Event Type: Community Event

Cuddle with kittens from the Belleville Area Humane Society. Inspired by our exhibition, Paws & Pawns: Exploring Animal Chess Sets, these adorable pets are ready for love.

Adoption information will be available during the event!

Attend the opening reception of M.C. Escher: Infinite Variations and explore the mind-bending, mathematical, and metamorphic works of world-famous graphic artist M.C. Escher. The exhibition features an extensive collection of drawings, mezzotints, lithographs, and woodcuts, which blend and blur constructs inspired by impossible worlds, the intricacies of nature, and the infinity of chess.

Reception: 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

Free admission. Complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

For additional information, please email [email protected]

Join us for the opening reception of two brand-new exhibitions, Harry Benson: Kings & Queens and Universal Turf: Peter Manion. Enjoy complimentary cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and more. Free admission.

About the Exhibitions

Harry Benson: Kings & Queens is a photography exhibit spanning the 60+ year career of world-renowned photojournalist Harry Benson CBE. Images include chess players and cultural icons such as Robert “Bobby” Fischer, Fabiano Caruana, Hikaru Nakamura, Magnus Carlsen, celebrities, American presidents, and British royalty, in addition to newly-commissioned photography from the 2018 Sinquefield Cup.

Universal Turf: Peter Manion is a mixed media installation of never-before-seen works by Saint Louis-based artist Peter Manion that explores social and interpersonal parallels between chess and humanity. Manion’s plaster-coated panels of dyed felt create an interactive environment in which visitors are encouraged to interact with parts of the installation.Friday, Oct 5 – 6:00 pm

Join us for a workshop inspired by Graffiti Spaghetti Chess Set, an artwork by Mr Doodle featured in the current exhibition Painted Pieces: Art Chess From Purling London. His work contains a mixture of graffiti characters, objects, and patterns with influences ranging from cereal boxes to video games and old cartoons. Enjoy a signature cocktail, grab a marker, and channel your inner doodler as you create a canvas tote bag with Taylor Bardsley!

Taylor Bardsley has been instrumental in developing and providing programs for children and adults at the World Chess Hall of Fame. She’s an avid crafter with a great sense of design. She recently received her MSW from the Brown School at Washington University in Saint Louis.

This event is SOLD OUT

For more information or to reserve a spot please email: [email protected].

Metered on-street parking is available, as well as paid lots adjacent to Kingside Diner and at the Schlafly branch of the St. Louis Public Library.

Wednesday, Sep 5 – 6:30 pm

Meet Painted Pieces artist Nette Robinson! Learn more about Robinson’s artwork in the current exhibition Painted Pieces: Art Chess from Purling London. The discussion will cover works including Spoils of the Ocean, a jewel-toned chess set addressing plastic pollution and climate change; Stars and Stripes Kings, which reference iconic American imagery; and a special St. Basil’s Cathedral-inspired chess set available exclusively for play in Chess Ultra—a fully-immersive virtual reality game.

Nette Robinson is a chess player, professional jazz singer and artist. Her work has been influenced by modernist movements such as Constructivism, Futurism and De Stijl. She studied Fine Art with Music at Chichester, graduating in 2002, and from this time has been exhibiting in solo and group exhibitions.

Free admission. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments provided.

For more information please email: [email protected].

Metered on-street parking is available, as well as paid lots adjacent to Kingside Meet the Artist: Diner and at the Schlafly branch of the St. Louis Public Library.

Thursday, Aug 23 – 5:30 pm

Join us for an evening of crafts and cocktails inspired by the work of Sophie Matisse, featured in our exhibition Painted Pieces: Art Chess from Purling London. Learn to create unique compositions through collage layering and masking techniques that will hide and reveal different parts of the image. This program is designed to accommodate the artistic novice and also those wishing to learn a little bit more of a challenging skill.

Sarah Walters received a BFA in photography from Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville, as well as a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Interdisciplinary by nature, her work includes photographs, wearable and functional objects, works on paper, and sculpture. Sarah has worked as a teaching artist for Bread and Roses Missouri and has exhibited her work throughout the country.

This event is SOLD OUT

Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments provided.

