grow academically, but it also can be a lot of fun,” said Van Bree. “It was pretty cool to watch these kids playing in their own tournament on the very site where the nation’s best players are competing for the U.S. Chess Championship, and to give them a flavor of that excitement.”
The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis wants to provide that a chess curriculum can improve academic performance of students.
by eiles@slayandassociates.com
Dr. Jeanne Sinquefield celebrated Mother’s Day last weekend at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, the host of the 2009 U.S. Chess Championship. She is pictured with Rex, and their eldest son, Randy Sinquefield. Randy is currently filming a documentary about the Championship, scheduled to be released early this summer. (5/14/09) (Betsy Dynako, Official Event Photographer)
