Ben Finegold
Encyclopedia
Ben Finegold is a chess
Grandmaster.
Finegold was born into a chess family and became a USCF
Master at the age of 14. He became a Life Master
at 15, Senior Master at 16, and International Master at 20.
Ben has tied for first place in the 1994 (Chicago, IL) and 2007 (Cherry Hill, NJ) U.S. Open Chess Championship
s. He tied for first (and achieved a GM-norm) in the 2002 World Open (Philadelphia, PA), and also tied for first in the 2005 and 2008 National Open Chess Championships (Las Vegas, NV). He is ranked as one of the top 20 players in the United States on the October 2009 USCF rating list. Ben has played in eight U.S. Chess Championship
s: 1994 (Key West, FL), 1999 (Salt Lake City, UT), 2002 (Seattle, WA), 2005 (La Jolla, CA), 2006 (San Diego, CA), 2008 (Tulsa, OK), 2010 (Saint Louis, MO), and 2011 (Saint Louis, MO).
In September 2009 he earned his third GM Norm
which will qualify him as an International Grandmaster
, and he is currently the Grandmaster-in-residence of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
(Missouri
).
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
Grandmaster.
Finegold was born into a chess family and became a USCF
United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation is a non-profit organization, the governing chess organization within the United States, and one of the federations of the FIDE. The USCF was founded in 1939 from the merger of two regional chess organizations, and grew gradually until 1972, when membership...
Master at the age of 14. He became a Life Master
Life Master
Life Master is a chess title awarded by the United States Chess Federation . To be awarded this title, one must hold a master's rating of over 2200 for at least 300 USCF-rated tournament chess games....
at 15, Senior Master at 16, and International Master at 20.
Ben has tied for first place in the 1994 (Chicago, IL) and 2007 (Cherry Hill, NJ) U.S. Open Chess Championship
U.S. Open Chess Championship
The U.S. Open Championship is an open national chess championship that has been held in the United States annually since 1900.-History:Through 1938, the tournaments were organized by the Western Chess Association and its successor, the American Chess Federation .The United States Chess Federation ...
s. He tied for first (and achieved a GM-norm) in the 2002 World Open (Philadelphia, PA), and also tied for first in the 2005 and 2008 National Open Chess Championships (Las Vegas, NV). He is ranked as one of the top 20 players in the United States on the October 2009 USCF rating list. Ben has played in eight U.S. Chess Championship
U.S. Chess Championship
The U.S. Chess Championship is an invitational tournament held to determine the national chess champion of the United States. Since 1936, it has been held under the auspices of the U.S. Chess Federation. Until 1999, the event consisted of a round-robin tournament of varying size...
s: 1994 (Key West, FL), 1999 (Salt Lake City, UT), 2002 (Seattle, WA), 2005 (La Jolla, CA), 2006 (San Diego, CA), 2008 (Tulsa, OK), 2010 (Saint Louis, MO), and 2011 (Saint Louis, MO).
In September 2009 he earned his third GM Norm
Grandmaster norm
A norm in chess is one of the requirements to receive a title such as Grandmaster from FIDE.- Grandmaster norm :In order to qualify for the title of Grandmaster of chess, a title awarded by FIDE, the World Chess Federation, a player must achieve three or more grandmaster norms in events covering a...
which will qualify him as an International Grandmaster
International Grandmaster
The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
, and he is currently the Grandmaster-in-residence of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
(Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
).
Further reading
- "The 40-Year-Old GM", by Ben Finegold, Chess LifeChess LifeChess Life is a monthly chess magazine published in the United States. The official publication of the United States Chess Federation , it reaches more than a quarter of a million readers every month. A subscription to Chess Life is one of the benefits of Full Adult, Youth, or Life membership in...
, Feb. 2010, pp. 18–25.