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WASHINGTON Zahir Muhammad is a nationally ranked chess player who volunteers teaching chess at local schools and camps.

Hes also Howard Universitys chess coach.

And now with social distancing, the DeMatha Catholic High School Senior is keeping busy by offering discounted chess classes online at Full Circle Chess.

"I was taught that if I can be so good at something but not improve the community in which I reside in, then Im not really doing anything with the gift that I have," Muhammad said.

Once the pandemic started, he moved his lessons online. With his rsum, he could charge $40 or $50 an hour, but he knows the struggles families are facing.

FullCircleChess.org

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"My mother has four children, so I am the oldest of four, and so whenever she wanted to pay for something it was always four of them. It was a whole lot," he said. "I wanted to offer a service, and so thats why I made the price is $6 per half hour and $10 an hour for children, and then for adults its $11 per half hour and $20 per hour."

Here's how it works.

Zahir uses a physical and virtual chess board to teach lessons, and he says hes doing his best and adapting to this new normal.

Full Circle Chess

"When youre one on one, you can feel the energy better. You can interact. You can touch the chess pieces. You can place it across the board from somebody. You can use more materials to reach them," Muhammad said. "When youre not face-to-face, when youre over a computer screen, you have to do more to reach their mind."

Full Circle Chess

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Text the word TOGETHER to 202-895-5599to submit your idea or learn more about groups weve featured.

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Stuck inside and bored during the pandemic? How about learning chess online? - WUSA9.com

Sport has shut down in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. The football season is on hold and the Olympics postponed. Yet one of the worlds oldest games, chess, is enjoying a huge boost and has never been more fashionable.

With people encouraged to stay at home to minimise the spread of the virus, it has led to a surge in online chess activity. Leading the way is Magnus Carlsen and the world No1 will settle down in front of his computer at home in Oslo this week to compete in the most lucrative internet chess tournament in history.

The Magnus Carlsen Invitational from 18 April to 3 May features a $250,000 prize pot and will be broadcast on chess24.com with commentary in nine languages. The 29-year-old and his seven rivals, which include 16-year-old Iranian prodigy Alireza Firouzja, will battle it out in fast-paced rapid play format and are expected to join the commentary team when they are not in action.

Carlsen describes it as an historic moment for a game which is versatile enough to be played on a wooden board, computer or phone. As the pandemic grips the world, he says he has a responsibility to players and fans who need a distraction when no other live, competitive sport is being played.

Would this tournament have happened regardless of the pandemic, though? We have been thinking about such a tournament for quite some time, he tells GQ. But you are right, these special times have indeed served as a catalyst. The great reception news the tournament has gotten reflects that both top players and chess spectators needed a serious online alternative replacing physical tournaments right now.

He adds, I simply want as many as possible to discover chess and enjoy chess the way I do. The absence of all other sports from the media presents a unique opportunity.

The old-fashioned image of chess involves old men or geeky children pushing pieces around a board in a dusty village hall. When computers began beating the best humans in the 1990s, some also predicted the death of the game. But the opposite has happened with Carlsen, who has, among other things, modelled for G-Star Raw, helping to make chess cool.

Strong computer engines can help people improve their game, for example. Top players regularly stream their matches or lessons online. Chess24 was growing anyway but has reported 200-300 per cent more registrations on its site than prior to the pandemic, whereas rival chess platforms like chess.com and lichess.com are also booming.

G STAR / Anton Corbijn

In Norway chess is pretty big on TV, says Carlsen. Both classical chess (World Championship matches) and World Rapid and Blitz Champs have been surprisingly popular. Elsewhere online chess coverage is a main source of chess entertainment and it is growing significantly.

When Carlsen settles down for the games in coming days, both he and his opponents will be surrounded by cameras in their homes to ensure there is no cheating. But what about possible distractions from, say, pets or the postman?

I try to create a focused environment, but especially the camera, or camera/PC hardware-software combination, has been playing some tricks on me lately, he says, smiling. I havent taken it seriously enough and its become somewhat of a joke already among our viewers. Thats OK, but itll be fixed before the Magnus Carlsen Invitational.

In coming days the eight players will also take on ordinary players in online games for fun during the two-week tournament. This means you could effectively have a Rocky Balboa-style shot at the champion if youre lucky enough to have your challenge accepted, although there will be no official title at stake, of course.

What tips does Carlsen have for players who are keen to improve? Firstly, the premium version of his Magnus Trainer app is going to be free for all during the tournament, while he advises, Maybe the focus should be on the process and to enjoy learning rather than on results.

