In a year full of big stories in the chess world, one of the biggest will come away from the chessboard. 1999 will witness the launch of ClubKasparov.com, a content-rich portal site that will bring chess fully into the internet age.

World Champion Garry Kasparov, who has been involved with various internet projects for many years, is taking an active role in the design of the site and will also be a regular contributor after the Grand Opening. Kasparov’s participation will be a key element in attracting an audience of chess enthusiasts to the site beyond those already active online.

While there are tens of thousands of chess pages on the world wide web at present, Club Kasparov will be the first site to offer such a wide range of content and interactive features. These will include a top-notch chess news service modeled on those of the largest information sites, a playing area where chess players from all over the world can meet and match wits, and an extensive magazine section with columns and features contributed by the world’s best chess players and writers. Special areas for children and scholastic events will entertain and instruct a new generation of chessplayers.

Beyond the unparalleled amount of content the site will provide, the long-term goals of Club Kasparov are to create a thriving online chess community and promote chess via this community. Chess fans will be able to customize their online experience with content that is personalized for language and even level of chess expertise. Discussion forums and chat areas will allow users to share ideas and opinions about the game they love. Online training will be available for players of all levels, with group classes and individual tutoring offered. Each CK member will be able to design his or her own Club Kasparov homepage and receive e-mail in their own @ClubKasparov.com mailbox.

Only Garry Kasparov could marshal the team of chess talent that forms the base of Club Kasparov. Top players from every region of the world, including over two dozen Grandmasters, will create the greatest resource of high-quality chess information and content ever seen. Working behind this formidable collection of chess talent is a team of professional designers and programmers all from the very top of their fields.

The ambitious project has already received significant capital investment and over thirty designers and content producers are hard at work preparing the site for the millions of visitors expected in its first month of operation. Full-time staff is expected to quadruple within months of the Grand Opening as a global network of contributors and correspondents is established. The new site will also draw on the human resources of the popular Club Kasparov Russia website that was established several years ago. (And which also provides extensive content in English: http:// www.clubkasparov.ru/index0e.htm ) While the design and infrastructure of the new site are being built from the ground up, the experienced editorial and content teams in Russia will be a great asset.

Club Kasparov will launch at a moment in which chess is reaching into many new areas of the globe. Asia and Africa are rapidly embracing the traditionally Western game, and millions of new internet users in these regions will find Club Kasparov ready to meet their interests. Chess will now have the perfect vehicle to drive it into the 21st century: its first premium brand, led by the World’s strongest player and as global as the game of chess itself.

For those seeking further information, a mailing list and pre-registration page has been made available at the following address: http:// www.clubkasparov.co.il/register. Club Kasparov will be sending out information regarding the development of the site as it’s being built, as well as exclusive analysis of the Kasparov vs. The World match currently underway in the Microsoft Gaming Zone.

August 9, 1999