Elite Chess League makes a game that a billion people know into an esport
DEAN TAKAHASHI
SEPTEMBER 14, 2015 9:00 AM
Meir Shachar figures a billion people know how to play chess. That’s why he thinks an online version of the game will be the perfect esport. That’s why he has started the Elite Chess League.
While the idea may seem pretty old, Shachar hopes to spice it up by setting up tournaments where players can play for money. Since chess is legally defined as a game of skill, playing it for money isn’t considered gambling, according to most legal rulings.
The Elite Chess League (ECL) is about to begin its beta test in October. It will include online peer-to-peer tournaments and offline events.
“It’s the biggest tech revolution and evolution of chess in 1,500 years,” Shachar said in an interview with GamesBeat at the Casual Connect game conference in August. “When you add real-money gambling, it’s a game changer.”
The ECL games will be both secure, honest, and playable on both the Web and mobile platforms, Shachar said. Streams of games and global sponsors will be present.
Online chess matches, particularly those that have asynchronous play, are subject to cheating. But ECL’s blitz matches will take place in two to three minutes. Moves are limited to a few seconds. One of the reasons for this setup is that makes it even harder to cheat, Shachar said.
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