I dont believe in one size fits all. But, if your problem is dropping pawns and pieces, any practice playing, watching or thinking about chess will help. If you are slightly more advanced, Im taking the liberty of advertising our own chessable.com with the intuitive and low-threshold MoveTrainer technology.

G STAR / Anton Corbijn

Getting a coach and reviewing your own games can be powerful as well. Were developing a new platform where people can find the right coach and interact online from home for this at cochess.com.

If youre a rookie player should you try longer, slower games or faster rapid, blitz or bullet formats? For beginners, says Carlsen, I recommend trying different time controls and find a pace you enjoy. Or, if you want to avoid time controls altogether, my Play Magnus app has a level for any player and you can spend the time you want.

Very occasionally even the chess god Carlsen is beaten by mere mortals. Although this is usually in simultaneous displays where he takes on multiple opponents at once, sometimes wearing a blindfold.

Yes, I blunder and lose games too, but fortunately not very often, he admits. As a top player you simply need to hate losing, but that is more relevant against other top players. Im OK with the occasional loss in simuls.

On the prospect of being turned over by an unknown, he continues, The chess rules are known by a significant part of the world population and hundreds of millions have played or play chess somewhat regularly. But, as with most other sports, the fraction of people that have put in enough effort to reach close to their potential is probably quite low in chess as well.

Of course, there are multiple online players with the potential to become top-ten players even if they havent played regular chess face-to-face. I should add that I would be surprised if any of them are there yet. It is a long hard road to travel.

I regularly play Banter Blitz against premium members at Chess24 and sometimes I get quite impressed with players even if their rating is low. There is a lot of potential out there. But, when I come across really top-level play on an unknown chess account, usually, it actually is a top player with an anonymous account. Ive done that myself in the past.

The Magnus Carlsen Invitational runs from 18 April to 3 May. For more information, visit chess24.com

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Magnus Carlsen: With no other sports taking place, now is the time for people to discover chess - British GQ

Not till the tempest called Viswanathan Anand hit the shores did India know it wanted to play chess. If one wanted to play chess in the 1980s or 90s in India, it was relatively easy to procure a chess board or even gain access to a chess club. However, if one wanted to reach a higher level, it was difficult because chess literature wasnt always freely available.

Without good books, it wasnt possible to get a handle of the basics. And without the basics, there was no higher level. It was here that Pravin Thipsay stepped in to fill the breach. The Mumbaikar, who had not become a Grandmaster yet, had won the Indian Chess Championship in 1982, 1984, 1985, 1989 and had represented India in three Chess Olympiads (1982, 1984, 1988) already. He was given the chance to write a chess column in The Times of India in 1991.

It all started in an unexpected way, Thipsay told Scroll.in during a telephonic conversation. There was a felicitation function involving Viswanathan Anand in Mumbai in 1991. For the first time, an Indian had qualified for the Candidates matches, and the event was sponsored by The Times of India. Sunder Rajan, who was the sports editor, was there and I knew him. So he came up to me and said Why dont you start writing about chess and chess players?

Thipsay added: I dont want to discuss the financial details as he said they would not be able to pay very well but I said that wasnt the issue because taking the game to the people was a good idea. And I was too busy in those days to write a book, so I felt the idea had great merit. And I agreed to it.

The Thipsay chess column, then, had an unbroken run of 20 years. It would appear in the newspaper every Sunday 750 words of pure bliss for anyone who played the game and broken down in a simple manner to even bring in those with a fleeting interest in the game.

Thipsays columns were usually broken into two main parts: an intro which was around 500 words and then a chess puzzle (sometimes with annotated moves). But what made it truly interesting was that one never quite knew what the column would throw up. On some days, it would be a history lesson on the old masters, on others he would talk openings or end games; it would also sometimes features interviews and games of upcoming Indian stars.

I was against doing only the puzzle, said Thipsay. Because a puzzle, on its own, is a boring thing. There has to be some interaction, some history, something that leads into it. 750 words was my limit. And that isnt a lot. The position alone takes about 250 words. It was a tough task. It also had to be simple. Only once when [Bobby] Fischer passed away in 2008, I asked them for another 250 words. I think I made a good piece a 1000 words with a puzzle.

These days if you want to do some research for an article, one just has to open a browser, log into a search engine and enter the search terms. In the old days, it wasnt as easy.

