Support Lucas Yao · 2026–27 season
Help keep Lucas at the board.
Your support helps cover tournament travel, entry fees, coaching, and preparation for one of Canada's youngest FIDE Masters. Choose any amount. It takes one click.
Support Lucas today
Any amount helps.
One page, one payment, done. Choose your own amount in Canadian dollars.
Donate nowThe payment page has an email box. Leave yours if you would like — it is the only way Lucas can write back and say thank you.
Your whole gift goes to Lucas. No platform fee, and nothing suggested on top — the amount you enter is the amount you pay.
The checkout is headed Zealous Digital Solutions, which is expected — Lucas is twelve, so a family company handles the card payments on his behalf. Your card statement will show that name.
Prefer Interac e-Transfer? Send any amount to info@lucasyao.com.
Processed by Zealous Digital Solutions, administering on Lucas Yao's behalf (Lucas is a minor). This is an advertising sponsorship, not a charitable donation, so no tax receipt is issued. Amounts are never published.
3
Master titles earned in a single year — NM, CM, and FIDE Master
12
Years old. One of the youngest Canadians to earn the FIDE Master title.
9+
Countries competed across — 3 continents, 1 year
WCC
Represented Canada at the World Cadet Championship
Support the season ahead.
Support Lucas through the 2026–27 season. Season partners receive recognition at eligible future events; an Event Sponsor supports one agreed tournament. We confirm artwork timing and the first eligible event with each sponsor before promising shirt placement.
Artwork and print timing must be confirmed with the family. If plans change, we agree on the next eligible event together.
October 5–10, 2026 · Past event
1st Azeri Chess Academy Open
Houston, Texas · 9 rounds · GM and IM norm event · capped field
Scheduled for October 5–10, 2026. Sponsorship for this event is closed.
Sponsorship closed
Backed by
No sponsors listed
November 4–9, 2026 · Confirmed
20th SPICE Cup Open
Bellevue, Washington · 9 rounds · invitational-strength open · FIDE rated
A short drive from Vancouver — the one event this season where family, friends, and sponsors can come and watch.
Artwork target — confirm with family
October 23
Backed by
Availability confirmed individually
November 2026 · Confirmed
North American Youth Chess Championship
Mexico City, Mexico · Continental youth championship · FIDE rated
The second November trip, straight after Bellevue — the continental title that sets up the road to International Master.
Artwork target — confirm with family
October 23
Backed by
Availability confirmed individually
December 26–30, 2026 · Possible
36th North American Open
Las Vegas, Nevada · 9 rounds · GM and IM norms possible
A year-end decision — only if the season’s support carries that far.
Artwork target — confirm with family
December 11
Backed by
Availability confirmed individually
Scroll to turn · drag to nudge
The kit — place your own logo
Worn in the hall — concept render, example marks
See your mark on the jersey
Where would your logo live?
Front and centre, 100 mm wide, on each eligible future shirt this season — the mark that faces the camera and the opponent, and the name credited first in every post. Reserved for a single lead partner.
Rendered in your browser only — your file is never uploaded.
“You become part of the story before most people know there is one.”
What this means for Lucas
Lucas Yao is 12 years old. Born August 24, 2014. In the twelve months before his twelfth birthday, he earned National Master, Candidate Master, and FIDE Master — three titles that most players spend a decade chasing, making him one of the youngest Canadians to hold FM. In August 2026 his school team, Crescent Heights Academy, finished third for Canada at the Americas stage of the FIDE World Schools Team Championship in Costa Rica, behind Peru and the United States.
He is not between chapters. He is in the middle of the defining one. Every sponsorship dollar goes directly into keeping him in the arena: flights to international tournaments, accommodation, entry fees, coaching, and the preparation that makes the difference between competing and winning.
What this means for his family
His parents have funded every step of this journey themselves — every flight to Egypt, every hotel room in a European tournament city, every coach. Some supporters want public recognition. Others simply want to help a young player keep going. Both kinds of support matter.
