The world’s most elite chess players of both past and present will be facing off in the U.S. Chess Capital during the Sinquefield Cup, the most prestigious chess tournament hosted on U.S. soil.

Following the Sinquefield Cup, legendary World Champion Garry Kasparov will be coming out of retirement to compete against world’s top chess talent of modern time in the inaugural Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament as a wildcard. The Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz tournament is the newest stop on the 2017 Grand Chess Tour.

The Sinquefield Cup, held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) Aug. 2-12, 2017, will feature ten of the top chess players from around the globe competing for a total prize fund of $300,000.

The tournament is the third of five stops on the 2017 Grand Chess Tour (GCT) – a circuit of international chess events featuring the world’s elite chess talent, created in partnership between the CCSCSL, Chess Promotions, Ltd. (London Chess Classic) and the Kasparov Chess Foundation. The tournament is named after Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield, founders of the CCSCSL.

The Sinquefield Cup headliners include World Champion and No. 1 ranked player, Magnus Carlsen, who will be returning to Saint Louis to take on the reigning Sinquefield Cup champion, World No. 3 ranked player, American Grandmaster Wesley So.

Not far behind is World No. 5 ranked player and fan favorite, American GM Fabiano Caruana, who will be in the hunt for the trophy as well. The third and final American player participating in the 2017 Sinquefield Cup is GM Hikaru Nakamura, ranked No. 7. Once again, the U.S. is the only country with three players ranked in the top ten globally.

13th World Champion in chess history, Garry Kasparov, will be competing in the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz competition Aug. 14-19, 2017, which features six of the Grand Chess Tour players and four wildcard picks playing for a total prize fund of $150,000. The Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz competition is the fourth stop on the Grand Chess Tour.

Finally, at the conclusion of the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz, the CCSCSL will host the Ultimate Moves blitz games Aug. 19. Ultimate Moves is an event featuring a lively series of rapid and blitz games among Grand Chess Tour players and special guests.

The 2017 Sinquefield Cup and Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz rounds, as well as the Ultimate Moves games will be streamed live daily on www.grandchesstour.org, featuring play-by-play and analysis from the world-renowned commentary team of GM Yasser Seirawan, WGM Jennifer Shahade, and GM Maurice Ashley, as well as Spanish commentary by GM Alejandro Ramirez. Live spectators may view the action in the tournament hall and enjoy additional GM-led commentary on-site.

In addition to the Sinquefield Cup, the U.S. Championship and U.S. Women’s Championship, and the U.S. Junior and U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship, make up the most prestigious chess tournaments held in the United States each year – all held at the CCSCSL.

For more information, visit www.saintlouischessclub.org or www.grandchesstour.org.

2017 Sinquefield Cup Field:

GM Magnus Carlsen 2832 Norway
GM Hikaru Nakamura 2785 U.S.
GM Wesley So 2812 U.S.
GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2796 France
GM Fabiano Caruana 2808 U.S.
GM Levon Aronian 2793 Armenia
GM Sergey Karjakin 2781 Russia
GM Viswanathan Anand 2786 India
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi 2732 Russia
GM Peter Svidler 2756 Russia

2017 Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz Field:

GM Hikaru Nakamura 2796 U.S.
GM Fabiano Caruana 2752 U.S.
GM Levon Aronian 2797 Armenia
GM Sergey Karjakin 2773 Russia
GM Viswanathan Anand 2789 India
GM Ian Nepomniachtchi 2819 Russia
GM David Navara 2737 Czech Republic
GM Le Quang Liem 2747 Vietnam
GM Lenier Dominguez 2796 Cuba
GM Garry Kasparov N/A Russia