Credit (photo courtesy of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis)
Hikaru Nakamura (L) has a chance to become the highest-rated American chess player during a week-long match against Ukrainian Ruslan Ponomariov (R). The 10-game contest is the first international match for the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis
A Japanese native who relocated to St. Louis from Seattle last year to take advantage of the city's growing chess infrastructure will go after one of the sport's top American records this week.
For the third year in a row, the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis is host to the U.S. and U.S. Women's National Chess Championships. Play continues through next week at the Chess Club, which has become somewhat of a national hub for the sport.