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Chess Life Online Jennifer's Blog Jen on Arriving in STL for the Sinquefield Cup
Chess Life Online Jennifer's Blog Jen on Arriving in STL for the Sinquefield Cup | Jen on Arriving in STL for the Sinquefield Cup |
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| By Jennifer Shahade | |
| September 8, 2013 | |
 Hi everyone! I just arrived in Saint Louis for one of the most exciting events in US chess history, the Sinquefield Cup. The fun here kicked off Saturday with a drawing of the lots, where each player picked a custom designed DGT enabled House of Staunton set to determine pairings. In round one, Hikaru Nakamura (white) plays Levon Aronian while Magnus Carlsen (white) faces Gata Kamsky.
On Sunday, the players hosted a Meet and Greet for photos and autographs at the Chess Club, which was naturally packed. Afterwards, all four players went to the Rams game.
It was Magnus Carlsen's first American football game, so GM Maurice Ashley kindly explained the rules to him and concluded, "He catches on quick." No doubt! At the end of the exciting game, the Saint Louis Rams edged out the Arizona Cardinals 27-24. Aronian and Carlsen were both high-fiving and cheering, clearly getting into the Saint Louis spirit.
As an organizer and commentator, I predict that game is a premonition of how thrilling the tournament will be!
Be sure to tune into my commentary at http://uschesschamps.com/live with GMs Maurice Ashley and Yasser Seirawan--between Maurice's energy and "Yaz's" eloquence, you're in for a treat! The coverage begins Monday, September 9th at 1 local time/2 EST.
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