SAINT LOUIS, May 24, 2012 -- The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is proud to host former World Champion GM Anatoly Karpov in a special match against four-time U.S. Champion GM Yasser Seirawan.

The two will face off June 9-13 in a unique competition that will test their classical chess skills along with their abilities at both blitz and rapid play.

Tourney Format:

Two Classical Games: 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of a 30-second increment per move starting from move one

Each Classical game is worth three points.

Two Rapid Games: 25 minutes plus a five-second increment

Each Rapid game is worth two points.

Ten Blitz Games: Five minutes plus a two-second increment

Each Blitz game is worth one point.

Prize Fund:

1st Place: $10,000

2nd Place: $7,000

The opening ceremony for the event will take place on June 9 at 6 p.m. Central and will feature a special book signing event for fans and spectators. Play begins on June 10 at 1 p.m. Central with the first round of classical chess. Visit www.saintlouischessclub.org/karpov-vs-seirawan for the full event schedule and more information.

The event will feature live commentary from GM Ben Finegold and WGM Jennifer Shahade, and spectators are encouraged to come down to the club to catch the action in person, or to view the play-by-play through the Chess Club’s Livestream account: www.livestream.com/uschess. The event will be open to monthly and annual members of the Chess Club, and memberships start at just $5/month for students or $12/month for adults.

On June 13 at 4:30 p.m. Central time, immediately after the conclusion of the final blitz game, the players will participate in a live streaming press conference to answer questions from spectators, bloggers and journalists from all over the world. Stay tuned for more details.

The Chess Club will be hosting a series of big events throughout the summer including the U.S. Junior Closed Championship, which will be held in Saint Louis July 10-16. Stay tuned to www.saintlouischessclub.org for more information.