Here is the official website of the MonRoi International Women’s Grand Prix.
“I fully support Brana and MonRoi on the initiative of the Women’s Grand Prix. I have worked hard for years to try to bring more recognition for women chess players worldwide and I am very happy to see strong backing by a prestigious company like MonRoi. The Women’s Grand Prix is truly a historic event!”
More news about the Grand Prix can be read here.
Kateryna Lahno got $6,760 after winning an 18 game match against GM Negi of India ($4,510) which got a decent amount of daily media exposure. Out of that money, they have to pay for their trainers and other expenses. In my opinion, this is way too little! Kramnik got $500,000 for walking into a mate in 1 against Fritz and another $500,000 for a scandal filled match against Topalov. Topalov also made millions. So did Karpov and Kasparov.
It is great for these few players. I am happy for them. However, even Grandmasters rated over 2700 have a hard time making a good living. Most professional players, especially women players, cannot make a living in chess unless they spend a lot of time teaching.
That is why something like the Women’s Grand Prix is absolutely needed. It will give more exposure to women’s chess. I hope other companies will step up and create an overall Grand Prix as well. It is time to help our own sport instead of chess politics as usual.
Hi Susan,
Be realistic – how much interest was there in the Negi – Lahno match? Sponsors pay when they feel that they get something, e.g. publicity. The fair market value of a match between two junior players is 1/100th of that between two world champions. No surprise.
I applaud your efforts to increase the popularity of chess – that’s the only way that sponsors will begin to dump more money into our sport. The reality now though is that only at the very highest levels is chess marketable. And for that we should blame the lack of fans, not the lack of sponsors!!! We love sponsors! We shouldn’t even appear to call the money they do put in “unacceptable”!
bravo susan! i rather see world champions doing good things for their sport instead of playing politics like kasparov.
*Así de Injusta es la vida a veces…..pero debemos acepatarlo así nomas como dice insomniac???….o intentar cambiarlo????
*No dicen que notar los problemas es el inicio de un cambio???
*Creo que tienes las condiciones sobre todo morales para aspirar a un cargo en la USCF, y por nada debes renunciar a ello, por mas trabas que encuentres en el camino y nunca te desanimes, desde allí podras luchar mas duro para cambiar eso que dices (y que todos vemos injusto).
*No olvides que si luchas por la igualdad (como lo haces desde siempre), y por las causas de los menos afortunados mucha gente se molestará y se apartará, (los fuertes sobre todo), los debiles quizas no tengan la fuerza y el tiempo para luchar a tu ritmo,…..por ello quizas en algún momento puedas sentirte sola y sentir no valga la pena luchar………siempre recuerda que David pudo con el gigante…..el quid es saber donde golpear!
(No soy “preciso” escribiendo en Ingles y por eso lo hago en mi idioma, espero no te moleste)
Martín
Replying to insomniac:
I dont think the points you raise only apply to chess. They apply to all sports.
For a comparison, it would be the same as two 100th rank tennis players in a specially organised match. There would be very little interest in the media for that match unless it involved some starlet or some kind of controversy
I agree that the money was extremely low. I find it hard to believe so-called “rap artists” can make millions of dollars with unintelligble lyrics centered on shooting cops yet chess cannot generate larger revenues.
More proof that we have been pushed into an alternate parallel universe.
Susan made good points. The match was between two child stars of opposite genders. All the media attention (see chessbase.com) proves that it warranted more money.
I know I paid special interest in following the match. When I first saw the prize fund of 500,000, I assumed it was in dollars, but I was wrong–absurd. The prize was probably not even enough to take care of training, travel, and accomodations.
“However, even Grandmasters rated over 2700 have a hard time making a good living.”
That’s not really true, right?
“Most professional players, especially women players, cannot make a living in chess unless they spend a lot of time teaching.”
That’s not really true, too, right?