Millionaire Open II - Chess Drum

Every so often a chess blog latches on to a topic and gives it a personalized coverage to a depth that you just don't see anywhere else. We saw this last month in Some Numbers for 'Pawn Sacrifice', where a long series of posts by Jim West On Chess tracked the film over more than five years.

In my previous post, Millionaire Open II - Chess Life, I gave some basic information about this unique event, including when it took place: 8-12 October 2015. (Unlike most chess tournaments, the final day fell on a Monday.) For more about the tournament -- much more -- I'll hand the microphone to The Chess Drum. After the site/blog covered the 2014 Millionaire Open in depth, it turned its attention to the 2015 event.

• 2014-12-31: Millionaire Chess #2 opens January 1st! • See also references to Chess.com.
• 2015-05-11: Millionaire Chess #1 book shines!

The Drum's coverage began with a series on various qualifying tournaments.

• 2015-01-29: Kasparov Chess Africa to host three ‘Millionaire’ tourneys!
• 2015-05-05: 2015 Millionaire Chess Satellite (Nairobi, Kenya)
• 2015-06-03: 2015 Millionaire Chess Satellite (Lagos, Nigeria)
• 2015-07-11: 2015 Millionaire Chess Satellite (Johannesburg, S. Africa)
• 2015-08-10: Malaku Lorne reigns at Jamaica’s Millionaire Qualifier!

Regular posts preceding the event kept the conversation alive.

• 2015-07-22: Millionaire Chess blazing hot promotions!!
• 2015-08-19: TV deal for Millionaire Chess?
• 2015-09-26: 50+ GMs, 50+ Countries = Millionaire Chess 2015!

Much of the ongoing excitement can be found in the comments to the main post about the event. The subsequent posts provide a wrapup.

• 2015-10-09: 2015 Millionaire Chess Open (Las Vegas)
• 2015-10-19: Drum Interviews @ ’15 Millionaire Chess
• 2015-10-23: MC’s Amy Lee Reflects on #MC2
• 2015-10-31: Reflections of 2015 Millionaire Chess Open • Daaim Shabazz of The Chess Drum.

If that coverage isn't enough, there is even more on official resources flagged in the tournament's 'Agenda':-

• facebook.com/millionairechess
• twitter.com/HighStakesChess
• youtube.com/MillionaireChess
• instagram.com/millionairechess

Everyone is asking if there will be a third Millionaire Open. The Drum's last post, 'Reflections', concluded,

The chess community should heap effusive praise onto Amy and Maurice for their effort. While not perfect, there were great takeaways from the event and certainly lessons learned. GM Maurice Ashley continues to be a lead innovator in chess and is not afraid to try new ideas. This means MC3 will be stronger… if it should happen.

It will only happen if there is a grassroots support. No longer can you watch from the sidelines and expect chess to have its day in the spotlight. The current investment model is unsustainable and if another model is not found, we can go back to playing in weekend tournaments where the total prize fund may be $2,000. Let’s ride the wave of this chess renaissance. Let’s make MC3 happen!

It just confirms what we already know: Money makes the world go round.