Until New Year's Day 2005, entrants for the HB Global Chess Challenge will be given at a $50 discount when registering with a friend. This competitive price provides each player with an opportunity to win one of the 46 guaranteed prizes from the $500,000 prize fund. In meeting criticism at about the cost of the entry fee,  Ashley states:

"Note that the entry fee, if you sign with a friend (who could be anyone) is really $295 (a $50 discount for both). The World Open entry fee is $250. How many people would have thought to charge what the World Open charges while giving away more than 2.5 times the prize money? It seems to me that the early bird smart entrants will be getting quite a deal, especially with all the free side events we will be providing. It's going to be a party like US chess has never seen."

Posted by The Chess Drum: 22 September 2004