In 1976, President Gerald Ford issued a Presidential proclamation establishing National Chess Day, celebrated on the second Saturday of each October. In 2022, the second Saturday fell on October 8, and I spent the entire weekend in Saint Louis, home to the World Chess Hall of Fame and the Saint Louis Chess Club. I arrived in Saint Louis late on Friday night, and I was happy to take some pictures of the exteriors of the World Chess Hall of Fame and the Saint Louis Chess Club in anticipation of touring both just a few hours later:
I had read about and seen pictures of the world's largest chess piece, but it was cool to actually stand in front of a 20 foot tall King weighing 10,860 pounds! The massive King stands guard in front of the World Chess Hall of Fame. Across the street, the Saint Louis Chess Club is undergoing a major expansion, as noted by the sign declaring "Our Next Move Coming Soon!"
The World Chess Hall of Fame opened at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning, and I was the first customer in the door. To the right of the entrance is the Gift Shop, but I stopped in there last so I would not have to carry my new treasures throughout the museum. The lobby had a display with several free chess posters, including one featuring the world's largest chess piece and another about the Fischer-Spassky exhibit.
The Fischer-Spassky exhibit--officially titled "1972 Fischer/Spassky: The Match, Its Origin, and Influence," and on view from August 18, 2022-April 30, 2023--is the main reason that I made this trip at this time. I had always wanted to visit the World Chess Hall of Fame, but there was no way that I was going to miss seeing this particular exhibit. Bobby Fischer left behind a mixed legacy, but purely from a chess standpoint he is my favorite player of all-time; his games have a clear, simple logic that belies the depth of his ideas, and playing over his games gives me the same sense of peace that I suspect that music aficionados feel when listening to the works of the all-time great composers. Fischer was an artistic genius and a fierce competitor--the only player both willing and able to win all 11 games in a U.S. Championship after 10 wins had already clinched the title. The mental illness that caused Fischer's retreat from the chess world and his descent into seclusion and paranoia is a personal tragedy for Fischer and a human tragedy for the world that was deprived of the full flower of Fischer's genius.
The World Chess Hall of Fame has three floors. Right now, the Fischer/Spassky exhibit takes up almost all of the display space on each floor. Before entering the main room on the first floor, there is a staircase, and next to the staircase is a television playing several videos of Fischer on a loop. The videos include Mike Wallace's "60 Minutes" interview with Fischer before the 1972 World Championship Match plus Fischer's appearances on the Bob Hope Show and on the Tonight Show featuring Johnny Carson.
The main room on the first floor focuses on Fischer's youth, and his rapid development into a world class chess player. Fischer was born in Chicago on March 9, 1943, and he spent part of his early childhood in Phoenix with his mother Regina and his older sister Joan. The family moved to Manhattan in 1949 before settling in Brooklyn in 1950. New York City was the epicenter of American chess at that time, and it is interesting to speculate about how Fischer's chess career would have turned out had he not spent his formative years in that environment.
One of the items on display is a copy of My Seven Chess Prodigies, a 1975 book written by John W. Collins, who mentored the young Fischer. In the book, Collins wrote, "Geniuses like Beethoven, Leonardo Da Vinci, Shakespeare, and Fischer come out of the head of Zeus, seem to be genetically programmed, know before being instructed." The book's inside front cover is inscribed with this message from Collins to Fischer, dated 24 June 1978: "For Bobby, With best wishes and the hope you will enjoy these maxims--Jack."
Fischer's participation in the Hawthorne Chess Club--based in Collins' home near where Fischer went to school--played an important role in his development. The exhibit includes a picture of Fischer playing against Collins at Collins' house, plus the actual furniture from the picture:
The exhibit includes a large display about Spassky's development from young player to World Champion. It should be remembered that Spassky was a great player in his own right, and not just an obstacle in the path of Fischer's rise to the top.
Here is a collection of various medals that Spassky won:
The medal in the middle with the biggest ribbon is Spassky's board one gold medal from the 1970 Chess Olympiad, and the medal in the upper right with the blue ribbon is his 1969 World Chess Championship medal, awarded after he dethroned Tigran Petrosian.