What this means for sponsors
This is early-stage positioning you cannot buy later. The businesses that back Lucas now get something no future sponsor can: they were there first. Your brand earns authentic association with youth achievement, strategic thinking, Canadian excellence, and an international story still being written — at a fraction of the cost of conventional sponsorship, with none of the artificiality.
Choose a level below and send your details. You receive a reference code and the payment instructions for where you are. Exclusive Title and Event placements are held for 30 minutes before payment instructions appear. You review and accept the sponsorship terms first; your numbered receipt follows after payment is matched. All amounts in Canadian dollars.
Sponsorship is with Lucas directly. He carries on business under his own name, with his father Frank Yao as parent and guardian. Choose the way you prefer to pay: Interac e-Transfer to info@lucasyao.com, or card checkout, which is operated by Zealous Digital Solutions as collection agent for Lucas Yao. All correspondence comes from Lucas Yao <info@lucasyao.com>.
Every business sponsor reviews and accepts the sponsorship terms before payment instructions are released. Once payment is matched, the sponsor receives a numbered sponsorship receipt. The paid packages below are T-shirt sponsorships: the sponsor receives documented logo or name placement on Lucas's tournament shirt, plus the recognition listed in the package. This is a commercial advertising arrangement, not a charitable donation, and no charitable tax receipt is issued. Because the fee purchases advertising placement, a business may be able to write it off as an advertising or marketing expense when it is reasonable and intended to generate income. CRA sponsorship guidance is conditional, so please confirm your own treatment with an accountant.
Interac e-Transfer
free
Send to info@lucasyao.com. In the message field, put your reference code and your business name so the payment matches your form.
Credit card
CAD
Card checkout is operated by Zealous Digital Solutions as collection agent for Lucas Yao. The link is on your confirmation screen.
Community Crest
per season
A meaningful first step. Your name is typeset inside the small crest on each eligible future tournament shirt this season — individuals, local businesses, and chess-community members welcome.
- ✓Name typeset in the crest on each eligible future tournament shirt this season (about 40 mm)
- ✓Named in the grouped Community Crest line of every event recap post
- ✓Name listed on the season ledger at lucasyao.com/sponsors
- ✓Close-up of the crest with your name, after each event
- ✓Personal thank-you note from Lucas
Event Sponsor
one tournament
Choose an eligible future tournament with the family. Your logo appears across the upper back of that event’s shirt, subject to artwork approval and print timing. One Event Sponsor per event; availability is confirmed individually.
- ✓Your logo across the upper back of that tournament’s shirt (120 mm wide)
- ✓Named as “Event partner, <city>” with three @mentions around that event
- ✓Logo and link under that event on the season ledger; credit in its recap email
- ✓One photograph of the mark plus the shirt flat-lay, after the event
- ✓Sponsor kit within seven days of payment; support rolls forward if plans change
Sleeve Partner
per season
The playing sleeve — on the arm that moves the pieces, in nearly every over-the-board photograph, at eligible future tournaments this season. This is the level that keeps Lucas in the arena.
- ✓Logo on the playing sleeve of each eligible future tournament shirt this season (60 mm wide)
- ✓Named second in every sponsored post, three @mentions per event
- ✓Logo block on the season ledger with a backlink; logo row in every recap email
- ✓A named line in Frank Yao’s personal LinkedIn season post
- ✓Two photographs after each event: the sleeve mark and the shirt flat-lay
- ✓Sponsor kit within seven days of payment; year-in-review with photos
Title Partner
per season
The front chest — the largest mark, front and centre, on each eligible future shirt this season. Align your organisation with a Canadian rising star at the very beginning of an international career.
- ✓The front-chest mark on each eligible future tournament shirt this season (100 mm, centred) — exclusive
- ✓Named first, in its own sentence, in every sponsored post; five @mentions per event
- ✓Top block of the season ledger with logo and link; header credit in every recap email
- ✓Two-second intro card on event videos
- ✓A named post on Frank Yao’s personal LinkedIn
- ✓Three photographs after each event, including an at-the-board solo frame, plus the intro card
- ✓Sponsor kit within seven days of payment; first right of renewal for 2027–28
Want to discuss a custom sponsorship arrangement? Email us directly — we respond within 2 business days.
