• No, he's not partially responsible for the renaissance in American chess, former US champion Yasser Seirawan corrects me - he's entirely responsible.The scale of Sinquefield's wealth is unknown.
• During the week, home is a handsome stone mansion, complete with an extensive art collection, just round the corner from the chess club.
• He has about 18 online games going on at any one time, with opponents from around the world (he uses a pseudonym, so they have no idea who they're playing).It's not easy to fathom what motivates his philanthropy - Sinquefield rarely speaks to the local press, and quickly deflects personal questions.
• It was run by strict German nuns - the children slept in big dormitories, had to wash the dishes, clean the rooms and scrub the floors with steel wool.
• He went on to do graduate work at the University of Chicago, where he was taught "rational economics", and the idea that individual investors can't outwit the markets.
• Brainy Spice herself, Susan Polgar, was the first woman in history to earn the grandmaster title by successfully competing in chess tournaments.
