ST. LOUIS, — The World Chess Hall of Fame unveiled the newest world record for the largest chess piece, certified by Guinness World Records. The record-breaking king chess piece stands 20 feet tall with a base of 9 feet, 2 inches, and is an exact scale replica of the black Staunton King piece used in the inaugural Sinquefield Cup held at the Saint Louis Chess Club annually since 2013.
Saint Louis, the U.S. Chess Capital, was previously home to the world's largest chess piece from 2012 to 2014, until surpassed by a 16 foot tall chess piece in Belgium. The newly unveiled king piece on the Saint Louis Chess Campus tops the previous world record set in 2014 by nearly four feet. Saint Louis'former world record, a 14 foot king piece, will be relocated to another prominent location in the Saint Louis area.
The new world record chess piece was installed just in time to preside over the 2018 U.S. and U.S. Women's Chess Championships, the country's most elite, invitation-only chess tournaments, held at the Saint Louis Chess Club from April 17-30, 2018. Saint Louis resident Fabiano Caruana, who recently became the first American to challenge for the undisputed World Chess Championship title since Bobby Fischer in 1972, will be competing against one of the strongest fields in U.S. Championship history.
The World Chess Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to building awareness for the cultural and artistic significance of chess. It opened on September 9, 2011, in the Central West End after moving from previous locations in New York and Miami. The World Chess Hall of Fame is located at 4652 Maryland Avenue, housed in an historic 15,900 square foot residence turned business, and features the U.S. and World Chess Halls of Fame, displays of artifacts from the permanent collection and exhibitions highlighting the great players, historic games and rich cultural history of chess. The World Chess Hall of Fame partners with the Saint Louis Chess Club to provide innovative programming and outreach to local, national and international audiences.