By Mike Wilmering

April 4, 2012

SAINT LOUIS, March 29, 2012 — The 2012 U.S. Junior Closed Championship will be held at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis July 6-20 this year.

This marks the third consecutive year this prestigious event will be held in Saint Louis.

The 2012 Junior Closed Championship will be a 10-player, round-robin event that will feature some of the top junior players in the nation.

Last year, Gregory Young, who was ranked seventh out of 10 players by rating, shocked the field with a superb 7.5/9 score to clinch the title of the 2011 U.S. Junior Closed Champion.

Invitations will be awarded to the six highest-rated players under the age of 21 according to the USCF’s March rating supplement.

Three wild card invitations and an automatic invite to the defending champion will round out the field of 10.

The 2012 U.S. Junior Closed Championship will feature a prize fund of more than $10,000. The winner also will receive an invitation to the 2013 U.S. Championship and the 2012 World Junior Championship, scheduled to be held August 1 through August 16 in Athens, Greece.

Previous winners of the Junior Closed Championship include GM Bobby Fischer, GM Larry Christiansen, GM Patrick Wolff, IM Joshua Waitzkin, GM Tal Shaked, GM Hikaru Nakamura, GM Robert Hess, GM Ray Robson and 2010 champion GM Sam Shankland.