Are you familiar with the United States Chess League? I was not, but then again I was not familiar with the World Chess Boxing Organization when I wrote about that odd combination of knockouts and checkmates (see: “Chessboxing; yep, you read that right”). Well, the league is now in its ninth year of professional play and appears to be a financial success. Philadelphia Inventors
Is this interest in chess as a professional sport catching on in the toy aisle? Well, maybe not on the shelf but it seems to be chess is showing up on commercial websites in what appear to be greater numbers. For example, I visited walmart.com and found hundreds of sets available running anywhere from $8.99 for a glass set to an $8,000 set that comes in a “leather casquet.” It is Wal-Mart so that $8,000 price is reduced from $9,999.99.
Los Angeles Vibe
Is there enough brand awareness there yet for game companies to license league teams? We might not be there yet but just in case here is a here is a complete list of teams per the league’s website:
Baltimore Kingfishers
Boston Blitz
Connecticut Dreadnoughts
New England Nor’easters
Manhattan Applesauce
New Jersey Knockouts
New York Knights
Philadelphia Inventors
Carolina Cobras
Dallas Destiny
Miami Sharks
St. Louis Arch Bishops
Arizona Scorpions
Los Angeles Vibe
San Francisco Mechanics
Seattle Sluggers