THE OBVERSE

The same diner from the other side. I've never eaten there so I don't need to be in rehab.

The sign on building in back puzzled me. Was it in St. Louis or this very building? This town is a chess hotbed (https://saintlouischessclub.org/) . Turns out the first official world chess championship was held in 1886 but the games were spread among New York, St. Louis and New Orleans. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Chess_Championship_1886 We got a piece of the action.            

CHECKMATE

Well, not yet. The St. Louis Chess club is a big deal. It has hosted major championship competitions and is the venue for the Chess Hall of Fame. It teaches the game to kids and anyone else who wants to learn. 

I'm no good at chess. Weak visual analytical skills or something. If any aficionados would like to analyze this match, please leave a comment.          

Who Knew?

I certainly didn't. This a new banner. I don't know if it refers to this particular building or the city. Lots of old commercial structures around downtown have been converted to loft apartments but not this one. It's mostly vacant.

Still, The Lou is a hotbed of chess. The recent challenger for the world championship is from here. The St. Louis Chess Club, located in a pretty tony neighborhood, houses the world chess hall of fame.

Late post today. I've had a really bad cold. Good excuse to sneak out early.

        

Street Chess

Factoid: St. Louis is a hotbed of high level chess activity. I'm miserable at it so I just report what I see and hear. The U.S. championship has been held at the St. Louis Chess Club and Scholastic Center for the last few years. The World Chess Hall of Fame is in the same building. 

How did the two queens get next to one another on the nearer board?  If white made the last move, black is going to lose its queen within two moves (I think).  Then white takes that pawn  in the farthest file to the last row and turns it into a queen. Game over.           

How About A Chess Set For Christmas?

I don't know why I never got around to a post about this (maybe because I'm so hard up for material just now) but the World Chess Hall of Fame is in The Lou (as is the International Photography Hall of Fame, which I probably had a post about somewhere). It's not well known in the outside world but St. Louis is a hotbed of chess. The US National Champoinships have been held here for the last six years.

But wait, there's more! The Hall has the world's largest chess piece, certified by the Guinness Book Of World Records. It's 4.46 m or 17 feet, 4 inches tall, not even counting the seasonal carrot nose.. Bigger than your typical giraffe, as illustrated below.

I sort of know how to play chess. I tried to learn it in high school but I'm just terrible at it. Insufficient visual-spacial-analytic aptitude. Give me a camera and I'm just fine with space.