Here is the trophy that Spassky won after capturing the 1955 World Junior Chess Championship:
Various video monitors include archival footage of events leading up to the match and recaps of the action during the match. Older visitors (or students of American mainstream media) will recognize Walter Cronkite, Dan Rather, and other prominent broadcasters of that era leading the coverage. On the third floor, there is a video monitor that includes interviews with Fischer biographer International Master John Donaldson, Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan, and Grandmaster Maurice Ashley.
The 1972 World Championship Match between Fischer and Spassky nearly ended before it began because of Fischer's numerous demands about a host of issues, from the prize fund to the noise made by cameras in the playing area to the size of the squares on the chessboard. Fischer showed up late in Iceland, lost the first game after a risky sacrifice that is still being analyzed/debated 50 years later, and then forfeited the second game after refusing to play in the main playing hall because he felt it was too noisy. Game three took place in a back room, and Fischer beat Spassky not just for the first time in the match but for the first time ever. Spassky only won one more game the rest of the way, as Fischer cruised to a 12.5-8.5 triumph.
The whole exhibit is fascinating, and I spent most of the day methodically working my way through each item on display. There were three items that I was most looking forward to seeing, and they remain my three favorites: the replica of the table used in the match, the board and pieces used in Fischer's famous game three win, and the famous "red book" of Spassky's games that Fischer took with him everywhere while he prepared for the match (you can see the "red book" during Mike Wallace's interview of Fischer).
The chess table used in the match was handcrafted, and by contract only three tables were ever made: the original one is in Iceland, and one of the two identical replicas is on display in this exhibit. The board in the chess table can be popped out and swapped with a different board. Which board was used for a given game was determined by Fischer's mood that day! The board on display in the exhibit was signed by both Fischer and Spassky. Naturally, I went as close as possible to take a picture of the board, and I asked one of the workers to take a picture of me in front of the table:
Here are the board (signed by both players) and pieces used in Fischer's game three win, which will be forever remembered for Fischer's unorthodox 11th move (...Nh5). The pieces are set up as they were positioned after move 11:
The red book is in the center of a display case featuring various books and note cards that Fischer used to prepare for not only the World Championship match but also for the Candidates Matches:
Here is a close up of the "red book." Note that you can see some of Fischer's handwritten notes in the margin!
I also enjoyed looking at LeRoy Neiman's artwork about the match. His first encounter with Fischer involved almost bumping into him in the cafeteria in Iceland. Fischer was holding a chess book in one hand and his food tray in the other hand! Neiman captured that moment in his inimitable style:
Neiman described Fischer as a "rare bird," and he displayed great respect and compassion for Fischer's combination of genius and eccentricity; when the sound of Neiman making artwork annoyed Fischer during the match, Neiman kept changing his drawing implements until he found one that did not bother Fischer. That might be my favorite non-chess moment of the entire match; while others described Fischer as difficult or worse, Neiman understood what it means to be a genius at work striving for ideal conditions.
One wall on the top floor is a permanent touch screen display that includes a digital version of each inductee's plaque from the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame and from the World Chess Hall of Fame (the only physical plaques on display are for the inductees from the past two years, and those plaques are perched above the staircase after you reach the top floor). Part of the top floor has items from after the 1972 World Chess Championship Match. Spassky continued to compete in the World Chess Championship cycle, though he never again challenged for the title, while Fischer went into seclusion before reemerging in 1992 to play a 30 game match versus Spassky.
The sad story of Fischer's final years is recounted, and there is a poignant video of Garry Kasparov visiting Fischer's grave in Iceland. Kasparov lamented the unfulfilled dreams to promote chess that died with Fischer's disappearance from mainstream chess, and Kasparov also expressed regret that he never met Fischer. One wall includes photos and items depicting how Rex and Jeanne Sinquefield have transformed St. Louis into not just the capital of U.S. chess but a world chess center.
My last stop at the World Chess Hall of Fame was the Gift Shop, where I bought a variety of items not only for myself but also for my daughter Rachel.