For more information, please email [email protected] or call 314-367-9243

Metered on-street parking is available, as well as paid lots adjacent to Kingside Diner and at the Schlafly branch of the St. Louis Public Library.Wednesday, Aug 1 – 6:30 pm

Join us for an evening of gaming and crafts inspired by our Spring exhibitions. Discover how modern day chess pieces evolved with The Staunton Standard: The Evolution of the Modern Chess Set, play on an artist-designed chess set from Painted Pieces: Art Chess from Purling London, and gather images and ideas from The Sinquefield Effect: The Resurgence of American Chess. Then, transport yourself to places like the Pantheon or Gomorrah and play an immersive game of chess—in a fully-rendered virtual reality environment. Finally, reflect on your experience while creating your own 3-D chess piece using natural air-dry clay, images, and a variety of fun embellishments.

$10 admission, $5 for WCHOF members, seniors, and military. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments are provided.

For more information or to reserve a spot please email: [email protected].

SOLD OUT

Wednesday, May 9 – 6:30 pm

Please RSVP by October 2, 2017. Register at the bottom of this page.

The World Chess Hall of Fame invites you to the Opening Reception for Victor Vasarely: Calculated Compositions & PINNED! A Designer Chess Challenge.

Victor Vasarely: Calculated Compositions

Victor Vasarely, widely recognized for his compelling illusions of spatial depth, was greatly inspired by patterns, including that of a chessboard. He is considered the father of the global op art movement and believed that art was intended to be enjoyed by the masses, rather than an elite few. This exhibition features works on loan from the Herakleidon Museum in Athens, Greece supplemented by selections from the permanent collections of the World Chess Hall of Fame and Dr. Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield.

PINNED! A Designer Chess Challenge

PINNED! is a first-of-its-kind designer challenge, developed in partnership with the World Chess Hall of Fame and the Saint Louis Fashion Fund, to celebrate the intersection of chess and fashion. Paired with a consulting Grandmaster, each of the six designers in the Saint Louis Fashion Incubator’s inaugural class—Agnes Hamerlik, Emily Brady Koplar, Allison Mitchell, Audra Noyes, Charles Smith II, and Reuben Reuel—designed a chess ensemble for today’s chess player. A new exhibit, Pinned! A Designer Chess Challenge will chronicle the process and outcome of this unique challenge.

The World Chess Hall of Fame invites you to the opening reception of Global Moves: Americans in Chess Olympiads, an exhibition highlighting nearly 90 years of the American team at Chess Olympiads. In 2016, for the first time in 40 years, the American national team edged out 180 countries from around the world to win gold at the Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan, solidifying America’s status as a powerhouse in the chess world. This multimedia exhibit features never before exhibited artifacts and honors the rich legacy—and bright future—of the American Chess Olympiad team.

Members of the 2016 gold-medal-winning American Olympiad team will be in attendance—including Grandmasters Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, Hikaru Nakamura, Ray Robson, and Sam Shankland, along with Team Captain International Master John Donaldson.

Friday, Nov 10 – 6:00 pm

Attend the free opening reception of two all-new exhibits—Michael Drummond: Being Played and A Beautiful Game—showcasing the unique connections among chess, fashion, and beauty on Thursday, October 10, 2019.

Michael Drummond: Being Played weaves a narrative about the effects of the fast fashion industry on climate change through the lens of chess-inspired creations by Saint Louis-based garment designer Michael Drummond. The exhibit showcases new designs using a variety of naturally-occurring and man-made materials, including laser-cut synthetics, clothing spun from steel, handcrafted shoes and digitally-printed accessories.

A Beautiful Game both showcases artifacts from the World Chess Hall of Fame collection—chess-inspired beauty products, photographs, posters, and advertisements—and illustrates how the sophistication and brilliance of the game have been celebrated and revered in chess and popular culture. The exhibition also highlights new, interactive artwork by chess champion and author Jennifer Shahade as well as Pinned! fashion designer Audra Noyes.

Free admission. Complimentary cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.

Complimentary valet available.

RSVP’s recommended.

Michael Drummond: Being Played is generously supported the Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

A Beautiful Game is also supported by the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency.

Thursday, Oct 10 – 5:30 pm