The I’M Not A GM Speed Chess Championship (IMSCC) is back for its 2022 edition, starting on May 9. The competition is once more bringing fan-favorite IMs and other masters to vie for their share of the $10,000 prize fund and bragging rights among their non-GM colleagues.

Last year, Chess.com streamer IM Roberto Molina faced YouTube’s greatest, IM Levy Rozman, in a thrilling final. In true Speed Chess Championship fashion, swindles and mouse speed played a major role in the match, with the cunning Molina eventually taking the crown.

This year, Rozman is back to fight for the title. As last year’s finalist, he is undoubtedly among the favorites to win the event. However, the YouTube star will not have an easy road ahead of him as other powerful masters are joining the competition. Among them is the talented IM Polina Shuvalova, who had a great run during the 2021 Women’s World Blitz Chess Championship and currently boasts one of the highest blitz ratings in the field.

Another player to watch is the IM Bibisara Assaubayeva. The young Kazakhstani talent showed she’s comfortable with the SCC format when she defeated GM Humpy Koneru in the 2021 Women’s Speed Chess Championship. Assaubayeva then made the news again after winning the 2021 Women’s Blitz Chess Championship with a round to spare, showing she’s more than ready to face this new challenge.

Other well-known players joining the field include the superstar streamers WGM Nemo Zhou, IM Eric Rosen, FM James Canty, and the IMs from the ChessDojo Kostya Kavutskiy and David Pruess. They will be joined by the always-strong IM Greg Shahade, current US Women’s Champion IM Carissa Yip, IM Tania Sachdev, and more!

Chess.com’s Chief Chess Officer and IMSCC veteran IM Danny Rensch is another master playing in the event. Danny, who was once the highest-rated junior in the United States, feels excited to once more return to the IMSCC arena in a quest to survive past the first round.

“The IMSCC is always one of my favorite events both as a player and a viewer,” he said. “It’s such a great opportunity for many players like myself who love competitive chess but have careers that don’t focus on chess competition to enjoy the thrill of battle. I’m excited to dust off my Dvoretsky, hone my tactics, trash talk on Twitter, and ultimately get flagged repeatedly by my opponents.”

I’m excited to dust off my Dvoretsky, hone my tactics, trash talk on Twitter, and ultimately get flagged repeatedly by my opponents.
— IM Danny Rensch

Don’t forget to tune in to Chess.com/TV or to our Twitch and YouTube channels to watch the 2022 I’M Not A GM live on May 16!

Who do you think will win this edition of the IMSCC? Let us know in the comments below!