The St. Louis Chess Club and the World Chess Hall of Fame are putting the finishing touches on the upcoming tournament as elite chess players will descend upon St. Louis — America's chess capitol — for the final leg of the seventh grand chess tour.
Chess Grandmaster Alejandro Ramírez and head coach of the St. Louis University chess club joined KMOX to talk about the tournament, as well as the increased interest in chess, which has skyrocketed since the pandemic.
"We became national champions this year for the first time," Ramírez said. "So we're very excited. It's been an amazing year for us. And we hope to bring more titles home."
When he was just 15 years old, Ramírez became the second-youngest person to earn the title of Chess Grandmaster. The game is a passion that he's had for almost his whole life.
"It was a little bit random. I saw the movie searching for Bobby Fischer with my parents and my dad dusted off his old chess set, started teaching me and I just became completely in love with it," he explained. "I learned how to play chess, basically, at the same time that I learned how to do everything else. So for me, it's ingrained in this part of my body."
Ramríez explained how chess grew as a phenomenon in St. Louis.
"The landscape of American chess changed overnight. And that's not an exaggeration. The difference between late 2000s and chess right now in America is completely different," he said. "It's all thanks to Rex Sinquefield. He was the one that sponsored chess tournaments here started the club, and it brought attention and abroad necessary money to the game."
The tournament takes place in St. Louis from September 1-13. Hear more from Alejandro Ramírez on how chess became a phenomenon in St. Louis, and about the upcoming tournament:
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