Same-day payouts via WhatsApp
Winning a chess tournament does not always mean getting the prize money on the same day. Depending on the tournament and the organisers, players may have to wait days or even weeks to receive their winnings after the event.
CircleChess and Tech Mahindra Global Chess League Grand Open Rapid tournament in Bengaluru tried a different approach. They introduced a WhatsApp-based system through which prize winners could withdraw their money on the same day.
The FIDE-rated rapid tournament, organised by CircleChess in partnership with Golden Aura Trust, was held as a "Road to GCL" event. It received more than 750 registrations within 10 days of the tournament being announced and had more than 20 titled players in the field. Players from Karnataka and other parts of India took part.
This event is a statement that the Global Chess League is in Bengaluru. Tech Mahindra Global Chess League has done a wonderful job bringing world-class chess to the city – I am very excited about it."
- Kumar Gaurav, Founder, CircleChess
Apoorv Kamble won the tournament with a score of 8.5/9. He arrived in Bengaluru around 2 a.m. on the day of the first round, having just returned from the Asian Junior Championship, where he won bronze in the Asian Junior Blitz Championship.
IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete finished second with 8/9, and FM Vaidyanathan Kannan took third, also on 8/9. GM Vishnu Prasanna finished fourth. This event marked his first competitive outing in nearly two and a half years.
Full standings here.
According to the organisers, winners could use the CircleChess WhatsApp Bot to withdraw their prize money after the tournament. The aim was to make the payment process quicker and avoid the wait that players often face after an event.
Winner Apoorv Kamble appreciated this system.
The new prize money withdrawal system is a very good innovation by CircleChess. Receiving the prize money often takes days and weeks. Same-day prize money withdrawal makes it a lot more efficient for the organizers and convenient for the players.
- Apoorv Kamble
A parent at the tournament also spoke about the convenience of receiving the prize money without having to follow up after the event.
GCL CEO Gourav Rakshit was present at the event, along with Olympiad and Arjuna Awardee Prakash Nanjappa and GM Tej Kumar, Karnataka's first Grandmaster.
Golden Aura Trust, the tournament's co-organiser, was responsible for securing the venue and completing the arrangements within the short timeframe.
Actually, this tournament – what I had dreamt was that it should happen during the GCL. I had already taken the event code for this particular tournament for the 5th and 6th of September, but I got a call from CircleChess that we have to organise this tournament prior to the GCL. So we are doing it along with the GCL, and I'm so happy to collaborate with the GCL and CircleChess in conducting this tournament within such a short span.
- Soumya M.U, Founder, Golden Aura Trust (President, BUDCA; Vice President, KSCA)
Between rounds, the Bangalore Chess Club ran informal playing stalls, including four-player chess, for participants and families at the venue.
We were able to bring this crowd here – not only from Bengaluru, but chess players from across India, to witness this wonderful event. I have to thank everyone, especially Tech Mahindra, for bringing the world-class Global Chess League to Bangalore. I thank the Government of Karnataka and the Department of Sports and Youth Empowerment for their cooperation in approving this venue, the Mangala Indoor Stadium, within a very short span of request. I have to thank the whole team of Golden Aura, and all the chess players and parents, for gathering for this event and making it a success. I'm happy to be part of this event as an organiser from Golden Aura.
- Mrs. Soumya M.U, Founder, Golden Aura Trust
For CircleChess, the Grand Open was another step toward building experiences where competitive chess, technology and community come together on the same board.
