Historic fusion energy achievement to boost PNW startups | Amazon adds $150M to affordable housing effort

Chess Club is making all the right moves in Seattle. The 4-year-old phenomenon is attracting tech workers, teachers and many others to lively venues across the city.

• While millions of players are connecting online at sites like Chess.com, the scene in Seattle is a thriving example of how over-the-board play and in-person connection are a necessity, especially coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more.

A historic fusion energy discovery announced Tuesday by U.S. physicists will help boost a growing industry in the Pacific Northwest. 

• The region is home to several companies aiming to commercialize energy’s “holy grail.” Fusion has the potential to provide unlimited carbon-free power. Read more. 

Microsoft's last-ditch effort to avoid an FTC lawsuit over its $69 billion Activision-Blizzard deal included an offer to enter a legally binding consent decree to make “Call of Duty” available on rival consoles for 10 years.

• The company’s president and vice chair, Brad Smith, revealed the news Tuesday morning during the company's annual meeting. Read more.

Amazon is adding $150 million to its ongoing effort to support affordable housing in the Seattle area.

• The money is part of the company’s $2 billion Amazon Housing Equity Fund to support the increase in affordable homes in the regions of Seattle, Nashville, Tenn., and Arlington, Va. Read more.

A LEGO fanatic hit it out of the park with his rendering of the Seattle Mariners baseball stadium.

• Shane Deegan spent about 60 hours building T-Mobile Park. He used more than 12,000 bricks and the attention to detail includes a retractable roof, lights, centerfield scoreboard and more. Read more and see the photos.

Tech Moves:

• Qumulo’s co-founder returns to the company; the Allen Institute hires new execs; Madrona Venture Labs adds a partner; and more key personnel changes. 

Want to know how households in your neighborhood contribute to climate change?

• An interactive map from The New York Times reveals a pattern in America’s largest cities. Check out how the Seattle region fares.

The fallout from the FTX collapse continues as U.S. prosecutors charged founder Sam Bankman-Fried with fraud and conspiracy. 

• Last month we asked Seattle-area venture capitalists and founders to explain what the FTX meltdown says about the overall crypto market, whether or not crypto will survive, and how their business was affected. Read their answers.