American GM Hans Moke Niemann discussed chess support in the United States on the MTS live stream. Niemann speaks about chess support in Uzbekistan and India, and notes that the U.S. government provides almost no support for national chess.

Hans Moke Niemann

Hans Moke Niemann

American GM

“India and Uzbekistan have serious support from the government and the private sector.

One of the players, Praggnanandhaa, is sponsored personally by the Adani group. Indians probably have the largest sponsorship. Uzbekistan has serious money, and the Uzbeks have unlimited resources basically. Anything they want — they really get, at least that’s my understanding.

And in America, we don’t really have any support from the government. You don’t really have any direct support from the federation as well. They’re not as patriotic as I believe they should be.

I personally believe that chess should be mandatory in every school in America as a way to make people a bit smarter and teach them the important life lessons at an early age. I think chess is a transformative educational tool.”

The Saint Louis Chess Club, a non-profit organization founded in 2008, is the premier American chess supporter. It hosts elite tournaments such as the U.S. Championship, the Sinquefield Cup, and others, creates school programs in local schools, and promotes chess education for all ages. American GM Fabiano Caruana discussed this topic on April 27.

Credit: Hans Moke Niemann X