The Sinquefield Effect Newspaper, Part 3
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AR3 AR2 WCHOF Inductions The Sound of Chess: A Musical Odyssey AR4-5 Major Donations AR3 The Early Days of AR7 the Chess Club The Benson Connection MIND. THE SINQUEFIELD EFFECT ART. Arts&Culture APRIL 12, 2018 – EXPERIENCE. World Chess Hall of Fame FEBRUARY 24, 2019 SAINT LOUIS CHESS CLUB/LENNART OOTES Chess Museum Moves to Saint Louis Chief Curator Shannon Bailey reflects on curating chess, with reflections from John McCrary. BY SHANNON BAILEY Hall of Fame under David Mehler tional reputation of the Saint Louis permanent collection alongside Fame Committee Chair, was asked Chief Curator, shifted into chess education for Chess Club (which opened July temporary exhibitions that high- about the transfer of the museum World Chess Hall of Fame youth, especially those from under- 17, 2008), it was proposed that the light the great players, historic to Saint Louis. His reflections were served areas in the D.C. area. From contents of the Miami institution games, and cultural and artistic striking. “When time came to move The United States Chess 1992 to 2001, the collection grew be moved to Saint Louis. Realizing impact of chess. The WCHOF part- on, the Hall of Fame moved up! Federation (US Chess) founded the to include the World Team Chess the potential to provide area youth ners with the Saint Louis Chess From a basement in New Windsor, World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) Championship trophy won by the with a vital educational resource, Club to provide innovative pro- to its own building in Saint Louis in 1986. Originally known as the U.S. team in 1993, numerous chess Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield, the gramming and outreach to local, in the middle of America, and from U.S. Chess Hall of Fame, the small sets and boards, and the U.S. Chess founders of the Saint Louis Chess national, and international audi- being an occasional afterthought museum opened in 1988 in the Hall of Fame inductee plaques. Club, provided funding to relocate ences. The organization has wel- in the chess world, to an inte- basement of the Federation’s then- The institution moved in 2001 the institution to Saint Louis. comed over 78,000 visitors since it gral part of the synergy of a chess headquarters in New Windsor, New into a new facility at the Excalibur Saint Louis’ first Hall of Fame opened its doors. center that is bringing together the York. The institution contained Electronics headquarters in inductions were held on September It is an honor that this remark- many elements of the world’s best a modest collection, including a Miami, Florida, and was renamed 8, 2011. The Hall of Fame itself was able institution has found its home intellectual game into one place. book of chess openings signed by the World Chess Hall of Fame opened to the public the next day, in Saint Louis. Many of the origi- Most importantly the World Chess Bobby Fischer, the silver set earned and Sidney Samole Museum. The September 9th, in Saint Louis’ bus- nal founders and contributors are Hall of Fame has achieved, and by Paul Morphy at the 1857 First Museum began inductions in 2001, tling Central West End neighbor- still very active in the growth of continues to achieve, its contribu- American Chess Congress, Edward and continued collecting chess hood, directly across the street from the World Chess Hall of Fame. One tions to the many educational ben- Lasker’s personal chess set, and sets, books, memorabilia, adver- the Saint Louis Chess Club. in particular, John McCrary, has efits of chess.” cardboard plaques honoring Hall of tisements, photographs, furniture, Housed in a renovated, historic always lent his expertise, and at Fame inductees. medals, trophies, and journals until 15,900 square-foot residence- times his personal objects, to the In 1992, the U.S. Chess Trust pur- it closed in 2009. turned-business, the WCHOF is exhibitions here in Saint Louis. chased the museum and moved its Due to the vibrancy of the chess the permanent home of the U.S. McCrary, who is a past US Chess contents to Washington, D.C. at the scene in Saint Louis, Missouri, and and World Chess Halls of Fame. It President, past President of the U.S. Chess Center. The focus of the the success and growing interna- also displays of artifacts from the U.S. Chess Trust, and past Hall of AR2 THE SINQUEFIELD EFFECT ARTS&CULTURE APRIL 12, 2018 – FEBRUARY 24, 2019 THE SINQUEFIELD EFFECT ARTS&CULTURE APRIL 12, 2018 – FEBRUARY 24, 2019 AR3 The Early Days of the Chess Club BY BRADLEY BAILEY sation. I recall that