In those days, there was no email or chess databases like Chessbase or Fritz, so I had to go old school. Read books and have contacts from around the world send me interesting games. Once I would get it, I would post or fax them the article and then they would make a piece out of it. Getting data at that point was very difficult but it helped that I was the Indian champion in those days. We were playing a lot of tournaments. I was also in the Indian teams from 1982 to 2004 and met many greats such as Ivanchuk, Shirov, Adams, Short regularly.

Thipsay used every experience as an entry point. At that point, he was also writing for an international chess magazine called New In Chess (The Netherlands) and Chess Informant (Serbia).

In return, they would also give me some news, Thipsay said. They would point out some interesting games or tournaments. So sometimes, I would get material through someone when I was playing some tournaments.

But mainly, Thipsay wanted to focus on India and the Indian chess scene.

The All India Chess Federation had come up with a Chess Forum magazine, which still exists, said Thipsay. It used to give all the results and would highlight one or two good games of the players who won. So I would end up covering everyone from Harikrishna to Humpy, other than Anand who was already at the world level by then. But some of the unknown players (who are now big players) were all covered in the column.

He added: Sometimes, I would take the phone number from the AICF office and talk to the boys and girls about how they saw the game. That way, I was getting their impression of the game too. Frankly speaking, the youngsters at that time were more open to sitting and discussing chess on the telephone. There were no electronic devices to distract them. Todays children, if I compare, are more into their phone, or Whatsapp so they almost seem to be more introverted as compared to 20 years back. I could get a lot of information from these players. Today, if you approach someone, they will give you data but they are very shy, at least the chess-playing children.

One of Thipsays pet grievances about how Indians played chess was that they all seemed to learn the arithmetic part of it very well but they are never able to truly learn the strategic nuance of it which remains the centre of the game even today.

Our Indian children are becoming GMs very early but beyond that, they struggle a bit because their base isnt there, said Thipsay.

To illustrate his point about why chess players must not get too obsessed with theory, Thipsay narrates a story about his favourite player, Fischer.

Fischer wasnt financially very well off initially. He was a very strong player but he didnt have a lot of money. Still, he would go to chess clubs and play $1 or $2 games and he would play hundreds against beginners with unfavourable odds. For instance, if he lost, he would pay them $20. And he said that he learned a lot of new ideas from the beginners because they played with a lot of imagination and they played without fear. Fischer used to say, As we become theoreticians, we lose our imagination.

Thipsay would use his column to drive home the point that the thinking process was very important. It was a lesson he had learned while playing for India.

I was lucky that I took part in many Indian camps and got to train with many GMs. So one of them told us that if you are thinking about a win, then you have to visualise the final position, otherwise how do you know where you are headed, said the 60-year-old.

For example, if a builder starts work on a building, he already knows what it will look like in the end and he can plan accordingly. Only once it is all defined, can he ask the workers to begin.

If one reads books written by the great masters (Paul Morphy, Fischer, Richard Reti and more), they can realise that the best spend a lot of time planning before they actually move.

Through the column, I wanted to bring that culture to Indian chess because I felt it was something that was missing, said Thipsay. No one has really thought about it. It was something new. Research or a scientific angle to chess was not the Indian way at that point. It was my attempt to bring it to the common man, in a way.

Perhaps the best part of such a long run are the memories. And Thipsay has plenty of those.

One of the combinations deployed by Vishy Anand in the 1992 Olympiad was very similar to a Fischer combination which was played exactly 30 years before and the opponent was the same Austrian GM Robatsch.

So, one Sunday, I put out Fischers game and followed it up on the next Sunday with Anands game. It was interesting, he said with a chuckle that chess tragics can relate to.

His memory of Koneru Humpys initial impact is pretty vivid as well.

I felt she should have been a multiple-times world champion by now. To finish world no 2 in the world juniors in the boys section ahead of almost 10-15 GMs when she herself was not a GM was outstanding. And her victory over Karpov in 2006 was superb. Karpov was very impressed and said, Shes a fantastic player.

From time to time, players send him pictures of his column. One day, a former boss turned up with 200 cuttings of his column. And all of that only serves to make Thipsay nostalgic.

I learned a lot at the time. A fantastic experience. I wish I had so much time because today, perhaps, we are busy doing things that are not as enjoyable, said Thipsay.

I didnt ask why they decided to stop it. I didnt try to argue otherwise either, it had been a good run.

