Chess play 820x410 - The importance of chess clubs in promoting the game of chess

The importance of chess clubs in promoting the game of chess

Each sport tends to have its own association or league. Such associations help promote the sport and attract audiences. Think of the Major League Baseball (MLB), National Football League (NFL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) in the United States.

So too does chess. Often called chess clubs, these help attract chess players in a particular vicinity or locality. These chess clubs are the foundations to organizing chess tournaments such as the Euro Club Cup. Examples of these are the Le Cercle d’échecs de Monte-Carlo (CAMC) and the United States Chess Federation.

Such chess clubs are also the pivot around which sports betting can be organized. Betting agencies can get to know local stars and the next generation of potential grandmasters through chess clubs, and can put a stake on such players. The recent repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) ensures that betting agencies can play a more active role in promoting chess club members.

chess club - The importance of chess clubs in promoting the game of chess

Typically, local chess clubs fulfil the following roles – New signups, sport promotion, organization of tournaments, game development and so on. They are integral cogs in the governments vision to promote chess, especially here in the United States where often we have attracted foreign stars to play on our behalf due to a lack of national talent.

Additionally, they help to educate the next generation of players on the various rules and regulations in chess, beyond the basic rulebook. While rules can be read online or though guidebooks, the pressure of the clock in chess often leads people to forget them. Time can often be a devil, as they say. Playing at local tournaments in chess clubs ensure that you get accustomed to such rules even when time is against you.

chess club2 - The importance of chess clubs in promoting the game of chess

As a result, if you are an aspiring player, seek out chess clubs near your vicinity. Meet people who share similar interests, and practice on improving your game with them!

Chess1 820x410 - Anatoly Karpov and the great grandmasters at the Euro Club Cup

Anatoly Karpov and the great grandmasters at the Euro Club Cup

Chess is a sport that isn’t perhaps most people’s cup of tea. It is an acquired taste. You need to have a special affiliation to be thoroughly engaged in a game that can last for as long as 4 hours. Perhaps even more.

And yet, the sport remains a key sport in many nations across the world. Two of the world’s largest countries – Russia and India – count chess as among their top five sports. In fact, Russia has produced the most number of chess grandmasters. Europe, in general, is really where Chess resides.

Some of the greatest grandmasters have participated in the Euro Club Cups over the years. Legends such as Magnus Carlsen, Emanuel Lasker and the Russian great, Gary Kasparov, are simply a few amongst such luminaries who have graced us with their presence. Here we list some of the best participants.

Anatoly Karpov

Anatoly Karpov

Anatoly Karpov is considered the second greatest Russian grandmaster of all time, after Gary Kasparov. He was the world champion for an incredible 10 consecutive years from 1975 onwards. Karpov was not a man to take many risks, with his playing style being conservative, but he took advantage of the tiniest of mistakes made by his opponent.

Sergei Tiviakov

Sergei Tiviakov

Sergei Tiviakov is not perhaps a name that springs to mind when you think of the world’s all-time greats. The Russian-Dutch chess player first shot to prominence in 1990 when he won the U18 world championships, following which he was immediately awarded the title of a grandmaster at a young age of 18. His 2008 Club Cup game with Grachev Boris is one of the best games in recent times.