Exploring American History One Move at a Time
The World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence through its presentation of July’s featured set, which is fashioned from a tree at Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States, serving from 1801 to 1809. In 1803, Jefferson orchestrated the Louisiana Purchase, which nearly doubled the size of the United States. This also marked when Saint Louis, today the home of the World Chess Hall of Fame & Galleries, became part of the country. The set is part of the collection of Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield and Rex Sinquefield, the co-founders of the Saint Louis Chess Campus and inductees to the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame. Part of the WCHOF’s Featured Chess Set project, it is on view outside the museum’s third-floor gallery next to a display of the plaques for the 2025 World Chess Hall of Fame and United States Chess Hall of Fame inductees.
