It's a very hard format to win, and you get nothing for second place. "That's one reason why I play," Bortnyk said. Plus, a chance in Singapore at the finals would be hard to pass up. They'd love to see more tournaments, community growth on Twitch, and plenty of more players. Several grandmasters who've competed in the Olympic Esports Series hope that it makes chess an even more influential game in the future. You could start off with a weaker opponent." "There's a random element when you're only giving one spot away. Once I start something I can't stop," he said, adding that he needed a little bit of luck to get past a field of steep competition. I thought about why I should continue this for a moment, but I couldn't stop. Bortnyk fought his way to the knockout stage of multiple trials, only to come in second during his first attempt. That's part of the reason he took part in the challenging qualification process for the Olympic Esports Series chess competition. Oleksandr Bortnyk: Why I took part in the Olympic Esports Series He still needs to travel – it's the best way for him to earn as a competitive player – but he believes that the future of online chess is bright. He's also found himself spending a chunk of his time playing online tournaments. The organisers usually give you the pieces, clock, and board," he said. "I think this is only in the United States, that's why I was so surprised. He was almost certain that one would have been provided for him. Bortnyk remembers experiencing a little culture shock, surprised that he was asked to bring a chess set to his first tournament in the United States. I'd plan everything around whatever they could offer."īortnyk has travelled all over the U.S., from Seattle to Florida while playing over the last five years. "I'd message the organisers in Spain and France and ask if they would pay me to attend their tournament. "My life in Europe was spent messaging organisers across the continent," Bortnyk said. Winning, and hustling to make constant travel work while you're raising a daughter, helps. Plenty of chess players – even ones at the top – have to subsidise their play with content creation on Twitch and YouTube, coaching, or a job separate from chess. Making a living by playing chess is no easy feat, whether you're doing it in Madrid or Miami. How chess became an escape for children living in a Nigerian slumĬhess | OES Qualifier 2023 | | How to Oleksandr Bortnyk on the differences between chess competitions in Europe and the U.S.Chess and Esports: 10 questions with Shreyas Royal.They respect the grind to become a grandmaster." "It's hard to earn money by moving around and playing chess, and in Europe some organisers pay for playing at events," he said. He's found that competing in the United States is quite a bit different than playing in Europe. Although he still travels to play in-person, a good chunk of the action he sees takes place on and other sites.Īfter originally moving to Texas to go to school, he dropped out to make the shift to playing chess full time. So much of it has been online."īortnyk is part of the burgeoning online chess community that's dominated Twitch, YouTube and elsewhere over the last three years. "I rarely used a board to play chess in nearly two years because of the pandemic. "Twitch has changed everything," Bortnyk said. And the finals of the Olympic Esports Series 2023 can be streamed on The Olympic Esports Series 2023 is a global virtual and simulated sports competition, created by the IOC, and in collaboration with game publishers and International Federations (IFs) such as the International Chess Federation (FIDE). That includes competing this week in the Olympic Esports Series in chess with hopes of making it to the Finals. The grandmaster is a streamer, has an online coaching course, and regularly plays in online tournaments. Now, more than five years later, Bortnyk is embedded in the online chess community. I had a garbage laptop but I brought in 200 viewers for my first stream." "Streaming wasn't popular in Ukraine in 2018, but I found out about it when I came here. "I remember asking 'What is a chess streamer?' when I heard that," Bortnyk said. He hadn't encountered Twitch while living in his home country, so when someone asked him about becoming a chess streamer he didn't know where to begin. When Oleksandr Bortnyk moved from Ukraine to Texas in 2018, he didn't even know that streaming was possible.
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