See the rest here:
How Grandmaster Pravin Thipsays weekly chess column shaped Indias interest in the game - Scroll.in

In light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, Chess.com is bringing your favorite over-the-board events online with the support of US Chess online ratings. As a result of US Chess' Executive Board ruling, tournament directors across the country can now organize official online rated blitz and rapid events on Chess.com. After working closely with US Chess, Chess.com has prepared a secure infrastructure for organizers to run events, with the added protection of our industry-leading cheat detection software.

This step-by-step guide will showcase how tournament directors can run their online events on Chess.com while abiding by US Chess' requirements to be eligible to run online rated events. Please note that as Chess.com continues to roll out new features, this article will be updated to reflect the most efficient tournament directing practices.

To learn about a specific subtopic, click one of the links above. Chess.com has also created a general video overview on running US Chess online rated events, which you can watch here.

Chess.com clubs are the best way for organizers and tournament directors to centralize communication, organize tournaments, and keep in touch with their community online. With over 35 million players on Chess.com, many players in your organization are likely already active on-site and are eager to play US Chess online rated events against their rivals.

Watch IM Danny Rensch's video for a video demonstration of how to create a club on Chess.com:

In response to COVID-19, club creation is currently free and accessible for all Chess.com members. For a step-by-step guide, follow our article on how to maximize engagement for your club.

For organizers looking to restrict entry to their club for paying members only, make sure to turn off "Anyone Can Join" off in order to approve members manually. Watch our video demonstration below to see this in action.

Larger clubs that are new to Chess.com should consider applying for a Chess.com affiliate in order to earn a cash kickback for new users that upgrade to premium. For more information, click the link below.

Read More: Earn Passive Revenue For Your Club As A Chess.com Affiliate

Once you have built a virtual home for your organization on Chess.com, fill out the application below to advertise your events. Both Chess.com and US Chess will be launching a page for active US Chess affiliatesto help US Chess members find regular online rated games. Promoting your organization on these pages will allow you to connect with many new online players and run larger events.

If you are interested in running US Chess online rated events but are not an active US Chess Affiliate, learn more about running tournaments here.

Once approved by US Chess, a Chess.com representative will contact you in order to run officially verified cash prize tournaments. Organizers that do not fill out this form but run cash events without verification run the risk of having their tournaments canceled to protect our online community from fraud.

Promote Your Events

Verifying your affiliate will allow you to advertise your online rated events as a TLA and reach more players.

In order to compete in any US Chess Online rated event, players are required to be an active US Chess memberand have filled out the form below. For weekly games, the officialUS Chess - Members Only clubruns regular online rated events.

Please allow 48 to 72 hours for US Chess to verify your US Chess ID and PIN.By registering your Chess.com username with your US Chess ID, US Chess is able to ensure you are protected from rating fraud.

For a faster processing time, we recommend requesting to join the club after filling out the application. You only need to fill out the form once to gain eligibility, but if you change your username you may need to resubmit the form to renew your authentication.

If you do not know your PIN, check the back of your Chess Life magazine. If you do not have a Chess Life magazine subscription, please visit the US Chess PIN Request Center and fill out the required information. Upon completion, US Chess will send your PIN to the email they have on file for you.

Looking for a Game?

Connect with other US Chess Members and play online rated games with players across the United States.

Swiss tournaments are a natural option for larger online events and can be scheduled easily within Chess.com's clubs. Our club tournament technology currently handles event scheduling, player check-in, and pairings, meaning tournament directors will not need to use WinTD or SwissSys to manage their events.

Watch IM Danny Rensch's video demonstration below to learn more about organizing and playing in Swiss tournaments on Chess.com:

When scheduling a future tournament within your club, please note that players will only be able to start joining the event 60 minutes prior to the event start time. This is a proven practice that will minimize first-round forfeitures. While late joining is possible there are limited spots available in each tournament. As discussed in the FAQ section, it is not possible for players to request half-point byes in an event.

Once a tournament is complete, you can access a tournament archive through the top panel on your club profile.

By clicking "Live Tournaments" you can access your club's tournament archive, which will breakdown topical information such as the tournament name, time and date, winner, and the total number of players. Once you click on a particular event, you will reach the tournament's landing page:

On each tournament landing page, users will be able to access the tournament crosstable, as well as a downloadable PGN of all of the event's games. Within the tournament crosstable, users can see each player's pairings (with a link to the game), score, and tiebreaker.

