Millionaire Chess Links With Chess.com
The world's first million-dollar open chess tournament will take place October 9-13, 2014 in Las Vegas, USA, and Chess.com will be a part of it.
In a recent agreement between the two organizations, Millionaire Chess is now working with Chess.com, LLC. The Web site will be offering a registration promotion and will be giving out prizes at the event itself. If you sign up using the "Chesscom" team code, you'll be given a 6-month subscription to the Master's Bulletin completely free.
Here's what you need to know:
- The early entry fee of $1,000 U.S. expires on July 31, 2014. After that it will be $1,500 and then rise to $2,000 after October 8, 2014.
- If you register for the event before September 14, 2014, use the promotional code 032 or "Chesscom" (either one will work).
- After you register with that code, send an email to mike@chess.com and let him know that you are playing in the tournament.
- Your 6-month subscription to the Master's Bulletin (or 6-month extension) will begin after you compete. (Your first issue will be October 2014.)
"Chess.com is really excited to work with with Millionaire Chess," said IM Danny Rensch, Chess.com Vice-President of Content and Professional Operations. "We're just as excited to give away free issues of the Master's Bulletin. I might even show up and play myself."
Why might a chess player attend? Besides being a part of the record-breaking event, first prize in the open section is $100,000. In other "under" sections, first place will garner $40,000.
After sparse entries early on, the organizers passed the "go/no-go" date and decided to carry on. Top players and amateurs are starting to trickle in -- there are now 200 entries, including 13 GMs. Likely both of those numbers will rise rapidly as the early registration discount comes to a close at the end of July.
Organizers GM Maurice Ashley and Amy Lee have stated that they hope to get more than 1,000 players to compete. Ashley was also the organizer of an open tournament in 2005 that offered $500,000 in prizes (a record at the time). The prize money for Millionaire Chess is guaranteed.
Ashley is trying to showcase the event with other "red carpet" treatments like limo rides from the airport, a premium hotel, and special prizes like trips to Belize and Hawaii. There will also be a literal red carpet.
Chess.com will be offering various prizes during the tournament weekend, including free premium memberships, t-shirts, hats and jackets.
In addition, Chess.com will be broadcasting coverage of the tournament at Chess.com/TV.
Here's some additional information from the organizers on various technologies and bounties for beating top players.
You can register via this direct link. Make sure to enter "032" or "Chesscom" in the bottom-right box labeled "Team Number or Team Name."
Company Contact and News Accreditation:
- Email: Mike@chess.com
- Phone: 1 (800) 318-2827
- Address: PO Box 60400 Palo Alto, CA 94306
Mike Klein began playing chess at the age of four in Charlotte, NC. In 1986, he lost to Josh Waitzkin at the National Championship featured in the movie "Searching for Bobby Fischer." A year later, Mike became the youngest member of the very first All-America Chess Team, and was on the team a total of eight times. In 1988, he won the K-3 National Championship, and eventually became North Carolina's youngest-ever master. In 1996, he won clear first for under-2250 players in the top section of the World Open. Mike has taught chess full-time for a dozen years in New York City and Charlotte, with his students and teams winning many national championships. He now works at Chess.com as a Senior Journalist and at ChessKid.com as the Chief Chess Officer. In 2012, 2015, and 2018, he was awarded Chess Journalist of the Year by the Chess Journalists of America. He has also previously won other awards from the CJA such as Best Tournament Report, and also several writing awards for mainstream newspapers. His chess writing and personal travels have now brought him to more than 85 countries.
