"Best Chess Site" Award Sponsored by Norwegian Chess Enthusiast 

Chess has hit made a tremendous impact  in the cyberspace world as there are hundreds of chess-related websites distinguished by a variety of categories. FIDE has long had it's "Top Chess Sites," which ranks sites (in different categories) by number of visitors. Now it appears these hard-working webmasters are finally getting recognition.

Bernt Andersson of Norway has created a novel idea "to acknowledge the dedication by which many chess enthusiasts spread information about tournaments, chess clubs, players, and openings etc, by presenting a prize to some of those who through Internet are trying to put the game of chess in the limelight."

In this contest, 35 sites were nominated including a few of this editor's favorites such as Pakistan Chess Player, Chathurangam, KasparovChess.com, TWIC (the 2000 winner), and Bert Scott's Jamaica Ambassadors Chess Academy. The Chess Drum was not nominated… maybe next year!! The site describes the criteria:

Between January 15th to 31st 2002, visitors will be given the opportunity to award points to the nominated sites by giving five sites the following grades, 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1. If two or more sites would end on the same total score, they will be separated by counting each site's number of 5, 4, 3, 2 and 1s. If that isn't sufficient, the number of nominations for each site will determine the winner. If all these should fail, a drawing of lots will be the final step. The winner will be presented on the Chess Award website on the 1st of February 2002.

Chess Award website (history)

Posted by The Chess Drum: 22 January 2002