![]() Jim Davies, who was the first player inducted into the Missouri Chess Hall of Fame in 2000, was involved in the founding of the Missouri State Chess Association in 1973 and served as the first editor of the Missouri Chess Bulletin. Louis and attended Washington University before ultimately earning a degree from the University of Colorado.) (Fischer’s mother, Regina Pustan Fischer, was raised in St. Louis experienced an explosion in interest. ![]() In 1972 American Bobby Fischer defeated Boris Spassky of the U.S.S.R to win the World Championship, and like the rest of the country, St. Winslow now works at the famous Mechanics’ Institute Library and Chess Room in San Francisco. Louis player at the time, Elliot Winslow, would go on to become an International Master. Daaim Shabazz has a nice piece on Jackson’s magic year of 1966.Īnother strong St. Jackson later changed his name to Leroy Muhammad and relocated to New York before eventually settling in Gary, Ind. Louis District Championships from 1966-69 and three straight Missouri State Championships from 1966-68. Leroy Jackson burst onto the scene in the 1960s and became a dominant force in St. … There are three lively chess clubs – the Capablanca, the Downtown YMCA and the McDonnell (associated with McDonnell Aircraft corporation).” There are at least several thousand persons of all ages in the area who play this prestigious, hard-thinking game. 8, 1965, Globe-Democrat article said: “Today chess is on the upswing in St. Spearheaded by Brother Delmar Jorn of Chaminade, the league featured 20 schools but would continue to grow steadily in popularity.Īn Aug. In 1964 the Metropolitan Interscholastic Chess League was founded. in Maplewood.Īccording to a June 5, 1963, Globe-Democrat article, the Capablanca featured 85 members at the time who “pay $15 a year and have their own key.”Ĭhess interest was growing. The Capablanca was chartered as a nonprofit in 1962 and moved to a new headquarters at 2914 Sutton Ave. The club first met at Liggett Hall at Washington University and then later at the Clayton Community Center. The Capablanca Club was founded in 1954 by two friends: A.B. ![]() Louis area there are probably thousands of persons who have played chess more or less, but the only major chess organization here is the Downtown YMCA Chess Club, which has about 400 players of fair to outstanding ability on its mailing lists,” the article said.Ībout that time, one of the most prominent clubs in St. Ragan and Steinmeyer could be seen often enough throughout the 1950s at the Downtown YMCA Chess Club at 1528 Locust Street, which boasted more than 400 members according to an article in the ApSt. Ragan has been named the Missouri State Champion a record 12 times and although Steinmeyer was considered much stronger, Ragan was one of his toughest opponents. Ragan, born in 1931, is another member of the Missouri Chess Hall of Fame and a six-time winner of the St. Steinmeyer was inducted into the Missouri Chess Hall of Fame in 2006. He passed away in October 1988 and is buried in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Steinmeyer eventually abandoned chess for bridge in the late ‘70s. Steinmeyer maintained a 2400 rating throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s and competed in the U.S. Louis, and Steinmeyer won this event a record 10 times, with his first victory coming in 1944 and his last in 1974. Through the 1980s, the District Championship was considered the strongest tournament in St. Louis Chess scene from the 1940s through the 1970s. Born in 1927, Steinmeyer dominated the St. Wolbrecht also played in the Western in 19 and won the event again in 1910 at the age of 39. He worked on the Panama Canal in 1908, conducting simultaneous exhibitions and teaching many of the workers how to play chess. 18, 1910, Wolbrecht didn’t start playing chess until he was 26. Wolbrecht studied civil engineering at Washington University.Īccording to an article from the Pittsburgh Gazette Times dated Sept. Wolbrecht captured the Western Chess Association title in 1906. Open, originally referred to as the Western Chess Association Championship, has been held in St. Championships in terms of prestige) was held in St. This marked the first time this event (second only to the U.S. The 1904 World’s Fair featured some of the country’s best players at the invitation-only 7 th American Chess Congress, but in conjunction with that event, the Missouri Athletic Club also played host to the U.S. Louis as a major player in the chess world, but countless organizers and enthusiasts have helped maintain the interest in St. Obviously the most recent developments at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center and the World Chess Hall of Fame have firmly planted St.
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