I took the slim Associate Professor, but potentially disastrous chance Saint Louis University of losing the favor of the audience— the vast majority being either chess I enjoy telling the story of my players, Saint Louisans, or both— involvement in the early days of the from the get-go by informing them Chess Club and the World Chess at the opening of the talk of a cer- Hall of Fame because it required tain irony in opening such an ambi- such an intricate series of coin- tious chess club in Saint Louis. cidences that it stretches one’s King Louis IX of France, our faith in destiny (or lack thereof) to city’s namesake, was a notoriously believe that it came together the bad loser when it came to chess way it did. matches. He banned chess from the Shannon [Bailey, chief curator of kingdom following his return from the WCHOF] and I moved to Saint the Crusades, during which he was Louis from Texas in the summer reputed to have thrown a chess set of 2007 because I got a job at Saint overboard during a post-defeat tan- Louis University. We had been in trum while sailing from Egypt to town less than a year before I was the Holy Land. Worse, and in true introduced to Susan Barrett, Rex poor-sport fashion, he once pro- Sinquefield’s cultural attaché. Susan claimed chess to be a “useless and had the unenviable task of look- boring game.” If memory serves it ing for someone locally who might got a decent laugh, though video have some knowledge of the arcane evidence may prove otherwise. topic of the intersection of art and The rest of the talk was well chess, and who could be involved received, and the conversation in helping with some programming with Diana was both enlightening to coincide with the opening of and entertaining. Diana is a bril- the STLCC, which was soon to take liant artist with a wonderfully witty place in July of 2008. sense of humor, and I wish that our To this end, Susan had con- paths crossed more often. For me, sulted with then-director of the the presentation proved that there Contemporary Art Museum St. was content in art and chess, that Louis (and founding WCHOF board the content was compelling and member) Paul Ha. Paul told her that entertaining, and that there was an it just so happened that a guy who audience for it. wrote his dissertation on that very All of these elements were crucial subject had just moved into town, in the formulation of the first major WORLD CHESS HALL OF FAME/AUSTIN FULLER and it was Shannon’s husband! event in Saint Louis that brought art Susan soon came to see me pre- and chess together less than a year sent a lecture and apparently liked later: the 2009 U.S. Championship, what she saw, as she immediately the first major tournament held put me to the task of coming up at the STLCC, and the exhibition The Sound of Chess: A Musical Odyssey with ideas regarding how to con- and book on the chess career of tribute to the upcoming opening of Marcel Duchamp at the Saint Louis the Chess Club, and particularly in University Museum of Art. That, of regard to the permanent video art course, is a story for another time. installation by Diana Thater. I sug- BY BJORN RANHEIM had no personal part in choosing. other concert events around the we all play together on a regular minating event for the exhibition, gested that I do a quick presenta- Music Director, You can then imagine what a Saint Louis area. The biggest perk basis within the orchestra, it is a featuring myself and other musi- tion on the history of the interre- World Chess Hall of Fame thrill it is for me to serve as the of my job with the WCHOF is that rare treat to hear individual per- cians in world premiere perfor- lationship between art and chess, Pictured from left to right: Larry Music Director for the World Chess I get to take in all of the incred- formers step up from the ranks mances of three new works by followed by a conversation with List, Bradley Bailey, Jennifer I often have to pinch myself to Hall of Fame (WCHOF), where ible concerts that we present as an and shine in the small group local composers. The works were Diana, and Susan found this pro- Shahade, and Francis Naumann at believe that I am fortunate enough I am entrusted with curating 18 active audience member, reveling environment. created specifically for the event posal more than agreeable. the lecture and book signing for to make my living as a profes- concerts a year that span all gen- in the talents of performers from There have been many concert and inspired by the game of chess. There were maybe 75 people there The Art of Chess sional cellist with the world-class res and styles of music.