MC NEWSLETTER #57 PAUSE IN REMEMBERANCE

Sevan Muradian (1975-2016)

The team is still in shock from the untimely passing of the well-known and widely respected International Arbiter Sevan Muradian. This death by a heart attack was more than surprising for someone so young, and the outpouring of tributes is a manifestation of the many lives he touched. MC had chosen Sevan as our new Chief TD, and he had offered sage words of advice on how to approach and improve on our third edition. His loss will be felt for years to come, and he will live in the memory of those who knew him well.

New Chief TD

MC has been searching for a replacement for Sevan in the interim since his death. This has not been an easy task, since this new Chief TD not only has to have impeccable qualifications, but must actually have the time to devote to running such a big event. We are committed to finding just the right person and will announce our find in the very near future.

Stricter anti-sandbagging measures

Although Millionaire Chess prides itself on having the most stringent anti-sandbagging rules of any tournament in the world, last year’s event was marred by possible rating irregularities that may have affected the final standings in one or two sections. Though impossible to prove, on-the-face evidence seems to suggests that a few players may have manipulated their ratings in such a way as to circumvent the intent to prevent underrated players from participating in sections below their strength. The suspected players have been placed on notice, and MC has doubled down in our efforts to ensure that the event is held in the absolutely fairest manner possible. Here are a few additional steps we have taken:

1. Hired a firm to automate the entire registration process using specially designed search metrics

2. Set the registration deadline to 24 hours before the first round to completely avoid last minute entrants.

3. Authorized the Chief TD to assign ratings if there is any suspicion of players who are trying to game the system.

4. Denied entry to players we suspect engaged in foul play from previous events.

Viral video  

It’s always nice when chess gets positive attention in the media. Maurice was part of a unique experience when a video he did for the show The Tim Ferriss Experiment went viral, garnering over a million views on YouTube in less than a week. The video was also posted on popular website portals including ESPN, GQ, TIME, Mashable, and Yahoo, and it even made it to the front page of Reddit. If you have been locked away or following too much coverage of Trump and Hillary, then here is the link for your enjoyment. Click here to view this viral video.