US Chess Championship 2015

I am so sad that I only got to spend 4 days in St. Louis for the US Chess Championship. It was one of the most exciting chess experiences I have had to date. The energy of the town and the chess club is unreal. The highlight for me was meeting Rex Sinquefield. He could not have been a nicer man. The club was so beautiful and I got a chance to meet some really great people there.

The games are exciting, but for me it is the whole chess experience that I love. It was fun to help Timur film a video for ICC at the Chess Club and we also did a Skype call with Jay Stallings. We gave a tour of the club and Timur analyzed a couple of games for Jay's students.

I got a chance to visit the Hall of Fame too and both the Living Like Kings exhibit and the Bobby Fischer exhibit were amazing. I didn't have much time to explore the city. I ate at Salt and Smoke which was great and I got to visit the City Museum which was fun. I definitely need to come back and bring my husband and kids.

I also got a chance to see the studio which is totally awesome. And Maurice Ashley is such a dynamic commentator. As soon as he comes on the screen everyone's eyes are on him. It is pretty cool. Jennifer and Yasser also do great commentary. They always include interesting facts and they make it easy to understand their analysis.

Now that I am home and can watch the commentary on the Internet, it is a whole other experience that I am enjoying, but there is nothing quite like the buzz of being there. My only regeret is not getting autographs, but I struggle between acting like a professional and being a fan. I guess I am a little of both.