House rules for every mark
- —Four marks on the shirt, never more: front chest (100 mm, Title), playing sleeve (60 mm, Sleeve), upper back (120 mm, Event), and one small crest of typeset names (about 40 mm, Crest). The back is the biggest mark on purpose; the chest and first credit are the scarcest.
- —Send artwork by replying to info@lucasyao.com with your reference and an SVG, EPS, PDF, or transparent PNG at least 2,000 px wide. We acknowledge it within one business day and send a proof before printing.
- —Every mark is approved by the family before it is printed. Lucas is never a spokesperson: no quotes, testimonials, or use of his likeness in a sponsor’s own advertising.
- —Not accepted: betting, alcohol, tobacco or vaping, cannabis, crypto trading, supplements, political, or adult brands — in line with FIDE’s own dress-code rules.
- —If a tournament changes, your support rolls forward to the next shirt. There are no cash refunds, and nothing is tied to a result.
- —Sponsorship is a business arrangement, not a charitable donation, so no tax receipt is issued. You receive a numbered sponsorship receipt from Lucas Yao once payment is matched.
01
International tournament travel and accommodation — flights, hotels, and ground transport across Europe, Asia, and North America.
02
Tournament entry fees — FIDE-rated events have per-event costs that compound across a full competitive season.
03
Coaching and preparation — opening research, training camps, and game analysis with experienced coaches.
04
Chess tools and training materials — databases, software, and books that underpin serious preparation.
05
Music study and performance — piano tuition and performance costs that run in parallel with chess.
06
Media materials — photography, video, and the assets that help organisers and supporters understand the story.
Add your details once. You receive a reference code and the instructions on screen and by email from Lucas Yao <info@lucasyao.com>. No payment is taken on this page.
Put the reference code in the e-Transfer message, or in the message box at card checkout. That is how the payment is matched to your name, and what triggers your receipt.
What happens next
First, review and accept the sponsorship terms in the form. Exclusive Title and Event placements are held for 30 minutes while you pay. Within one business day of payment landing, you receive your numbered sponsorship receipt from info@lucasyao.com.
Reply with your reference and logo as SVG, EPS, PDF, or transparent PNG at least 2,000 px wide. We acknowledge artwork within one business day, then send a shirt proof for approval before printing. After the event, you receive the package photographs promised at your level.
Recognition is handled carefully and always approved by the family. The aim is a respectful fit: real support for Lucas, and a clear, authentic community story for the sponsor.
Your mark on the tournament shirt Lucas wears at the board — printed, photographed, and shown on the season ledger above.
A fixed credit order in every sponsored post: Title Partner first in its own sentence, then Sleeve Partner, then the Event Sponsor as “Event partner, <city>”, then the Community Crest names grouped. Inside a level, whoever paid first is listed first.
Reach comes from your @handle and your name in the caption, not from hashtags. Each level carries a set number of @mentions per event: five for Title, three for Sleeve, three at the chosen event for Event Sponsor, one grouped credit for the Crest.
Around each tournament the family posts the printed shirt a week before, a travel post the day before, one story a day during rounds, and a recap two days after. Every sponsored post opens with “#ad”, as Ad Standards Canada requires for a child’s account, which is managed by his parents.
A sponsor kit within seven days of payment: your placement, the dates, suggested wording for your own page, and the artwork rules. Photographs after each event, licensed for your own channels for the season.
A named credit on Frank Yao’s personal LinkedIn for Sleeve Partners and the Title Partner — his own voice, no logos, never a pitch.
What is not for sale at any level: Lucas’s voice or a testimonial, product-in-hand shots, coverage of other children, filming during play, or any audience or reach figure.
Be the first to sponsor Lucas.
Founding sponsors receive extra recognition as the individuals and organisations who made it possible from day one.
View sponsorship levelsAlso available
Chess coaching from Lucas
Learn from a FIDE Master who earned his title at 11. Sessions $40 CAD per hour — online or in-person in Vancouver.
Sponsor contact
info@lucasyao.com