Chess and Poker Combine

Chess and Poker Combine

Wednesday, 3 September 2014

It looks as though chess could be the next game of skill and logic to make it big in the world of gambling.

Following the footsteps laid down by poker tournaments such as the WSOP, a new chess organisation will be hosting a $1,000 buy-in tournament with a prizepool of $1 million.

Hoping to create the same sort of buzz around the game that poker now enjoys, the project is the brainchild of of the first African-American Grandmaster, Maurice Ashley, and Amy Lee, a businesswoman from Canada.

Dubbed Millionaire Chess, the tournament will lavish the overall winner with a top prize of $100,000, but along the way the tournament will also give away various bounty prizes.

At almost the same time the organisers announced that Millionaire Chess would take place inside Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, next month, PokerStars was also busy announcing a chess-themed event.

Seemingly in tune with the latest developments in the gaming world, PokerStars will combine chess and poker on October 3rd for a special UKIPT event.

Costing £200+£20 to enter, the event will take place on the Isle of Man and, so far, the likes of World #9 chess player Maxim Vachier and Supernova Elite, Radoslaw 'radoom' Jedynak will be taking part.

The format for the event is relatively simple: players will compete in five blitz chess matches (each player has seven minutes to achieve checkmate or run their opponent out of time) and for every win a player receives they will add 1,000 chips to their 8,000 starting stack.

The maximum a player can start with is 13,000 and once the chess action is over the event will play to a conclusion with a turbo poker tournament.

The question as to who has the advantage, chess players or poker players, is currently being debated, but regardless of who wins the event will certainly be an interesting addition to UKIPT's Isle of Man event.



Tags: Chess, Millionaire Chess, UKIPT Isle of Man