Newsletter #53 ~ Next Stop, Vegas!

This is the last newsletter before the tournament begins on October 8th. We have lots of exciting news to report. 

Millionaire Square Prize
 

It seems like a crazy thought, but one lucky chess player may walk away from the MCO a million dollars richer. The nine winners of each division will compete in a game show style format in an effort to become that fortunate candidate. In the culminating moment of the whole event, the player will pick one envelope from 64 placed all around a giant chessboard. If the chess gods are smiling down, then we may all witness chess history. The thrilling moment begins at 10:45pm PST on Millionaire Monday. Don’t miss it!
 

Pool Party Announcement

We are happy to announce that MC will be hosting a pool party at Planet Hollywood on October 7th from 8:00-10:00pm. This will be an opportunity for players from all over the world to rub shoulders with some of the best players on the planet, as well as to make new and hopefully life-long friends. The festivities will feature hors d'oeuvres, drink and music, and no doubt there will be lots of blitz and trash-talking to go around. It will be a great way to unwind before the tension gets ratcheted up the next day.

50/50 Club
 

Sometimes a statistic comes up that gives us pause. This occurred at the intersection of a happy coincidence: The number of Grandmasters in the MCO reached the magical number of 50, and, within the space of a couple of days, the number of countries represented also surpassed that number. The double milestone is more than cosmetic; it shows the widespread excitement and acceptance that the tournament has garnered. It gives us great pride to know that our baby, only in its second year, has become an established event that has been embraced by a large swathe of the chess community. Dare we hope for 100/100 next year?

USA against the World

With so many Grandmasters signed up for the event, it’s not surprising to count a number of top US players among them. Still, it was a bit of a surprise to notice that 10 of the Top 12 Americans had registered. With the cream of US chess vying to win the $100K first place prize in the Open section, the rest of the world will have to struggle to keep pace. We’re sure that top players such as Yu Yangyi from China, Le Quang Liem from Vietnam and Evgeny Bareev from Russia will have a thing or two to say about a comprehensive US victory. It will be interesting to see which country’s flag gets raised at the end of the five days of competition.

Warmest regards,

Amy & Maurice

Click here to make hotel reservations:  

Click here to register: https://millionairechess.com/register