Drop 002 Selection: You Decide the Next Print Run (+ Free Shirt Giveaway & Tournament)
By Travis Carney | August 14, 2026
Hey Control The Center community,
For our upcoming Drop 002, we decided to put the power entirely in your hands. Instead of picking the winning graphic behind closed doors, we built an interactive 3D Drop Ballot directly on our homepage so players can inspect the front and back graphics and vote on which opening notation goes to print.
Every vote matters: the winning design goes into production as a limited 1st-Edition release, every voter locks in an early-backer discount, and everyone gets entered into our Community Giveaway & Club Tournament.
♟️ The Candidates on Ballot 01
We engineered three distinct visual identities representing different chess philosophies, from geometric notation mandalas to raw architectural pawn geometry:
Choice A (Move 01)
Kinetic e4 (The Notation Mandala)
Chess meets geometric streetwear art.
- Back: Mesmerizing geometric mandala constructed from the repeating visual paths of 1. e4 master games.
- Front: Minimalist tactical coordinate chest crest.
- Vibe: Hypnotic, mathematical, and tactical.
Choice B (Move 02)
The King’s Opening (Checked e4)
Bold, iconic, and aggressive open-game statement.
- Back: High-density checkered typographic graphic charting the classic King's Pawn attack.
- Front: CTC signature coordinate lockup.
- Vibe: Bold, high-contrast, graphic-heavy streetwear.
Choice C (Move 03)
Dormant Crown (Pawn Ascendant)
Architectural tribute to the soul of chess.
- Back: Technical pawn blueprint holding the latent shadow of a queen with "DORMANT CROWN" typography.
- Front: Clean coordinate alignment on left chest.
- Vibe: Gritty, structural, and relentless.
🎁 Voter Perks, Giveaway & Tournament Prizes
We believe in rewarding the community members who build this movement with us. By casting your ballot, you unlock immediate perks and enter our multi-tier reward pool:
💰 1. 32% Early Backer Discount ($20.40)
To honor the 32 pieces on the board, every community member who casts a verified vote instantly locks in 32% OFF (paying only $20.40 instead of $30.00) when pre-orders open!
🎲 2. Random Community Sweepstakes (3 Free Shirts)
Three (3) verified voters will be drawn at random to win a Free First-Edition Drop 002 Shirt shipped directly to their door.
🏆 3. Chess.com Club Championship Tournament Awards
By entering your Chess.com handle with your vote, you get exclusive access to our upcoming Control The Center Club Tournament with the following podium prizes:
- 🥇 1st Place Champion: Free 1st-Edition Drop 002 Shirt + Free Archive Drop 001 Shirt + VIP Store Discount Coupon + "CTC Club Champion" Title + Free Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker.
- 🥈 2nd Place: Free 1st-Edition Drop 002 Shirt + Free Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker + VIP Store Discount Coupon.
- 🥉 3rd Place: Free Die-Cut Vinyl Sticker + VIP Store Discount Coupon.
🔥 4. The 5,000 Vote Double-Print Guarantee
The #1 design is guaranteed to print. However, if ANY candidate design crosses the 5,000 community vote milestone, we will print BOTH top designs in Drop 002!
⭐ 5. 5x VIP Buyer Vote Multiplier
If you've previously ordered gear from our store, voting with your customer email automatically multiplies your voting weight by 5x!
🗳️ How to Cast Your Vote
- Head over to the Drop 002 Official Ballot on our homepage.
- Tap the shirts to flip between the front coordinate crest and back master notation graphics.
- Click Vote For This & Enter Giveaway on your favorite choice.
- Enter your email and optional Chess.com handle to lock in your $20.40 (32% OFF) price and enter the drawings!
👉 Cast Your Vote on Ballot 01 Now ♟️
Written for Control The Center (CTC).
Get the gear, play the game, control the center.
Check out our Archive Collection for premium OTB streetwear engineered for the modern chess grind.