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MORRISTOWN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Majesco, a global leader of cloud insurance software solutions for insurance business transformation, today announced the availability of a new Celent research report commissioned by Majesco, Reshaping the Distributor Insurer Relationship: A Survey of Independent Insurance Agents.

The report, commissioned by Majesco and executed independently by Celent, is based on survey data of 231 independent agents to better understand how they prefer to interact with insurers across a broad set of activities and their current satisfaction with their digital interactions at a transaction level, as well as the activities needed to run the agency. It assessed the level of digital interaction they would like to see over the next three years across a broad array of areas important to them. In addition, the report looks at the generational impact to see if the agent of tomorrow had different views than the agent of today (or yesterday).

Shifting customer expectations are creating a new need for new business models. As the current workforce ages, insurers are exploring new distribution strategies that can fill this hole, capitalize on trends, and implement the necessary cutting-edge business operations that can strengthen distributor and channel relationships. With the emergence of technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, insurers can quickly match customers and agents, provide recommendations on best next steps, and align compensation and services where they will have the greatest impact. Much like the rest of the industry, independent agents are going through their own digital transformation and demanding new capabilities. Understanding agents perspectives on how they want to digitally engage with insurers is critical to succeeding both today and in the future.

Insurers are increasingly focused on digitally enabling the independent agency channel, while exploring new distribution channels, stated Denise Garth, Chief Strategy Officer at Majesco. This report underlines both the operational and strategic importance of insurers accelerating their distribution management maturity through digital transformation from the front-end experience through the back-end distribution management capabilities. Agents have high expectations today, but even higher for tomorrow. Simply building a portal will not meet their expectations. Instead, investments in new digital experiences with a 360 view of agents engagement to robust distribution management that enables innovative compensation, digital onboarding, online reporting and more will improve the agents ability and desire to place business with an insurer to drive growth.

Surprisingly 30% of Generation Z respondents prefer to do everything via phone, email, or in person rather than using technology (such as portals). This raises the question of what generation is more likely to prefer to use technology. Is it that younger generations are more familiar with technology but less familiar with insurance and want additional guidance and advice from experts? In addition, the report underscored the difference between how life agents and property casualty agents interact with insurers. Property casualty agents are more likely than life agents to interact digitally or mostly digitally when quoting personal and small commercial lines for new business.

The fight for shelf space is heating up, stated Karlyn Carnahan, Head of Property and Casualty, North America for Celent. These increasing mergers and acquisitions are placing greater pressure on the process of onboarding agents, managing licenses, handling commissions, managing increasingly complex hierarchies, and providing more support in reporting capabilities. Insurers looking for help prioritizing their investments in digital and distribution management capabilities for agents also have to think through where to use humans to deliver differentiated services.

Technology remains a major play in the digital chess game but investing in the right solutions for agents is key to winning. To drive growth and deliver on agent needs, carriers must leverage a combination of automated support for day-to-day transactions and provide additional tools and services to help the agent manage business operations. The game of chess is played by thinking one to two steps ahead of your opponent. Insurers must do the same by leveraging data and analytics to better meet the needs of todays digitally committed agents.

Learn more by downloading Reshaping the Distributor Insurer Relationship: A Survey of Independent Insurance Agents from the Majesco website or by emailing info@majesco.com.

About Majesco

Majesco is the leading software partner to both the P&C and L&A insurance markets to modernize, optimize and innovate their businesses at speed and scale. Over 330 insurers, from greenfields, start-ups and MGAs to the largest insurers, reinsurers and brokers use Majescos next generation SaaS platform solutions of core, data and analytics, digital, distribution, absence management and a rich ecosystem marketplace of established and InsurTech partners to build the future of insurance.

Our technology, expertise and leadership help insurers innovate and connect to build the future of their business. With over 825 successful implementations and over 65% of our customers on Cloud with Majesco platform solutions, together we have an amazing track record of innovation and real-world results. For more details on Majesco, please visit http://www.majesco.com.

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New Celent Report Commissioned by Majesco Highlights the Digital Chess Game of the Independent Agent - Business Wire

Compton, California Chess is a game of make-believe kings and queens, pawns and rooks. So what does that have to do with real life? Turns out, quite a bit.

For 12-year-old Andre, chess is more than just a game.

"I use a lot of stuff that I learned on the chess board in real life, like, think before you move, think before I act out," he told CBS News.

He's just one of thousands of students from some of Los Angeles' toughest neighborhoods learning to play.

Damen Fletcher, who learned how to play chess at age 13, grew up in Compton. After leaving the city to attend college, he came home to find his childhood friends struggling.

"Some of them had fallen into prison. Gang life and drugs ... and I just wondered, 'Why did I have such a different outcome?' And it was chess," he said.

He started Train of Thought to help kids of all ages find their inner king or queen.

"Every game of chess is 75 to 100 moves, and every single move that your opponent makes presents a new problem for you to solve," he said. "And so kids are just having fun. They don't realize that they're solving problems."

So, how do you teach a 5-year-old how to play chess?

"We actually have a really cool story that we use to help kids that age set up a chess board for the first time," Fletcher said. "It goes: the king and the queen got married by the bishops. They rode on horses to their castle and had eight children."

"My main thing in class is: be a scholar. So being a scholar to me is being prepared, productive and never giving up," Andre said.

Since Wednesday's broadcast of this story on the "CBS Evening News," Fletcher said he has received an outpouring of support from viewers across the country, with some asking how they can volunteer with Train of Thought.

While the program is currently in schools in California and Louisiana, Fletcher's dream is to expand it nationwide and even bring it to schools in Uganda.