After taking a break to eat, I made my first visit to the Saint Louis Chess Club. The U.S. Championship and the U.S. Women's Championship are being held there now, but the playing rooms are not open to the public. However, the main area on the first floor is open, and several of the top players came into the main area to analyze their games. I sat next to Grandmaster Awonder Liang and Grandmaster Sam Sevian as they went over their third round draw, and then I watched Grandmaster Levon Aronian and Grandmaster Ray Robson analyze their third round draw.
The "Saturday Night Main Event" is a Quick Rated tournament (G/10, two second increment) held each Saturday night at the Saint Louis Chess Club. I was the fifth seeded player, and I finished with 2.5/4. I won pretty easily in the first round and in the fourth round, but I was held to a draw by a 1300 in the second round and I lost to a 1787 in the third round. Four-time U.S. Blind Chess Champion (2018-2021) Jessica Lauser, who participated in the tournament, told me afterward that a Saint Louis 1300 is not a regular 1300. Based on my limited four game experience, I have to agree; it is known that a pool of local players who do not play much outside of their community can produce players who are either underrated or overrated compared to the national rating pool. I could have played better, but I am happy that I can say that I played in a rated event at the Saint Louis Chess Club. I previously played at the Marshall Chess Club, so I suppose that the Mechanics Institute is the most famous active U.S. chess club where I have not played.
I FaceTimed with Rachel right after the tournament ended, and she was impressed when I showed her the world's largest chess piece. "It is practically as tall as the building next to it!" Rachel exclaimed.
On Sunday, I went back to the Saint Louis Chess Club. The Club was not open yet, but I watched Nick Polson and FIDE Master Gabriela Antova playing speed chess on one of the chess tables outside of the club. The only other spectator was none other than Rex Sinquefield himself. I thanked him for what he has done and is doing for chess. Later, I took a picture of myself alongside him and Joy Bray, who is the general manager of both the World Chess Hall of Fame and the Saint Louis Chess Club:
Polson is one of the co-authors of a paper analyzing the statistical likelihood that Magnus Carlsen will achieve a 2900 rating. Polson told me that he presented his findings directly to Carlsen. I wondered how Carlsen reacted to the conclusion that he has less than a 5% chance of achieving this goal. Polson said that Carlsen is very realistic and objective about his rating, and that Carlsen was mainly interested in understanding what he needs to do to improve his odds. Polson told me that the K factor for players with 2700-plus ratings is not correct, and I had an interesting conversation with him about ELO ratings in general.
Polson also played some blitz games against Grandmaster Varuzhan Akobian. I told Akobian that I owe him a thank you because studying his games on the black side of the Czech Pirc helped me achieve some nice wins in rated tournament games. Akobian played the Czech Pirc in one of his blitz games versus Polson, and I joked that he was playing it in my honor since I had just mentioned the opening.
After Akobian finished playing blitz, I took a picture with him:
I went back to the World Chess Hall of Fame to get a few more items at the Gift Shop and look at the Fischer/Spassky exhibit one more time, and then I went inside the Saint Louis Chess Club to follow round five action in the U.S. Chess Championship. I also played several blitz games. The afternoon went by very quickly, and soon it was time to make the drive home.
A lot has been said and written about Rex Sinquefield, the Saint Louis Chess Club, and the World Chess Hall of Fame--and everything wonderful that you have heard is true! I encourage anyone who loves chess to go to Saint Louis and experience this chess wonderland for yourself. Both facilities are first class operations, with employees who are friendly and helpful. Sinquefield is very down to earth and accessible. Most of the time that I was at the Saint Louis Chess Club on Saturday and Sunday he was seated in the main club area watching the U.S. Chess Championship games on the TV monitors. At first I was surprised that he did not have a chess version of the "luxury suites" that you see wealthy people sitting in at basketball games and football games, but after spending the weekend in Saint Louis I am not surprised: Sinquefield is not a very wealthy man who dabbles in chess; he is a chess lover who happens to be very wealthy, so he does not isolate himself from the chess community that he has built but instead he immerses himself in it.
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