Chess is one of the sports that is hard to find sponsors for. The game lacks the awareness and treatment that more popular sports receive, such as basketball, soccer, and tennis, even though the effort is no less to achieve mastery. In the US, government grants are not part of the culture. Young and strong emerging players in countries like Russia, India, and China have an advantage, since chess is state supported as well as there is relatively much more corporate sponsorship.  This translates into critical benefits of more training and tournament experience.

Players in United States don’t have such an option.  So where do the young players go to fund their Quest to become outstanding chess players.  

Well, we don’t give up. We lean on our parents. We lean on our well-wishers. We knock on doors, and try to persuade people who can relate to a hard Quest to support it. That’s how we do it. One square at a time.

I’ve demonstrated a strong pace of progress in the last 4 1/2 years, and I intend to work very hard to get to the end. As I embark on the final leg of this Quest, for the first time I’m trying to raise donor funds to help me catapult to the GM title and beyond. With your help I’ll get there even faster. Thanks for your support!

Please use Paypal to make your donation quickly in 2 minutes.  You can do it Now, by simply clicking here and selecting option SEND money (Send Money to Friends and Family). The contribution can be sent to my Paypal email < Akshat (AT) QuestToGM (DOTCOM) >. Paypal will not charge any commission when you Send money within US, or very little fee to me when you send money from outside US. This way I will receive your full donation or nearly the full amount, and not lose any to service commissions.

I leave you with a quote from Hungarian chess wizard and super GM Peter Leko:

“…even super talented people, like Carlsen, Karjakin, and Nakamura, wouldn’t be where they are now without [sponsorship] help. Only a mixture of super talent and help will bring a very good result, won’t it?”

If someone wishes to discuss about sponsorship opportunities or provide suggestions, please write to me at Akshat (at) QuestToGM (dotcom).