Chess tournament prizes vs other games

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  • Chess tournament prizes vs other games

    So I took my son to the Wizard's Tower in Barrhaven today because he discovered the game "Magic - The Gathering".

    In the back there are about 50 people playing the game in a tournament. The owner announces that at the end of September they are running a tournament. First prize is $3000.

    $3000????

    FOR MAGIC THE GATHERING???

    Damn. :(

  • #2
    Re : Chess tournament prizes vs other games

    We still have a lot of chess tournaments with bigger prizes (although I understand they might also have bigger tournaments).

    Here's a quick list of all the tournaments with at least $5000 in prizes (I probably miss a few from Ontario) :

    Canadian Open
    CYCC
    Quebec Open
    Montreal Open
    Mauricie Open
    Quebec Youth Chess Championships
    Quebec Amateur/Elite Championships
    Varennes Open (near Montreal)
    Outaouais Open (Gatineau)
    Grand Pacific Open (Victoria)
    Toronto Labour Day
    ...

    And it seems like there's less players in these tournaments than at the big Magic the Gatering tournaments (looking at their website).

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    • #3
      Re: Re : Chess tournament prizes vs other games

      I think these are the tournament details:

      WizardTower.com Season 3K Open Championship
      Saturday
      All Prizes to be given out after Top 8 for top 8 and 9th to 16th after Swiss
      $3000 Prize Pool

      FIRST PLACE ~ $1,000 CASH
      SECOND PLACE ~ $500 CASH
      THIRD ~ FOURTH PLACE ~ $300 CASH
      FIFTH ~ EIGHTH PLACE ~ $125 CASH
      NINTH ~ SIXTEENTH PLACE ~ $50 CASH
      Visit www.wizardtower.com/wizardtowerevents3.html for more details
      10 AM to 9 PM

      So prize fund is 3K (first prize 1K), but notice only place prizes.
      "Tom is a well known racist, and like most of them he won't admit it, possibly even to himself." - Ed Seedhouse, October 4, 2020.

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      • #4
        Re: Re : Chess tournament prizes vs other games

        Thanks for pointing out that the total prize fund is $3k. Still...

        Checking the website, it appears that they host $500 prize pool tournaments almost every week for 3 months leading up to this tournament.

        Can you picture the same thing succeeding at Strategy Games in Ottawa with chess? Don't think so.

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        • #5
          Re: Chess tournament prizes vs other games

          $30 entry fee for each qualifying tournament. I guess the "final" is free entry, with the prize fund being generated from the qualifiers.

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          • #6
            Re: Chess tournament prizes vs other games

            Magic and chess prize structures can hardly be compared.
            Chess relies heavily on entree fees and secondly on sponsorship, at least in Canada.
            Wizards of the Coast sells millions of game cards each year in the form of expensions and other special products. As it develops, the game introduces new mechanics and the casual player buy cards to keep the interest alive, while the competitive player is required to keep up to date to stay in the loop. Entree fees are mainly meant to cover organisation costs; rooms /supplies/products/staff. Wizard then invests part of the profit into a well oiled tournement system and reward program. And it keeps the ball rolling.

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            • #7
              Re: Chess tournament prizes vs other games

              Probably magic is more fun for the kids. Cards is fun for sure and I used to collect baseball and hockey cards.

              Chess has also changed. I used to go to my Ouija board to ask Houdini when I needed to improve a variation. Now I go to my computer and ask Houdini. Who would have thought...
              Gary Ruben
              CC - IA and SIM

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              • #8
                Re: Re : Chess tournament prizes vs other games

                Originally posted by Tom O'Donnell View Post
                So prize fund is 3K (first prize 1K), but notice only place prizes.
                Many chess tournaments are set up in sections so the majority of the players don't have a chance at the top prizes. For them to pay entry fees which go entirely to the top section is like a tax. The top players start by getting welfare in the form of free entry. I'm not knocking the practice of free entries. I get that in CC events. However, someone is paying my way when I get a free entry.
                Gary Ruben
                CC - IA and SIM

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