GM Hikaru Nakamura

  • Status:
    Accepted
  • Rating:
    2753
  • Title:
    Grandmaster
  • Federation:
    United States
Chess Highlights:
Tata Steel Chess 2011, 2009 World Team Championship: Silver (Individual Gold), 2009 U.S. Champion, 2005 U.S. Champion, 2007 North American Open Champion, 2007 National Open Champion

Bio: Once recognized as a record-breaking prodigy, GM Hikaru Nakamura has now emerged as a dominant force on the World chess scene. Currently ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and 8th in the world, Nakamura has been ranked as high as 6th and said he has shifted his focus on reaching his ultimate goal of one day winning the World Championship.

  • Read more
  • Share this

IM Marc Arnold

  • Status:
    Accepted
  • Rating:
    2505
  • Title:
    International Master
  • Federation:
    United States
Chess Highlights:
2007 U.S. Junior Championship, 2007 National Junior High School Championship, 2006 Cadet Championship

Bio: At just 18-years-old Marc Arnold has earned a glittering collection of chess titles, including the Cadet Championship (2006), the US Junior Championship (2007) the National Junior High School Championship (2007) and the International Master title. He's also served as a technical adviser for the CBS show opening of an NFL game. Marc recently graduated from Columbia Prep in New York and is now taking a one-year break to focus on chess before entering Indiana University in 2012.

  • Share this

GM Ben Finegold

  • Status:
    Accepted
  • Rating:
    2489
  • Title:
    Grandmaster
  • Federation:
    United States
Chess Highlights:
2009 SPICE Cup, 2007 U.S. Open, 2005 Chicago Spring Invitational, 2002 World Open, 1994 U.S. Open, 1989 U.S. Junior Closed Championship

Bio: In January of 2010, Ben Finegold took on a full-time position as the resident GM at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis. He has been ranked as high as 2662, at which point he was neck and neck with GM Larry Christiansen for the distinction of being the highest rated American born chess player in the country. For many years,  Ben Finegold was missing the two most vital letters in a pro chess player’s career, “G” and “M", giving him the double-edged honor of the "strongest IM in America." That all changed in 2009.

IM Jacek Stopa

  • Status:
    Accepted
  • Rating:
    2482
  • Title:
    International Master
  • Federation:
    Poland
Chess Highlights:
T-1st 2009 Philadelphia International

Bio: 24-year-old IM Jacek Stopa was born and raised in Poland and moved to the United States in 2006 to attend the University of Texas at Dallas. His accomplishments include earning three Youth medals in Poland and joint first at the 2009 Philadelphia International. While in Dallas, Jacek played for the two-time Championship U.S. Chess League team, the Dallas Destiny. Jacek is also active in solving chess problems (chess positions that are composed from scratch.) Stopa graduated in May 2010 with a degree in International Economics and plans to attend grad school for Economics.

NM Kevin Cao

  • Status:
    Accepted
  • Rating:
    2152
  • Title:
    National Master
  • Federation:
    United States
Chess Highlights:
T-1st 2011 Pittsburgh Open, 2010 All-American Team, 2010 Missouri State K-8 Champion,

Kevin Cao, 14, is one of the strongest youth players in the Saint Louis area and was named to the 2010 All-American Team at the age of 12. His best tournament performance came recently at the 2011 Pittsburgh Open, where he finished T-1st with GMs Alex Onischuk and Alexander Shabalov.

  • Share this