8/15 Relief For Beirut Charity Tournament

On August 15th of 2020, Chess2All hosted a tournament in respect to the victims of the tragedy in Beirut, Lebanon. This tournament not only provided a fun and enjoyable environment for chess players of all skill levels to participate and learn, but it also raised over $500 for charity with the participation of more than 50 players across the nation with over 20 chess masters. 
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The event consisted of players from all over the country, and even across the world. Players from Chicago, California, New Jersey, Russia, England, Washington, and more all came to show their support for the cause through their common passion for chess. Some notable players that attended the tournament were:

• Aleksandr Lenderman - Grand Master - Ranked 10th in the United States
• Gadir Guseinov - Grand Master - Rank #3 in Azerbaijan
• Carissa Yip - International Master - Highest Rated U18 Player in the World
• Christopher Yoo - International Master - One of the youngest International  Masters in the world.
• Jennifer Yu - Fide Master - 2019 US Women Chess Champion

The tournament was free of charge and consisted of two sections - the open section in which anyone could participate and the U1600 section in which players with ratings under 1600 could partake. The prizes for the open section were $50 for first place, $20 for second place, and $10 for third place. For the U1600 section, a free one hour group lesson was awarded to those who placed in the top three. There were six rounds total with a blitz format, meaning that each round lasted five minutes with two second increments. 
The top three players from both divisions were:
Open Division

1. IM Christopher Yoo
2. GM Gadir Guseinov
3. FM Justin Paul

U1600 Division

1. Matthew Diao
2. Tyler Xia
3. Alex Zhu

All of the proceeds generated from the tournament went to a variety of charities that set up campaigns for helping those who were harmed in the Beirut explosion such as: 
The Lebanese Red Cross - the main provider of ambulance services in Lebanon that dispatched every ambulance they could to treat the wounded and help in search-and-rescue operations
Impact Lebanon - a non-profit organization that set up a crowdfunding campaign to raise money for the disaster relief, in which they successfully raised over six-million dollars
Baytna Baytak - a charity that provided free housing to health care workers during the pandemic and is now raising money to give shelter to those who were displaced. 
If you were not able to attend the Beirut relief event, don’t worry! Chess2All is currently planning future events to give opportunities for players of all skill levels to stay engaged and have fun amidst the pandemic. We would like to thank all the players who came out and showed their support for this relief tournament, and we can’t wait to see you all in future events.