So the time has finally arrived. Millionaire Chess Tournament is starting in less than 3 days from now on for the duration of 9th October to 13th October. Day after tomorrow I will be flying to Las Vegas from San Francisco with my family to participate in this tournament. My son Ahyan Zaman will be playing in the Under 1400 section while I will be playing in Under 2200 section. My wife Shusmita Haque, daughter Suhalia Zaman and mother-in-law will be going with us as well.
I was one of the early supporters of this event as I saw how immensely chess community will be benefited if this high stake chess tournament succeeds and becomes a repeated tournament in future. My son won the early bird lottery and got 5 nights of free hotel stay in Planet Hollywood which is also the playing venue. We are also the first 76 lucky participants who have been rewarded the lifetime VIP membership for Millionaire Chess, which means in all future events we will be paying only 50% of the entry fee! Over the last 10 months, one of the most important events in my life has been circling around this event because its not just a million dollar prize money but also a defining moment in US chess history that will be talked about for long, for many reasons. As of now 525 players from 42 countries are heading towards the sincity including more than 30 grand masters to play in this event accompanied by friends and family.
This event got me introduced to some finest people in the US Chess Network including Grand Master Maurice Ashley and business woman Amy Lee who are the owners of Millionaire Chess LLC. And I hope to see many more stellar personalities during the tournament. Incidentally my team 003 is the second largest team playing in the event with close to 30 members. This is the event that got me and my family into New York Times even before the event started. My son will turn 8 years during this event at National US Chess Day - October 12th. I have got tremendous encouragement from my friends and colleagues. You will be surprised that 3 of my colleagues are flying at 10th October to Las Vegas just to cheer me up in the venue from spectator's place - William Jager, John Jackson and Paul Endo - none of whom are chess players themselves. For those who won't be able to fly there, you can follow the live streaming of the event below -
or
Even easier will be if you download in your iPhone or Android the following mobile app "Millionaire Chess" and follow the live feeds.
I am prepared - not because I will win the first prize 40 thousand dollars in my section, but because I will be getting in touch with a highly enthusiastic crowd to whom chess means a big thing in life. I and my family want to go through this absorbing experience and hopefully will have a memorable time. Wish us good luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment