Mike Wilmering's love of the CWE began when he, as a young boy, spent time visiting his grandmother, Shirley Giebel, who lived on Maryland Avenue. Trips to Duff's and the colorful Euclid/McPherson area are favorite memories of this St. Charles native. Mike now lives in South City with his wife and two daughters, three-year-old Hazel (who can name every chess piece and thinks her daddy plays chess all day long), and Violet, 11 months.
Five years ago Mike found a part-time job at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center in the neighborhood he had grown to love. At the time he was working as a writer, having earned a B.A. in Journalism from Mizzou with a focus on magazine editing. Eventually, he realized how much fun he was having wearing a host of hats at the non-profit Chess Club and talked his way into a full-time job as the Communications Specialist. He now handles public relations, marketing, social media and monthly e-blasts for 1000 members.
Shortly after we met a couple of weeks ago, Mike was leaving for Washington, D. C. with several junior players who are participating in this week's Junior Closed Invitationals at the Chess Club. The group, which included 13-year-old Asritha Eswaran, joined in a Congressional Chess Tournament between Republicans and Democrats. Garry Kasparov was there to participate and trained the junior players as well.
The Juniors Closed Invitational (invitation-only) is Mike's favorite tournament of the year. It began last weekend and concludes Sunday, June 29. He describes the tournament, for the top 10 under-21 players in the country, using sports terms – "it's more wide open than the U. S. Chess Championships, a slug-fest, where the 10 players take wide swings." 16-year-old Matt Larson, a student at Crossroads Prep in the CWE, is one of the participants (read STL Today article here). Grand Master Ben Finegold is Larson's coach. The youngest player in the tournament is 13, the oldest 18. Of interest is that a 15-year-old competitor from Boise, Idaho just completed his Freshman year at UCLA! The winner takes home a $3,000 prize.
It's possible to drop in and watch the tournament this week. Visit the website for the schedule, or watch it live here.
Chess Club and Scholastic Centers Outreach Program:
Mike described the workforce at the Chess Club as 10 to 12 full-time staff and many part-timers who go out to hundreds of schools and community centers to teach chess to groups of 12 to 20 students who have expressed an interest in learning to play. "It's like sneaking veggies into their ice cream," he says, "helping students learn critical thinking and consequences for actions (think before moving pieces)." The programs typically last 9 to 14 weeks and have reached at least 4000 students in both public and private schools in the city and county.
Learning to Play
It typically takes 5 to 7 hours to learn the basics of chess. Lessons at the Chess Club are $20 an hour. Mike's greatest thrill is to see people from all walks of life and every socio-economic level playing chess together. The Chess Club and Scholastic Center has also become a magnet for students from other countries attending college in this area. They meet people and socialize over a common love of the game. "For chess players, this place is heaven," Mike says.
Summer Camp
Info on summer camp at the Chess Club can be found on the website. There are two weeklong sessions left, July 14-18 and August 4-8, with half-day and full-day options. A girls' chess camp is scheduled for July 14. (When I visited the campers looked as young as about 8 years old).
Finally, you may be surprised to learn that the Chess Club and Scholastic Center has become a dream destination among chess aficionados from all over the world. They want to visit the recently-named "Chess Capital of the U. S.," right here in the CWE. Stop in sometime, it's a welcoming place and fascinating to explore.
Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis, 4657 Maryland Ave., (314) 361-2437. Visit the website for membership information (more than 50% are students).