He also told CBS News that he is grateful to those who have sent monetary donations to Train of Thought.

"I started chatting with one guy last night who said he was moved to tears watching the story," Fletcher told CBS News on Thursday. That man donated $500, according to Fletcher. Other donations ranged from $10 to $40.

"It is a blessing to know there are people out there you haven't even met that believe in and support you and your mission," Fletcher said. "These donations really help because the kids we teach need chess sets they can take home with them to practice and play with family and friends forever."

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California man uses chess to teach students how to make the right moves in life - CBS News

Chess updates

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Garry Kasparov gave a bravura performance lastweek when thelegend, who many consider the all-time No1, shone against Americas top grandmasters, all 20 years or more his junior, at the annual $150,000 Champions Showdown.

The event at St Louis, backed by FT reader and chess benefactor Rex Sinquefield, used the Chess9XLformat(also known as Fischer Random or Chess 960)where the back rank piece array is chosen randomly at the start of the game.

Two months ago at Zagreb, Kasparov, 58, crashed in five-minute speed chess due to his poor clock management and outdated openings.

A slower time limit and the absence of book theory made all the difference as the 13th world champion, who quipped rumours of my chess death have been slightly exaggerated!, had a run of 4.5/6 in mid-tournament. This included vintage wins against the 2018 US champion Sam Shankland and the Russian star Peter Svidler.

He had chances for firstplace, but missed opportunities in the final tworounds.

Kasparov will return to both Zagreb and St Louis in 2022, so testing a theory, derived from the enduring careers of Emanuel Lasker and Viktor Korchnoi, that creative and complex play is better than a classically accurate style for sparking chess longevity.

Puzzle 2436

Jan-Krzysztof Duda vs David Arenas, online Olympiad 2021. White to move and win. Black had had a winning position until his last move Rb8-b2??(Rb8-f8! wins). How did Polands World Cup winner Duda turn the tables?

Click here for solution

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My chess death is exaggerated, says Kasparov, 58, after shining in St Louis - Financial Times

Wilmington's Chess on the Square makes a comeback.

After taking last year off due to COVID-19, Chess on the Square is returning to Wilmington. The tournament--while not happening in Rodney Square this year due to conflicts--is happening Saturday, September 18, 2021, outside next to BVD Barber Salon at 823 West 8th Street in the city's West Center City neighborhood.

Organizer Lisa Flowers told WDEL players of all abilities and ages are welcome.

"This is definitely an event for you if you've never played the game before. We do have sections for beginners," she said. "We have anywhere from pro to beginner's section."

Flowers said the strategy involved in chess has real-world implications that can serve as valuable lessons for children in Wilmington and everywhere.

"The strategy is to think before you move, and that's what it takes to be a good chess player. Think before you make the move," she said. "Everyday living--think before you move--it's just like us at work every day, you know you're frustrated and you write that email before you hit that send button--think before you move.

All registered participants will receive a medal to commemorate their participation, while the first and second place winners in each category will receive a trophy."It's just a day full of fun, strategizing, and positive vibes here in the city of Wilmington," said Flowers.

The tournament can accommodate up to 100 players with public health guidelines in place for the outdoor, tented event.

The free tournament runs 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with hot dogs and other refreshments and snacks being offered. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Players can pre-register by clicking here or by emailing chessonthesquarewilm@gmail.com, or by calling 302.420.2152. Attendees can also register on-site but must be there by 8 a.m.

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Wilmington's Chess on the Square is back | The Latest from WDEL News | wdel.com - WDEL 1150AM

Algorand, theofficial blockchain partner ofthe2021 World Chess Championship, is holding aseries ofonline chess tournaments tocelebrate theupcoming Match. Thewinner will receive atrip andVIP entrance totheWorld Chess Championship inDubai.

Algorand, theofficial blockchain partner ofthe2021 FIDE World Championship Match, is holding aseries ofonline chess tournaments tocelebrate theupcoming Match. Thewinner oftheSeries, which takes place from September toOctober 2021, will receive afully-paid trip fortwo toDubai tovisit theWorld Chess Championship themost significant chess event ofthedecade.

Theseries leads up totheChampionship andis hosted bytheFIDE Online Arena, theofficial FIDE gaming platform. Everyone is invited tosign up andtake part intheseries. It has been developed byAlgorand togive thecrypto community andchess fans alike thechance toplay inareal chess competition, which features: challenging time controls, qualifier events, andamagnificent prize.

TheAlgorand Crypto Series consists offour qualifier tournaments andthefinal showdown, with thefirst tournament starting on September 26:

Toenter thefinal tournament, aplayer must finish inthetop five inone ofthequalifying events, so thecompetition will be fierce, butits worth it!

Theprize winner andaguest will receive a4-day trip toDubai andtickets forthefirst round oftheChampionship match. Thesecond-place andthird-place winners will receive theOfficial World Chess set andaone-year subscription totheFIDE Online Arena respectively.

Thewinners oftheSeries will be decided inthefinal on October 24, which will be broadcast live andcommentated byatop chess player.

Full tournament regulations can be found on theSeries page.

Algorand is theofficial blockchain partner oftheWorld Chess Championship andtheFIDE Online Arena, theofficial FIDE chess gaming platform. Official FIDE Online Arena ratings andtitles which are recognized byFIDE andappear on theplayers official profiles are recorded on Algorands decentralized blockchain network inreal-time, bringing reliability andtransparency totherating system ofdigital chess.

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The Winner of the Algorand Chess Tournament Will Receive a Trip to Dubai - World Chess