Fortun£ Friday$ March Edition Prize Winners

We cannot thank you enough for the growing success of the internationally renowned Fortun£ Friday$ Series. The £1,000 March edition attracted representatives from over 30 countries and featured some of the world's best chess players, including 10 GMs, 15 IMs, 14 FMs, 9 CMs and 2 NMs. Several streamers broadcasted the event, attracting thousands of digital spectators.

The event was won by Russian Super Grandmaster Sergei Zhigalko, who scored 99 points. He is an exceptional talent in the world of chess, highly rated in the top 50 in the world in July 2011 and, as of 1 April 2024, the number one ranked player in the world for bullet chess on lichess.

The battle for second and third place was very intense, with just one point separating them. Peruvian International Master Renato Alfredo Terry Lujan was on 90 points, and only one point behind was the Indonesian International Master Yoseph Theolifus Taher.

Following anti-cheating checks conducted by our world-leading FIDE international arbiter, we are pleased to announce the prize winners as mentioned below.

Final standings of the event can be viewed here.

Open Section (subject to Terms & Conditions as outlined below):

- 1st: £100 - @Zhigalko_Sergei
- 2nd: £50 - @AngelitoRT
- 3rd: £15 - @yoseph2013
- 4th: £15 - @Statham_13
- 5th-10th: Free paid entry to the next event, granting eligibility to win prizes (Equivalent value: £15 each) - @goltsev2000, @harsha15, @Novozhilov_Semyon, @evilhamburger, @double11, @KontraJaKO

2000-2299 FIDE, CS, or ECF Rated Section (subject to Terms & Conditions as outlined below):

- 1st: 30-minute lesson with a GM (Equivalent value: £60) - @evilhamburger
- 2nd: Chessark’s Complete Opening Course on the King's Indian Defence by IM @BrandonClarke + 50% off next event's entry fee (Equivalent value: £25) - @RafaelVarane
- 3rd: £20 - @FlyingPawnNinja
- 4th-5th: Free paid entry to the next event, granting eligibility to win prizes (Equivalent value: £15 each) - N/A - not enough paid players in this section.

1700-1999 FIDE, CS, or ECF Rated Section (subject to Terms & Conditions as outlined below):

- 1st: 30-minute lesson with a GM (Equivalent value: £60) - @Hyper_Dragon
- 2nd: Chessark’s Complete Opening Course on the Sicilian Najdorf by IM @BrandonClarke + 50% off next event's entry fee (Equivalent value: £25) - @challengers9
- 3rd: £20 - @PiterDeVries
- 4th-5th: Free paid entry to the next event, granting eligibility to win prizes (Equivalent value: £15 each) - N/A - not enough paid players in this section.

1400-1699 FIDE, CS, or ECF Rated Section (subject to Terms & Conditions as outlined below):

- 1st: 30-minute playing session with the Official lichess Coach, Lichess Master, and 11-times Lichess Marathons Champion @Lance5500 (Equivalent value: £40) - @GGRay3
- 2nd: Chessark’s Complete Opening Course on The Four Knights Sicilian by IM @BrandonClarke + 50% off next event's entry fee (Equivalent value: £25) - @Blue-eyes-Dragon
- 3rd: £20 - N/A - not enough paid players in this section.
- 4th-5th: Free paid entry to the next event, granting eligibility to win prizes (Equivalent value: £15 each) - N/A - not enough paid players in this section.

0-1399 FIDE, CS, or ECF Rated Section (subject to Terms & Conditions as outlined below):

- 1st: 1-hour lesson with an FM (Equivalent value: £45) - @BLITZZKILLERR
- 2nd: £25 - @Nicholas2108
- 3rd: £20 - @Oscar_y
- 4th-5th: Free paid entry to the next event, granting eligibility to win prizes (Equivalent value: £15 each) - @Atticus_Y, @apple7620

Lucky Rank Prizes (subject to Terms & Conditions as outlined below):

- Free paid entry to the next event, granting eligibility to win prizes (Equivalent value: £15 each)
- Ranks: 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95, 100, 105, 110, 115, 120, 125, 130, 135 - N/A not enough paid players for these prizes.

April Edition: More Prizes, More Opportunities

Looking ahead, registration for the £1,000, 42+ prize, April Edition of the Fortun£ Friday$ Series is now live. You asked, and we've listened! We have received numerous messages from our participants expressing a desire for more cash prizes in our events. In response to your requests, we are excited to announce that we have significantly increased the cash prizes across all rating sections for our April edition!

Dive into the blog here and explore the section titled "Prize Allocation" to discover the enhanced cash prizes now available for our April edition, and to understand all the rules.

To register for the April edition via PayPal and compete for a share of the £1,000 Prize Pool, with over 42 prizes available from beginner to Grandmaster level, please visit here.

For those who prefer other payment methods like card or Apple Pay, registration is available here.

Entry is complimentary for titled players. If you participated in the last event, you're already eligible to join here.

New titled players looking to participate should contact our team account @CoatsiChess on lichess to have their usernames added to the permitted player list for this event.