For more information, please contact:
Rebecca Buffington
GCT Public Relations
Email: press@grandchesstour.org
World’s Best Chess Players Return to Saint Louis For the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Tournament from August 10 - 16, 2021
The fourth leg of the Grand Chess Tour to be held in Saint Louis, MO
SAINT LOUIS, Monday, August 9th – The sixth edition of the Grand Chess Tour (GCT), a series of five elite chess tournaments held across the globe, will return to America’s Chess Capital at the Saint Louis Chess Club from August 10-16, 2021. Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz will kick off the festivities with 10 of the world’s best chess players competing for $150,000 in prize money.
“The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz is one of the premier international chess tournaments to be held in the United States,” said Tony Rich, Executive Director, Saint Louis Chess Club. “We’re thrilled to welcome back the world’s best for this event as we begin to return to more over the board events in 2021 and beyond.”
The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz will host 10 of the top players from around the world including World Number 2, Fabiano Caruana and 2021 Paris Rapid and Blitz winner, Wesley So. The tournament will showcase four GCT full tour players and six wildcards, including American favorites Hikaru Nakamura, Leinier Dominguez and first time participants, Sam Shankland and Jeffery Xiong. The Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz will be played as a rapid round robin and blitz double round robin format. This will be the fourth stop on the 2021 Grand Chess Tour.
| 2021 Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz Field | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Title | Name | Player Type | URS Rating* | Residence |
| GM | Wesley So | Full Tour Player | 2793 | USA |
| GM | Fabiano Caruana | Full Tour Player | 2784 | USA |
| GM | Shakhriyar Mamedyarov | Full Tour Player | 2767 | Azerbajian |
| GM | Richard Rapport | Full Tour Player | 2742 | Hungary |
| GM | Hikaru Nakamura | Wildcard | 2803 | USA |
| GM | Peter Svidler | Wildcard | 2738 | Russia |
| GM | Leinier Dominguez | Wildcard | 2750 | USA |
| GM | Liem Le | Wildcard | 2737 | Vietnam |
| GM | Sam Shankland | Wildcard | 2697 | USA |
| GM | Jeffery Xiong | Wildcard | 2690 | USA |
*Ratings as of August 1, 2021*
Due to local COVID-19 restrictions live spectators will not be allowed, but fans can watch the full broadcast online featuring a Grandmaster commentary team of Yasser Seirawan, Maurice Ashley, and Alejandro Ramirez. Watch all the rounds daily at 2:50pm CT exclusively on grandchesstour.org, Twitch.tv, and kasparovchess.com.
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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 saintlouischessclub.org
About the Grand Chess Tour™
The Grand Chess Tour is a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The legendary Garry Kasparov, one of the world's greatest ambassadors for chess, inspired the Grand Chess Tour and helped solidify the partnership between the organizers. All Grand Chess Tour 2021 events will comply with local and regional COVID-19 restrictions.
The GCT is sponsored by the Superbet Foundation, Vivendi, Colliers International, and the Saint Louis Chess Club. All Grand Chess Tour 2021 events will comply with local and regional COVID-19 restrictions. For more information about the tour, please visit grandchesstour.org