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5:00 am
Fri May 3, 2013

Chess Star On The Rise: 12 Year Old Diamond Shakoor Climbs The Ranks Of The Game

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Credit Erin Willams
Shakoor sets up a chess board while her father, Abdul, talks with a group of young women who have stayed after school to learn chess. The Shakoors have instructed students at Gateway Elementary over the course of the school year.
Credit Erin Willams
The Shakoors moved from Columbus to St. Louis to further her chess game. She started playing at the age of seven after being taught by her father.
Credit Erin Willams
Shakoor plays against students who have stayed after school to receive chess instruction. The 12 year old recently surpassed 250 regular rated wins, a significant milestone as recogized by the US Chess Federation.
Credit Erin Willams
Shakoor studies her next move. is currently ranked in the 71st percentile nationwide and in the 90th percentile among female players.
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At the age of seven, it’s safe to say that most kids want to be just like their parents – walk like them, act like them, work like them. For Diamond Shakoor, that meant being intrigued by her dad Abdul, who at the time was teaching older kids on how to play chess. “I asked him one day if I could play and he was like ‘Sure, if you stop getting in trouble in school.’ And so that’s how the journey started," she says. 

Teach her he did, and now, after playing in nearly 250 tournaments, she’s unstoppable.

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The Two-Way
2:56 pm
Mon April 8, 2013

Webster U. Celebrates College Chess Title, As New Hire Pays Off

Credit Alan Greenblatt / NPR
Webster University chess coach Susan Polgar, second from left, won two national titles at Texas Tech. When Webster hired Polgar last year, the entire Tech team followed her to St. Louis.
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Originally published on Mon April 8, 2013 2:47 pm

If there's no such thing as bad publicity, how much is good publicity worth? Webster University wants to find out.

Last year, the university didn't have a chess team. On Sunday, its team took home the national college championship, the President's Cup, after winning what is often called the "Final Four" of chess.

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Arts & Culture
12:06 pm
Mon December 17, 2012

St. Louis Scores A Checkmate For International Students

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Credit Erin Williams/St. Louis Public Radio
Inside the Chess Club and Scholastic Center on Maryland Avenue. Chess boards are linked to a computer system that is reflected on television screens, allowing for games to be watched and tracked in real time.
Credit Erin Williams/St. Louis Public Radio
The Center provides lessons and tournaments for all ages and skill sets.
Credit Erin Williams/St. Louis Public Radio
The Center sits across from the World Chess Hall of Fame, where exhibits and arts events are regularly held.
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Young people from across the world are turning St. Louis into the premiere international location for chess. This academic year marks the first that Webster and Lindenwood Universities are spearheading new competitive programs and offering scholarships to students from around the world. Those are among the moves in recent years that has allowed the city to emerge as one of the best and brightest hubs for the complex board game’s talent.

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