St. Louis, MO (KTRS) The St. Louis Chess Club is celebrating its 10th year in St. Louis.
Executive Director of the St. Louis Chess Club Tony Rich explained, “So we’re starting the day with a bus painting as part of the Metro Arts and Transit program. So we have kids out here from the Boy Scouts, and other groups where we have chess programs. They’ll be painting the bus, it’ll be on the streets for the next couple of years. We continue the day with all kinds of fun classes, lectures, activities, tournaments, and giveaways at the club. We wrap up today with our “Chess after Dark” chess-themed happy hour.”
In the wake of the festivities, Saturdays’ release of Cardinals Manager Mike Matheny continues to reverberate. Rich gave his thoughts on Matheny’s departure, “Mike’s been a great partner for the Chess Club. I understand that baseball is a very results driven, results oriented thing. But Mike actually said that he started playing chess because of concussion syndrome. He was worried about the effect of concussions he’s had on his brain. So, he sees the value in chess. We see the value in having a great partner like Mike Matheny, so it’s been great having him.”
Mike Matheny has appeared in commercials for the St. Louis Chess Club. It’s unclear at this time whether Matheny will continue to serve as the organizations spokesman.
The St. Louis Chess Club serves as a place for children and adults to play casual chess – and attend classes, lectures and tournaments. The club also provides a “Chess in the Schools” program to roughly 100 area schools – and hosts major chess events.
