Program Type: Talk

GET READY FOR A JOURNEY THROUGH CHESS HISTORY!

Join the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries, Saint Louis’s premier cultural destination, for a unique and approachable hands-on workshop and lecture. This interactive, family-friendly program is a highlight of the local calendar and a fun way to experience chess education through creative play and historical exploration.

The Program: A World of Chess Variants

Discover the Creative Side of Chess with Author Rick Knowlton

Discover the creative side of chess! Join author and historian Rick Knowlton for a dynamic lecture exploring unique and historic chess variants. As the co-author of A World of Chess, Rick brings a lifelong passion for the game’s rich global heritage to this engaging session.

After the talk, enjoy a hands-on arts activity inspired by the lecture’s themes. Attendees will explore how chess has evolved over the centuries and across civilizations in our Saint Louis art gallery. This program is perfect for chess enthusiasts, creatives, and curious minds alike.

All supplies for this activity are included, and no chess experience is required to join!

The program has a $5 entry fee, but is FREE for World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries Members! Learn more about becoming a member.

The Exhibition: Chess Variants: Transforming Tradition

The Intersection of Strategy and Culture

This fun program is offered in connection with our current interactive exhibition, Chess Variants: Transforming Tradition. This exhibition explores how cultures across continents—from ancient Persia to modern pop culture—have reshaped the game by changing boards, inventing new pieces, and imagining bold twists on the rules. This event promotes chess education by demonstrating how the game is not just a static tradition, but a landscape of endless creative possibilities.

Current Exhibitions

While visiting the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries in Saint Louis, we also invite you to explore our other current exhibitions:

• Charles Houska: Master of Play
• Reading Between the Lines: Chess and Literature

GET READY FOR A GRIPPING NOVEL EVENT!

Join the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries, Saint Louis’s premier cultural destination, for a unique and approachable book signing and open play. This interactive, family-friendly program is a highlight of the local calendar and a fun way to experience chess education through engaging conversation and creative play.

The Program: May the Best Player Win Book Signing

Meet Author Kyla Zhao

Spend an afternoon immersed in the world of competitive chess during a conversation about the book May the Best Player Win with author Kyla Zhao and International Master Irene Sukandar! A family-friendly take on The Queen’s Gambit, the book follows a young chess prodigy navigating gender stereotypes and the pressure to succeed. Zhao will discuss the inspiration behind her book and the writing process. Books will be available for signing and audience members can participate in open chess play after the talk. Attendees will get the chance to:

• Meet Kyla Zhao and hear about her inspiration and writing process
• Play a few games during open play
• Engage in lively conversation about the book, strategy, and more

Bring your copy of May the Best Player Win to be signed, or purchase one at our acclaimed gift shop, Q Boutique, to secure a unique, signed keepsake—the perfect gift for any book or chess lover. You can pre-order your copy from Q Boutique here.

All attendees will enjoy the chance to meet an award-winning author and play chess in a beautiful Saint Louis art gallery—no chess experience is needed to join in!

Entry to the program is FREE for both General Admission and WCHOF Members! Learn more about becoming a member.

About the author:

In the day, Kyla works in Silicon Valley’s tech industry. At night, she writes novels that champion Asian representation and female empowerment. Kyla has also written for Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Tatler. She graduated from Stanford University in 2021 with an MA in Communication and BA in Psychology.

The Exhibition: Reading Between the Lines: Chess and Literature

The Intersection of Strategy and Culture

This fun, inspirational program is offered in connection with our current literary exhibition, Reading Between the Lines: Chess and Literature. This exhibition explores the profound role chess has played in shaping stories, from classic novels to modern fiction. This event promotes chess education by demonstrating the human stories and strategic thinking behind competitive chess.

• Charles Houska: Master of Play
• Chess Variants: Transforming Tradition

Join us for a complimentary lecture and chess lesson on S-Chess, led by none other than four-time U.S. Chess Champion, Grandmaster Yasser Seirawan!

S-Chess, featured in our latest exhibition Chess Variants: Transforming Tradition, revolutionizes the game by introducing two powerful new pieces: the Elephant (combines the moves of a Rook and a Knight) and the Hawk (combines the moves of a Bishop and a Knight). These innovative pieces dramatically expand opening possibilities, shifting the game’s focus from memorized theory to dynamic, strategic play.

Come play some chess, explore the Chess Variants exhibition, and enjoy refreshments from Brennan’s.

Yasser Seirawan is an American chess grandmaster, four-time U.S. Champion, and a 2006 inductee into the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame. Born in Damascus, Syria, he moved to Seattle at the age of seven and quickly developed a passion for chess, becoming the World Junior Chess Champion at 19.

