Some facts about Ben Finegold:

He's a chess grandmaster.

He learned the game from his father, Ronald Finegold, who was defeated by Bobby Fischer in a 1963 chess tournament.

He's the grandmaster-in-residence at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis.

And he's competing in the U.S. Chess Championship, which runs until April 28 and is being staged in St. Louis at Finegold's home club for the third consecutive year.

Finegold, 41, doesn't live-and-breathe chess 24/7.

But it's pretty close.

"Before a tournament I'll prepare five or six hours a day," Finegold said. "In a tournament like this you know who your opponent is and what color you'll be so you can research their previous games."

When tournament time isn't at hand, Finegold studies a mere three-to-five days each week.

But his job as grandmaster-in-residence keeps him focused on chess.

Finegold, originally from Detroit, moved to St. Louis last year after being offered the job.

He moved into a home a block away from his new chess club in the Central West End and got to work immediately.

His role is part instructor, part competitor and part goodwill ambassador.

"I teach classes, get kids interested in chess, play in tournaments wearing clothes promoting the club and blog about the club," Finegold said.

Promoting chess locally takes many forms.

You might find Finegold drawing attention by playing 50 lesser opponents at once, or visiting local schools to generate interest in scholastic chess.

"St. Louis is a great chess city," Finegold said. "I think it could be chess capital of the world in five years."

That statement is not as implausible as it might sound.

St. Louis has been attracting elite chess talent, including 2009 U.S. Chess Championship winner, Hikaru Nakamaru, who moved here from Seattle.

The city's gleaming $1 million chess club, which opened in 2008 with the financial backing of businessman and philanthropist Rex Sinquefeld, is a magnet for talent.

Finegold, who has played chess all over the globe, said the facilities are unrivaled.

"In a lot of other cities, chess clubs are a once-a-week thing, maybe held in a coffee shop," Finegold said. "More and more strong players are moving here and more junior players are developing here."

Having a high-end facility is a huge advantage when it comes time to bid for top-level tournaments.

"Very few cities have an independent chess club," said Tony Rich, director of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis.

Rich said there are only two clubs nationally — Marshall Chess Club in New York City and Mechanics' Chess Club in San Francisco —- comparable to the local club.

"More and more chess players and chess journalists are coming here," Rich said. "It absolutely could be the capital of U.S. chess. No question."

Jennifer Shahade, two-time U.S. Women's champion and author, said the club is a major draw for world class players.

"It's considered one of the best," Shahade said. "It's very beautiful and suited for the depth of thought you need for chess."

Starting in September, the club will add a new attraction — the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame will be relocating from Miami, part of the club's efforts to raise this city's chess profile.

"A lot of amazing chess artifacts will be on display," Rich said. "A chess table Bobby Fischer used, exquisite chess sets, ephemera chronicling the history of chess."

While Finegold takes chess outreach seriously, this week he's mostly business

Despite being ranked near the bottom of this year's contestants, Finegold's confidence is high. That's due in part to his

seventh-place finish in last year's tournament, where he only lost one game.

"My strength is experience," he said. "I've played a lot of tournaments all over the world."

But being well-seasoned has a downside.

"My rapidity of thinking isn't the same," he said. "Calculations take me longer than they did 20 years ago."

 

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