Who We Are

Who We Are

The Grand Chess Tour was created with one goal in mind: a circuit of international events, each demonstrating the highest level of organization for the world's best players. The 2016 Tour was created in partnership between the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (Sinquefield Cup) and Chess Promotions, Ltd. (London Chess Classic). 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. His tireless efforts to popularize the game around the world mirror the goals and ambitions of the Grand Chess Tour. 


Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, a 501(c)(3) educational organization, is widely recognized as the premier chess facility in the country and one of the best in the world.

This 6,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art chess center features a world-class tournament playing hall, classroom, library and casual play area. But we’re more than just a community center. We take a multi-level approach to promoting the game of chess:

  • Our Scholastic Outreach Initiative spreads the educational benefits of chess to thousands of students in hundreds of schools and community centers across the greater Saint Louis area, primarily through afterschool programming.
  • We’re a member-based community center where players of all skill levels and abilities, from beginner to expert, attend our free classes, participate in tournaments, attend lectures, take private lessons and more.
  • We promote chess at the top levels by hosting all of the major U.S. Championship events and matches between the world’s top players.

We opened our doors in July of 2008, and since that time Saint Louis has become widely recognized as the emerging chess center of the country. Membership to the club starts at just $10/month, and we currently have more than 1,000 active members. We’re open seven days a week for casual play, and we also offer free classes and lectures, weekly tournaments, private lessons, merchandise discounts and more.

For more information see saintlouischessclub.org.


Chess in Schools & Communities

It is the mission of Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC) to:

  • introduce chess to schools and inner city communities.
  • raise the profile of chess and highlight its educational and social benefits.
  • organize and promote world class chess events to encourage mass participation

CSC teaches in over 250 schools in 50 boroughs (September 2013). Our medium-term objective is to have programs established in 400 schools by September 2015. Ultimately, we want all primary school pupils in England and Wales to learn chess.

All schools are invited to The London Chess Classic. This is our flagship event held annually at Olympia in December. As well as an elite Grandmaster tournament, the Classic provides 2000 school children with a free day of events, where they will receive a lesson from a chess master and play in a competition.

For more information see chessinschools.co.uk.