A formidable competitor, Seirawan has defeated five world champions and earned an individual gold medal at the Chess Olympiads. Beyond the board, he’s a celebrated chess writer, authoring the popular Winning Chess series and founding Inside Chess magazine. Seirawan is also recognized for his efforts to reunite the World Championship title and for developing “Seirawan chess,” an innovative variant with new pieces. He remains an active and influential figure in the world of chess.

Join us for a special edition of the Saint Louis Chess Club’s “Ladies’ Knight” program, hosted at Havana’s Cuisine Restaurant in the Central West End! WGM Thalia Cervantes will lead a lesson exploring Hispanic chess history at her family’s restaurant, which includes complimentary Cuban appetizers and refreshments! This program is for women and girls of all ages, open to all skill levels, and complimentary for STLCC and WCHOF members. Copies of Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield’s “Read and Write Chess” will also be available in both Spanish and English.

*Free for WCHOF and STLCC members

Join us for a moderated discussion about the exhibition inspired by the history of the modern chess set with Frank Camaratta, Jon Crumiller, Shannon Bailey, and Emily Allred. The Staunton Standard: Evolution of the Modern Chess Set includes a spectacular array of Staunton and Staunton-style chessmen, which were first introduced to the public in September of 1849 and are still the international standard for tournament play. The talk will provide a behind-the-scenes look at the process of researching and organizing The Staunton Standard.

Frank Camaratta is an International Correspondence Chess Master, collector, historian, and founder of The House of Staunton. He is the creator of the 2013 Sinquefield Cup Chess Set, the first weighted DGT chess set, and the designer of the Guinness World Records’ “Largest Chess Piece”—a 20-foot African sapele mahogany Staunton king—installed outside the World Chess Hall of Fame.

A longtime chess fan and competitor, Jon Crumiller purchased his first antique chess set online in 2002. This sparked a passion for research and the beginning of a collection of antique sets which now numbers over 600. Crumiller shares beautiful photographs of his stunning collection with curious chess devotees around the world through his website www.chessantique.com.

Shannon Bailey is the chief curator and Emily Allred is the associate curator at the World Chess Hall of Fame.

Free admission. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments are provided. 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.

Saturday, Aug 18 – 11:00 am

Artists Talk: Kristin Fleischmann Brewer, Meghan Grubb, and Adrienne Outlaw

Wednesday, September 13, 2017 

Doors Open 6:00 p.m. | Event 6:30 p.m.

World Chess Hall of Fame, 3rd floor

Join us for the last in the Artists Talk series, with three of the participating artists from Imagery of Chess: Saint Louis Artists: Kristin Fleischmann Brewer, Meghan Grubb, and Adrienne Outlaw. Each artist gets 20 minutes to present a behind-the-scenes look at their process and influences. We’ll explore community engagement, yoga, performance, boundaries, and the built environment. After hearing from all of the artists the audience is invited to ask questions, explore connections, draw conclusions, and imagine possible future collaborations between the three artists.

Free admission. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments are provided.

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 13 – 6:00 pm

Artists Talk: Nicholas Gates & Nika Marble

Wednesday, August 30, 2017

Doors Open 6 PM | Event 6:30 PM

World Chess Hall of Fame, 3rd floor

Join us for a talk with Nicholas Gates & Nika Marble, two featured artists from the current exhibition, The Imagery of Chess: Saint Louis Artists. Each artist will discuss their process & contributions to the exhibit. 

Nicholas Gates is a self-taught artist and choreographer. He celebrates the elements of hip hop, particularly graffiti and b-boying, in his dance, sculpture, and fashion design. Gates has created commissioned works for Jay-Z, Ice-T, Nelly, Kanye, and others. His sculpture and fashion designs were featured in a special installation titled Freedom Under Rough Years at the World Chess Hall of Fame in 2014-15.

Nika Marble is an artist, composer, classically trained musician, and mixologist. She draws parallels between collage and mixology, arranging disparate elements to create a new and surprising image or flavor. Enjoy a signature cocktail and discover some basic elements of mixology, which, like collage, relies on creative use of available materials on hand to create something unique and beautiful.

Free admission. Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments are provided. 

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, Aug 30 – 6:30 pm

Artists Talk: Gregg Louis & Peter Manion

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Doors Open 6:00 p.m. | Event 6:30 p.m.

World Chess Hall of Fame, 3rd floor 

Join us for a talk with Gregg Louis & Peter Manion, two featured artists from the current exhibition, The Imagery of Chess: Saint Louis Artists. Each artist will discuss their process & contributions to the exhibit.

Louis explores concepts of luck and superstition through Untitled (Chess Set), a chess set made from cast bronze and body parts. In Cosmic Zarathustra, Manion blends elements of painting, drawing, sculpture and performance.

Following their remarks, attendees will have the opportunity to talk with the artists, ask questions and explore connections.

Free admission.
Hors d’oeuvres and refreshments are provided.

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, Jul 19 – 6:30 pm