– This is a big deal for Saint Louis and the entire chess world that they ended up in this situation. You have some big players in the world of chess, but that doesn’t mean that if one player is missing, you have to take over for another player.

That’s what chess expert Atle Grønn says about American stars Saint Louis Chess Club, founded by billionaire Rex Sinquefield.

There is a storm around American chess after it recently emerged that big players such as Chess.com, Lichess and Reddit are boycotting Saint Louis and the American Chess Federation.

Chess.com wrote that it would not broadcast, cover or support tournaments held by clubs, including the prestigious Sinquefield Cup tournament.

– Saint Louis is very important to chess, and they have the world’s best national team in the American national team attached to it. So in practice, the best chess environments in the world are no longer in good shape, Grønn said.

But how did the club get here?

A surprising claim

It all started in February when Grandmaster Jennifer Shahade published a series of Twitter messages in which she claimed to have been sexually assaulted by Grandmaster and profiler Alejandro Ramirez.

Wall Street Journal then made new revelations reportedly that this wasn’t just one incident: Eight women, including three underage girls, allegedly experienced inappropriate behavior from Ramirez.

According to the newspaper, the sexual harassment had been going on since 2011, and the newspaper claims to be aware that several people in the club and union knew about Shahade’s allegations.

Shortly afterward, Ramirez issued a press release in which he wrote that he was resigning from his position at Saint Louis, while the club and the American Chess Federation investigated the matter.

“While I am cooperating with the investigating officers, I have to recognize that my relationship with the club at this time is not in the best interests of the club,” he said.

NRK reached out to Ramirez’s attorney, Albert S. Watkins, for comment on the case, but was unsuccessful.

In a statement reproduced by several media outlets, the lawyer blamed prosecutors’ use of social media, which he believed had suppressed his client’s right to a fair trial.

Watkins would not comment on the specific allegations.

Get out in the cold

Recently, two of the most important chess sites issued harsh statements against these chess associations and clubs – and criticized them for not taking complaints about sexual harassment seriously enough.

At the same time, the popular forum Reddit restricted content about Saint Louis.

– We are disappointed with the way the union leadership handled the entire situation and we hope to see improvements in action and transparency, Daniel Rensch, CEO of Chess.com, told the Wall Street Journal.

Grønn depicts St. St. Louis in Missouri as a “chess Mecca” thanks to the Saint Louis Chess Club. He believed that this city was even more important than Moscow – major player in chess history.

The association, among others, has hosted the American championships in the city since 2009.

NRK has been in contact with clubs and associations regarding criticism of the website and about allegations of abuse. The club has not responded to repeated questions from NRK, but the union wrote in a statement that it had taken a number of actions, including creating a list of all members who had been sanctioned by the union.

– The association is obliged to protect the safety of its members and their right to be treated with respect, they told NRK.

Atle Grønn believes the scandal and boycott could topple the entire Saint Louis Chess Club.

– The problem is that Saint Louis cannot continue in such a vacuum. If Chess.com and Lichess no longer want to be associated with the club, then it is hard to think that Rex Sinquefield will continue the sponsorship, said Grønn.

Gallery of American stars

At the club we find giants like Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So, but there is no point in having a gallery of stars if they cannot perform in the biggest arenas.

– As if Real Madrid should not be on TV. The ad may persist for a few weeks or months, but eventually it is no longer relevant to a wide audience. Then the sponsors will think why they should spend money on this, Grønn said and added:

– I don’t think any club can take over his position immediately. Chess is much worse than football, for example. So you’d better look for another billionaire who wants to build a chess club from scratch. But the experience of the last hundred years doesn’t show much in chess, he said.