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George Dimitrov wins the second King of the Month tournament as registration enters its final days for KOTM 6
The first major results of the new LSS prize economy are taking shape.
With only one game remaining—and that result no longer able to change the four prize-winning positions—we can announce George Dimitrov from Bulgaria as the winner of the second King of the Month tournament.
George scored an excellent 6.5 points from eight games, securing first place and a prize of 560 piasters. Many LSS members will already know George as a strong and highly respected opponent whose games regularly produce interesting strategic battles. His victory is thoroughly deserved.
He is joined on the podium by three other strong performers:
- 1st: George Dimitrov, Bulgaria — 6.5/8 — 560 piasters
- 2nd: Norge Pascual-Perez, Cuba — 6/8 — 420 piasters
- 3rd: Stanislaw Szulc, Poland — 5.5/8 — 280 piasters
- 4th: Ton van Bommel, the Netherlands — 5.5/8 — 140 piasters
Stanislaw and Ton finished on equal points, with the LSS tiebreak rules deciding the allocation of third and fourth place.
We congratulate all four prize winners—and thank every participant whose games helped make the tournament a success.
The first King of the Order of Merit
George’s victory also gives him another distinction: he becomes the first clear leader of the new LSS Order of Merit.
The Order of Merit records the total prize money awarded to players during the most recent rolling period of 24 months. Because our piaster economy was introduced only recently, the ranking is still in its formative stage.
Before the conclusion of KOTM 2, the only prizes awarded were two quarterly prizes of 75 piasters in the first LSS Ladder Knockout Tournament. Those awards were deliberately smaller because the Ladder is an ongoing competition, with prizes awarded every quarter.
The four KOTM 2 winners will therefore move automatically into the first four positions of the provisional Order of Merit, led by George Dimitrov.
That ranking may not remain unchanged for long.
King of the Month tournaments 3 and 4 are approaching their conclusions, with only four and six games remaining respectively. The broad contours are beginning to emerge, but we do not intend to speculate about their final results while games are still being played.
KOTM 1 is also continuing, with more games still to be completed, while KOTM 5 has recently begun. We can therefore expect significant movement in the Order of Merit over the coming weeks and months.
That is exactly what the ranking is intended to create: a continuing competitive narrative extending beyond any single game or tournament.
Why LSS awards prizes
Chess ratings matter. They help us compare performance over time and allow players to measure their progress.
But chess is ultimately also a competitive sport—and competitive sport is about winning games, events, and tournaments.
The LSS Order of Merit adds that tournament dimension to our ecosystem. More important and more highly prized events naturally carry greater weight than smaller competitions. At the same time, our scoring structures distinguish between results achieved over the board and administrative outcomes such as forfeits or time violations.
There is another reason why we believe prize awards belong within LSS.
Every player who participates in an LSS tournament contributes to something larger. Together, our members are helping to create an expanding chess research library. Their games become part of the LSS databases available to our community, while our thematic tournaments generate concentrated practical knowledge about specific openings and positions.
In that sense, our tournament participants are also co-authors of a collective body of chess knowledge.
Prize awards are one way of giving something back to the people who make that possible.
How the piaster economy works
Piasters are the internal currency of the LSS prize and tournament ecosystem.
Players can use their piasters to enter designated prize tournaments. If they do not have enough piasters available, additional piasters can be purchased through the platform. This means that players do not have to miss an attractive event simply because their current balance is insufficient.
Registration for the King of the Month tournament costs only 30 piasters, with discounts for premium members.
The four prizes are:
- 560 piasters for first place
- 420 piasters for second place
- 280 piasters for third place
- 140 piasters for fourth place
That is a total prize pool of 1,400 piasters.
Relative to the 30-piaster entry requirement, the prizes represent attractive prize-to-entry multiples:
- First prize: nearly 19 times the entry amount
- Second prize: 14 times the entry amount
- Third prize: more than 9 times the entry amount
- Fourth prize: almost 5 times the entry amount
Of course, chess results can never be guaranteed. That uncertainty is part of the attraction. Every participant enters the same competitive arena and must earn the result over the board.
Piasters won can be used to participate in future prize events. Under the applicable LSS regulations, a player who has accumulated at least the equivalent of USD 500 in awarded piasters may also request a payout in fiat currency.
The applicable exchange rate is:
12.5 piasters to USD 1
The payout threshold is therefore 6,250 awarded piasters, subject to the conditions contained in the official regulations.
Because the system began only recently, no player is currently close to that threshold. However, with the Order of Merit covering a rolling 24-month period—and with a growing program of prize tournaments—we are confident that the conversion option will eventually become a practical reality rather than merely a theoretical possibility.
Full details can be found in the official regulations:
Read The Prize-system regulations
KOTM 6: the next crown is waiting
While we congratulate our first completed King of the Month champion, the next opportunity is already approaching.
The sixth King of the Month tournament is scheduled to start soon, and 20 players have already registered.
That is a promising field. However, our experience tells us that prize tournaments work best when they attract at least 30 participants. A larger field creates greater variety, more competitive depth, and a stronger tournament experience for everyone involved.
There are only a few days left to help us reach that objective.
The tournament uses a fast daily-chess time control of one move every two days, non-cumulative, and registered players receive up to seven vacation days for the tournament year.
The entry requirement is 30 piasters with discounts for Premium Members, and four prizes are available.
Perhaps most importantly, defending prize winner George Dimitrov has already registered again.
That gives you the opportunity to test yourself against the first completed KOTM prize champion, alongside a select international field containing several strong and titled ICCF players.
Will George defend his position at the top? Will one of the other established LSS competitors take the crown? Or will a new challenger enter the Arena and surprise everyone?
There is only one way to find out.
Register for the sixth King of the Month tournament
If you are not yet logged in, the link will first take you to the LSS login page. After logging in, you can proceed to the tournament registration page.
Enter the Arena
King of the Month is only one part of the expanding LSS tournament calendar.
Over the coming weeks and months, players can choose from prize and non-prize events, fast daily-chess formats, classical tournaments, thematic opening competitions, Chess960, no-engine events, pyramids, ladders, and other formats.
Our ambition is to build an attractive international community for serious chess lovers while creating an ecosystem that can also appeal to sponsors—especially organizations interested in the relationship between chess, technology, quantitative thinking, education, and artificial intelligence.
The board is ready. The prize pool is waiting. Twenty challengers have already entered.
You still have time to become number 21—and to help us move towards a field of 30 or more.
Join KOTM 6 and test the waters for yourself.
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Enter the LSS Arena