Meet the Arbiters
Tony Rich, IA
Chief Arbiter
International Arbiter (2013)
International Organizer (2010)
Senior Tournament Director
Tony Rich has served as the executive director of the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis since 2008. Rich is recognized by the U.S. Chess Federation as a Senior Tournament Director and has been licensed as an International Arbiter by FIDE, one of only 22 FIDE International Organizers in the nation. In addition to his role as the chief arbiter in 2015, Rich has served as either Chief or Deputy Arbiter in more than 10 national championship events since 2009 and organized dozens of elite matches, exhibitions and other international events.
Rich has traveled extensively to broaden the impact of the Club while helping to establish Saint Louis as the burgeoning capital of chess. He is a member of the FIDE Swiss Pairing Program Committee and the USCF International Relations Committee, and has served as the head of delegation for the American teams at three World Team Championships. In 2009 and again in 2010, the U.S. Chess Federation recognized Rich as the Organizer of the Year.
Tony is an amateur photographer and journalist and has covered many events, including the 2010 World Team Championship (Bursa, Turkey), 2011 FIDE Olympiad (Khanty-Mansiysk, Russia) and 2011 World Team Championship (Ningbo, China). His contributions can be seen in Chess Life Magazine, Chess Life Online and various chess websites. Tony also worked as the editor for the Missouri Chess Bulletin and has served on the MCA board of directors, on and off, since 2006.
Tracey Vibbert, IA
Assistant Arbiter
International Arbiter (2014)
Senior Tournament Director
Tracey Vibbert, the assistant arbiter for the 2015 U.S. Championship and the U.S. Women's Championship, is an International Arbiter (awarded 2014) and a USCF Senior Tournament Director (2011). She has served as an arbiter for various events including the 2014 US Women’s Championship, the 2014 Millionaire Chess Open, the 2nd Annual DC International, and the 42nd Annual World Open.
In addition to being a tournament director and arbiter, Tracey serves on the USCF’s Tournament Director Certification Committee and is also a co-founder of the Evansville Scholastic Chess Association in her home town of Evansville, Indiana. Tracey was also just recently hired as the Ratings, Titles, and Certifications Officer for the USCF.