Read More: How to Organize a Live Tournament

For organizers looking to host a more intimate online event, "quads" offer an easy tournament format without needing to work within Chess.com's club infrastructure. Commonly referred to as Quads, these round robins only require four players and can be organized easily within Live Chess.

To run a successful quad, players should be comfortable adding friends and creating custom challenges on Chess.com. For players new to Chess.com, here is a quick video demonstration from IM Danny Rensch.

For a step-by-step guide on how to create challenges from an Android or iOS device, read our support guide below.

Read More: How to Create a Challenge in Live Chess

Want to see what this looks like in practice? Watch the demonstration below to see how to manage club registration, provide various admin roles to specific users, file Fair Play complaints, and view a tournament crosstable.

As mentioned in the video, if you are running an event with over 100 participants, please contact Isaac Steincamp (isaac@chess.com) with a copy of your registration list for technical consultation on how to run a US Chess online rated event.

With a secure infrastructure in place to run US Chess online rated events, Chess.com is committed to protecting its players and community with our cheat detection technology. Chess.com currently reviews millions of games every day, and with our years of experience running online cash prize events, our Fair Play Team is confident that US Chess online rated play will remain clean, safe, and fun for everyone.

All US Chess Online rated events played on Chess.com will be automatically processed for Fair Play. For organizers submitting rating reports to US Chess, Chess.com recommends waiting 72 hours to allow our processor to complete a conclusive tournament screening. Before any accounts are closed, all reports are thoroughly reviewed by a team of specialists who have reviewed and closed thousands of accounts in their roles as Chess.com statisticians.

In order to report a specific user for a Fair Play violation, follow this walkthrough guide from our Support team.

Both Chess.com and US Chess actively recommend requiring your participants to join an active video call mid-tournament to take note of additional Fair Play infractions. Currently, there are many video call clients that can satisfy your organization's budget:

Regardless of which platform you choose for your organization, tournament directors should be comfortable chatting directly with players, and requesting for them to share their screen.

If you are interested in directing online rated events, all US Chess members are eligible to apply to become a Certified Club Tournament Director. Club Tournament Directors maintain their status for a non-renewable three-year term, after which they must pass the Local Tournament Director exam in order to maintain their license. Information regarding the limitations of club level organizers can be found here.

Want to join a network of US Chess tournament directors? Join the US Chess Tournament Directors Club on Chess.com!

Run Your Own Events

Apply to be a US Chess Club Tournament Director to run online rated events for your organization.

Check back soon for a page detailing active US Chess affiliates on Chess.com. Verified US Chess members are eligible to play in online rated events organized by any US Chess affiliate, provided they meet the registration requirements of the tournament director.

In order for your organization to be listed as an active US Chess Affiliate on this page, make sure you fill out the application above.

Can my organization run events with cash prizes on Chess.com?

Yes. Upon filling out the form linked above, Chess.com will verify active US Chess affiliates to run cash events independently of our official tournaments. Once verified, a Chess.com representative will publicly denote your club as a clearance to run cash prize events.

How can I run a multiple-day tournament in club tournaments?

Currently, Chess.com Tournaments do not support multi-day tournaments. Organizers determined to run multi-day formats should be comfortable explaining how to challenge players on Chess.com to their players in order to ensure pairings take place.

That being said, the US Chess Executive Board has only approved online blitz (ranging from 3|2 to 10|0) and online rapid (ranging from 10|1 to 29|0) rated games. Therefore organizers looking to run online US Chess rated events should be able to consolidate their tournament schedule into a single day in order to avoid technical issues.

Do I need to create a separate club every time I want to run a new rated event?

Within the existing technology on Chess.com, tournament directors will need to create a club environment for each event if they want to restrict entry to paying members. That being said, there are several logistical workarounds Chess.com recommends if you plan on running regular events:

Chess.com is continually developing new features for our online community. As our club tournament resources continue to improve, this article will be updated to reflect the most efficient practices for organizers.

Can players pay entry fees and club membership fees on Chess.com?

Chess.com does not currently support payments to third-party recipients. We advise using your organization's existing registration processing software as a means of collecting various fees from players.

Can Chess.com make each player's rating more equitable to their US Chess rating?

Given the mass influx of requests regarding tournament support, Chess.com cannot adjust a player's Chess.com ratings to make them more synonymous with their US Chess rating. We advise all players to play in Live Chess prior to each tournament to ensure an event has equitable pairings.

Can I withdraw and re-enter into a Live Tournament, or take half-point byes during an event?

