Newsletter #47 ~ 100 Days till Millionaire!
With exactly 100 days to go till the first round of the 2nd edition of the Millionaire Chess Open, the excitement is already starting to build. Five hundred and twenty-five players including 47 GMs (up from 33 last year) have already thrown their hats into the ring to see who will walk away with the guaranteed prize money as well as to see who will be the one player to have a shot at the Millionaire Square Prize Giveaway. While the number of entrants has not lived up to expectations, the rise in strength at the top of the tournament will make it one of the strongest competitions ever held on American soil. With superstar GM Hikaru Nakamura being the early front-runner for Player of the Year and a first place prize unrivaled by any other tournament on the entire chess calendar, the 2nd MCO should make for pure chess theater and must see TV.
Profiling our players
Speaking of must see TV, this year our broadcast will be featuring many more profiles of top players as well as amateurs. Naturally, the top male and female stars as well as the many child superstars playing in the tournament will get their rightful attention, but we heard and are listening to the outcry from last year for more great stories of amateurs who are passionate about chess as well. We plan to get to know the players, look at what inspires them to play, who they are playing for, who is rooting for them, and how winning a large prize will impact their lives. Our audience wants to know how the profiled players are facing this huge challenge, how they react when things don't go so well, and cheer for those who end up in the winner's circle.
For this reason, we are asking all our players to make a 90 second video about all the reasons why they are excited to play in the event. The best clips from the videos will make it to our broadcast where it will be seen by tens of thousands of viewers worldwide. Millionaire Chess naturally reserves the right to full use of the submitted videos. The players who create the top 5 videos will get a limo ride from the airport to the tournament. Those that create the 5 runner-up videos will receive an autographed copy of the Millionaire Chess 2014 book.
Amazing participants
There are already some incredible stories of players who will be worth watching at this year’s tournament:
1. Seven year old Jonathan Chen, who as a 6 year old was our youngest player last year, has since gained a whopping 258 rating points to launch himself to the number 3 spot among 7 year olds in the United States! He is only 63 points behind the leader and may well pass him come the next MC. He is also the reigning first grade National Champion! He is one of the most charismatic kids you will ever meet. Read more here.
2. Jeff Sarwer, 37, was a child prodigy and World Youth Champion at age 8, but quit chess due to some serious family issues. He is now a very successful poker player, but has recently decided to return to chess because of MC! Here is a more complete bio.
3. Yet another child superstar, Jeffrey Xiong, won the recently concluded Chicago Open ahead of many seasoned Grandmasters and will pick up his Grandmaster title at the tender age of 14! Here is the story of his accomplishment.
4. Finally, the aforementioned Hikaru Nakamura has been tearing up the tournament circuit all year. With wins at Gibraltar, Zurich, the US Championship and an undefeated 3rd place finish at Norway Chess 2015, he is simply the hottest player in the world. His rating has risen to a stratospheric level.
Start making your plans as the clock ticks down for Vegas!
Warmest regards,
Amy & Maurice
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