Hello Dear Friends!

We want to thank you for the tremendous support you have showed us since the start of the new year.We’ve got some significant updates and important announcements to share with all of you in this newsletter!

Registrations!

We announced the 1st Millionaire Chess Open in December 2013, and, by late July of 2014, eight months after our announcement, we had a total of 126 registrants.  Today, on the 15th of January 2015, just two weeks after registration opened for the 2nd Millionaire Chess Open, we already have over 130 registrants! These include 8 Grandmasters, 4 International Masters, and several Candidate Masters. There may be a few reasons for this dramatic uptick: our 12% off promotion for the first month; the word of mouth about the first event; the cover story in Chess Life magazine; and the new rule allowing players to use their current rating at the time of entry, so that they can feel free to play for the next year as much they want. Regardless of the motivation on the part of the registrants, these initial numbers bode quite well for the next edition. We are guardedly optimistic that the 2nd Millionaire Chess Open will surpass the registrations of the first by a wide margin. Keep your eyes open as the first deadline looms on January 31st!

Millionaire Chess Book
 

Our team has been working hard on getting the Millionaire Chess Book ready for sale. We apologize for the delay as Maurice’s schedule did not allow him to complete the project as quickly as he had promised. In the past several weeks (including the holidays), he has been leading our team in the creation of a commemorative piece that we hope each and every one of you is going to want to own. The book will contain the story of the first event including amazing pictures, exciting games, interviews with the winners and much more. Look for our announcement about the book’s publication in March.

Satellite Application Deadline

The applications for organizing satellite tournaments are rolling in and the approval process has begun! Please note that the final date for applying to be a Satellite Tournament Organizer is March 1, 2015. After this date, we will no longer be accepting applications from organizers who want to be part of the MC Global Satellite Program, so get your applications ready soon! If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at satellite@millionairechess.com for details.

Wicked Wesley!

Follow MC#1 winner Wesley So as he storms the field at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament at Wijk Aan Zee! He’s already drawn World Champion Magnus Carlsen and World number 2 Fabiano Caruana as well as defeated former World Number 2 Levon Aronian. The young man has a heart of steel, and we are happy that he is the reigning Millionaire Chess Open champion! We predict that he’s going to make waves in the chess world in the coming years!!

Warmest Regards,

Amy Lee & Maurice Ashley