Official US Chess League Coverage on ChessTV

As announced a few weeks ago, Chess.com will be the exclusive host of the 2013 United States Chess League. This means twice the action on Chess.com's Live Chess server and on ChessTV (compared to last year when we co-hosted with the ICC)! We'll have live broadcasts for you every Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the season, starting August 27th and 28th. 

Our official team of hosts will consist of three main parts: IM John Bartholomew, USCL expert FM Mike Klein, and returning host, Joshua Sampson. Also expect guest appearances from players in the league on "peaceful nights" for their respective teams. League Commissioner IM Greg Shahade and IM Danny Rensch plan to make regular appearances as well.

IM Bartholomew and FM Klein have experience playing in the league themselves. Both Bartholomew and Klein have followed the league closely since its inception back in 2005, and both have stated just how excited they are to be co-hosting Chess.com's official coverage, rotating on alternate nights with Josh.

IM Bartholomew is well known to the Chess.com Community as user "Fins0905" for his outstanding blogs. John has contributed content to Chess.com on several fronts, including videos for both this site and for ChessKid.com. John also served as a judge for "Game of the Week" last year. John will host alongside Josh during Wednesday night broadcasts.

FM Klein has also become a regular contributor to Chess.com and ChessKid.com since taking on his new full-time role as a Content Manager for the site. Mike is a multiple Chess Journalists of America award winner, including last year's Chess Journalist of the Year. He provided much of the official media coverage on the league's official site last year, and will also be providing a weekly written recap of league happenings for Chess.com's members. Mike will co-host with Josh every Tuesday night.

Full time construction worker by day, and ChessTV Host of "Melik & Me" (and other shows) by night (or weekends) - Joshua Sampson will once again provide "color commentary," bringing an amateur chess enthusiast's view to the table. Josh will be the main anchor, hosting coverage on both Tuesdays and Wednesdays, as well as the weekly "Word from the Commish" segment with IM Shahade.

Look for improvements to the layout of Live Chess soon, with additions to help spectators of the league follow and track top games more easily! You can catch all the action starting next week, with coverage kicking off on ChessTV at 7pm Eastern, 4pm Pacific!