No. Chess.com's club tournament environment currently does not support half-point byes and mid-tournament re-entry. For users playing online rated events on iOS devices, we recommend staying on the tournament screen at all times, as toggling between applications and other features on site can result in tournament withdrawal.

See the original post here:
How To Play In US Chess Online Rated Tournaments - Chess.com

Carissa Yip (photo Ootes)

Alexandra Kosteniuk (photo Ootes)

On Saturday April 18th, our BotezLive Saturday fundraisers continue at 2 ET with a match between IM Carissa Yip and former Womens World Champion Alexandra Chess Queen Kosteniuk.

Grandmaster Alexandra Kosteniuk was the champion of our Isolated Queens tournament,which was hosted by US Chess Women and BotezLive in March, to celebrate the female chessplayers all over the World practicing social distancing. Kosteniuks twitch stream is a popular channel, and she recently added English streams to the programming.

Carissa Yip is a popular young International Master, and she has written several articles for CLO. Shes also a new streamer on twitch.tv/carissayip. After the match on the 18th, you can follow Carissas progress in the IM Not a GM speed chess event on chess.com, a 16-player knockout featuring some of the most popular IMs in the country. Yip faces IM Dean Ippolito in the first round and if she wins, she will face the winner of Greg Shahade and Anna Zatonskih.

Three weeks ago, Kosteniuk and Yip met in the aforementioned Isolated Queens event.

What should Carissa do here?

r1bq1b1r/1ppn2pp/pk6/8/2QPpB2/2N5/PPP2PPP/R3K2R w KQ - 0 15

You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess diagram visualization.

White to Move and Win

15. Bxc7! wins the queen

Find the full game below- Kosteniuk eschewed the theoretical perpetual on move 10, and was punished for it.

[Event "Live Chess"][Site "Chess.com"][Date "2020.03.21"][White "Magician4MA"][Black "ChessQueen"][Result "1-0"][ECO "C43"][WhiteElo "2506"][BlackElo "2674"][Annotator "jensh"][PlyCount "87"][EventDate "2020.??.??"]1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. d4 Nxe4 4. Bd3 d5 5. Nxe5 Nd7 6. Nxf7 Kxf7 7. Qh5+ Ke78. Qe2 Kf7 9. Qh5+ Ke7 10. Qe2 {…Kf7 leads to a forced draw after Qh5+} Kd6$2 11. Bf4+ Kc6 12. Bxe4 dxe4 13. Nc3 a6 14. Qc4+ Kb6 15. Bxc7+ Qxc7 16. Nd5+Ka7 17. Qxc7 h5 18. a4 Rh6 19. Qf4 Bd6 20. Qe3 Rg6 21. g3 Nf6 22. Nxf6 Rxf6 23.O-O-O Bg4 24. Rd2 Rc8 25. Kb1 Bf3 26. Re1 Rf7 27. c3 Rf5 28. Rc2 Be7 29. c4 Bb430. Rec1 Rf6 31. c5 Bg4 32. d5 a5 33. c6+ b6 34. Ka1 Bd6 35. Rc4 Rf3 36. Qxe4Rxf2 37. c7 Re2 38. Qd3 Be5 39. R1c2 Re1+ 40. Ka2 Be2 41. Qd2 Bxc4+ 42. Rxc4Rf1 43. d6 Rff8 44. Qd5 1-0

You must activate JavaScript to enhance chess game visualization.

Despite this loss, Kosteniuk went on to finish the Isolated Queens tournament a half point ahead of the field.

Saturdays match format is best of seven with a time control of three-minutes with a two second increment. The action kicks off at 2 ET at twitch.tv/botezlive.The prize fund is $500 with a $350/150 split and Alexandra Botez will provide educational commentary on the match.

With many tournaments and school clubs on hiatus to reduce the spread of COVID-19, this monthsBotezLive matches will benefit online educational opportunities for US Chess members and followers, such as Zoom seminars and masterclass streams led by male and female professionals and coaches. 60% of on stream donations will support US Chess online programming while 40% goes back to support future matches. Thanks to all of the twitch donors, guest commentators and to Ian Maprail Silverstone for supporting these events.

See you on Saturday!

Find out more aboutAlexandra in our premiere Ladies Knight episodeand ina recent NBC articlewithvideo about the streaming boom.

Find out more about our Womens Programs atuschesswomen.org,find out afull listing of our womens related articles and announcements here.

Continued here:
Kosteniuk and Yip BotezLive Match to Benefit Online Education - uschess.org