Grandmaster Levon Aronian Named Sinquefield Cup Champion

ST. LOUIS, Sept. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- After nine intense days of competition against the very best chess players in the world, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis crowned Grandmaster Levon Aronian as the champion of the third annual Sinquefield Cup and the winner of the second leg of the Grand Chess Tour.

"It feels amazing since this leg of the Grand Chess Tour is one of the strongest events in the history of chess," said the new Sinquefield Cup champion Levon Aronian. "Winning a tournament by one point is a great accomplishment."

Aronian successfully bested nine of the top-ranked chess players in the world to take home the title and the $75,000 grand prize. Bouncing back after a disappointing showing at Norway Chess 2015, Aronian won three games and drew six games at the Sinquefield Cup. Playing before more than one million viewers online, Aronian forced a draw against Veselin Topalov in the final round and went undefeated in the tournament.

"The competition in the newly-formed Grand Chess Tour is proof that the very best players in the world can thrill and excite," said Tony Rich, Executive Director of the CCSCSL. "The Sinquefield Cup is another shining example of what professional chess can be."

All nine rounds of the 2015 Sinquefield Cup featured live play-by-play updates and analysis from different teams of grandmaster commentators including GMs Yasser Seirawan and Maurice Ashley, as well as WGM Jennifer Shahade on www.grandchesstour.com. The tournament also featured on-site commentary at the CCSCSL, World Chess Hall of Fame and Kingside Diner from Grandmasters Ben Finegold, Robert Hess, and Ian Rodgers. GM Alejandro Ramirez also provided tweets for the event and conducted sideline interviews for the live streaming.

On Thursday, September 3, all of the Sinquefield Cup players will join Garry Kasparov and other special guests in a series of rapid and blitz exhibition games called Ultimate Moves. The event will take place at 1:00 p.m. CT at the CCSCSL with online commentary at www.grandchesstour.com.

Saint Louis will then host a special screening for the Hollywood film, Pawn Sacrifice, Thursday, September 3 at the Chase Park Plaza. Starring Tobey Maguire as American chess legend Bobby Fischer, the film highlights the intense battle of will and strategy during the 1972 World Chess Championship.

For more information, visit www.grandchesstour.com or follow along at www.twitter.com/CCSCSL.

About The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis:

The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) educational organization that is committed to making chess an important part of our community. In addition to providing a forum for the community to play tournaments and casual games, the club also offers chess improvement classes, beginner lessons, special lectures and plays host to the top chess tournaments in the nation.

Recognizing the cognitive and behavioral benefits of chess, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center is committed to supporting those chess programs that already exist in area schools while encouraging the development of new in-school and after-school programs. For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org. 

About the Grand Chess Tour:

The world's most prestigious, international chess events are combining efforts to establish a gold standard for the Grand Chess Tour, an annual competitive circuit for ten of the world's top grandmasters. The Grand Chess Tour has set the model for player conditions, prize funds and spectator experience.

The inaugural 2015 Tour kicked off in June as a three-event cycle, beginning with Norway Chess 2015, followed by the Sinquefield Cup in August, and finishing with the London Chess Classic in December. For more information, visit www.grandchesstour.com.

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SOURCE Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis

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