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Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
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The entry fees are ridiculous.
$1,000 before July 31, 2014
$1,500 from August 1 through October 8, 2014
$2,000 from October 9 through 3:30 p.m. October 10, 2014
"The organizers reserve the right to cancel the tournament if 1,500 participants are not registered by March 31, 2014. "
It will surely leave a healthy profit for the organizers.
It's an interesting idea. Full refund to all registrants should things get cancelled, so no risk on that end for people, and all the risk for the organizers if it does get cancelled (since there are costs in promoting it).
Seems like it should be ripe for all of the sandbaggers to come out though ;)
More about her (from the Millionaire Chess web page):
"Amy Lee exemplifies the expression “go big or go home.” A self-made millionaire, Amy has spent her career devouring anything that captivates her attention. She built one of the first dollar store franchise chains in Vancouver, BC, and found success in high-end real estate development, banking, and restaurant management, all before deciding to retire at the age of 38.
Passionate about tackling new challenges, she instantly saw an opportunity in the Millionaire Chess Open and decided to “unretire” to take it on as her first project after travelling the world with her son for two years. Through her longtime friend Maurice Ashley, Amy saw the potential to bring chess into the mainstream eye, raising the game to a completely new level."
Can any Westerners confirm this or add more details?
OVERALL MISSION: To provide for the highest quality chess tournament that is orderly and enjoyable for all, one that creates a playing atmosphere which allows the players to concentrate without distraction and that places a high premium on preventing cheating.
PLAYING ROOMS
There will be a rule of silence in the playing hall.
No food or opening of food wrappings allowed at the tables. No alcoholic beverages will be allowed in the tournament room.
Players must adjourn to skittles rooms immediately after the game is completed. No post mortems in playing hall.
Spectators in playing rooms must be silent and will to be monitored by the tournament staff.
NO ELECTRONIC DEVICES OF ANY KIND
No player may use or wear any type of electronic or digital device, phone, blackberry, PDA, computer, ear-piece, headset, communications device, microphone, speaker or the like while playing without the expressed permission of a TD (doctors on call included). The penalty for such use is forfeiture of the round, and an immediate investigation into the nature of the use will be done to determine if dismissal from the tournament is warranted.
If a player’s cell phone goes off during the round, that player will lose ten minutes off his/her clock. If it occurs again, the game will be forfeited.
SPECTATOR RULES
Spectators will be allowed only in a specially cordoned off area running down the middle of the tournament room. No spectators will be allowed inside the area where players are competing.
Spectators are not allowed to speak to players, or vice versa, while games are in progress.
There will be clear signs warning spectators to turn off their cell phone ringers. Any spectator whose phone goes off in the playing hall will be obliged to leave immediately.
Spectators are not allowed to bring beverages into the playing area.
Spectators are not allowed in the “player’s only” bathroom.
The tournament staff retains the right to expel from the tournament room any spectator who does not comply with the rules or is disturbing the tournament in any way.
CHECK-IN PROCEDURES
Before the beginning of the tournament, all players should check in at the registration desk to confirm their arrival at the event. Players will receive a packet with information relevant to the tournament.
All players must bring a copy of proof of ID to personally present at the tournament registration desk. This should occur before the beginning of the first round but, in any case, must be done during the first day of the tournament. This may be a copy of a driver’s license, passport, student ID or birth certificate (in case of a minor). This record is to assure other players and the staff of the identity of all players.
PLAYER BEHAVIOR
Players are not allowed to talk to spectators or other players during tournament play.
Boorish, uncouth, rude, and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated. The organizers reserve the right to deny entry into our tournament.
PLAYER ATTIRE
In the interest of presenting the best possible image of chess to the public, the organizers strongly request that players dress in casual business attire at a minimum (slacks, shirt, and jacket). For those choosing not to do so for the entire tournament, then we ask that they wear a collared shirt (polo shirts allowed). We strongly urge players not to wear tank tops, shorts, or old T-shirts while playing. We wish players to be as comfortable as possible while still presenting a proper face to the public.
NO EARLY DRAW RULE
The No Early Draw Rule implemented in the Open section of the Millionaire Chess Open is based on a simple concept: fans wish to see real chess games. We, the organizers, believe that the true spirit of chess competition is well served when this principle is adhered to. Anything else makes a travesty of our wonderful game, and completely disrespects the viewing public. With those considerations in mind, we require that players sign off on the following rules in order to play in this event. Our promise is that these dictums will be applied in a fair and consistent manner, with the stamp of the leadership of Millionaire Chess as well as the many decades of experience of our tournament directing staff.
The penalties for breaking the following rules may be:
Forfeiture of game
Offending player will be ineligible to win a prize
Players may be banned from playing in future events
THE RULES
No game in the Open Section of the Millionaire Chess Open may be agreed drawn by the two players prior to Black having completed his/her 30th move.
If there is a situation where the two players believe that a draw must be agreed to, then only the player who wishes to accept the draw may stop clocks and request the assistance of the tournament director. The TD will then objectively decide whether or not it is appropriate to agree to a draw or whether the players must play on until move 30.
Having an “objectively” drawn or equal position does NOT allow you to agree to a draw. If this is the case, then you must play until at least move 30.
The TD can deem that players are not making a serious effort to play a real game. For example, some unacceptable situations would be:
If two players on the top boards make a quick draw using some well known theoretical opening that forces a three-fold repetition.
If the two players play an intentionally lifeless opening with the object of steering the game towards a dead draw as soon as possible. For example, playing the exchange French defense and immediately trading off all the pieces is not acceptable.
Continuous repetitions in order to get to the time control will be considered an infraction of the rules.
If the TD is unable to decide if a given situation clearly breaks the rules, he/she will consult with the chief organizer (GM Maurice Ashley) or a qualified representative. The decision reached by this body will be final.
The organizers understand that there are situations that occur in which a draw has to be agreed to before move 30. These situations are rare but they do occur, and if we determine that a serious effort was made in playing the game, we do have the authority to allow a draw. We will not be forcing a player to walk into checkmate or lose a pawn to avoid a draw. However understand that these situations are very rare, and should not occur often.
In situations where an infraction is strongly suspected but impossible to penalize, the organizers reserve the right to prevent the players from playing in the future events. This decision is subject to written appeal.
Irregular pairings may be used if the Chief Tournament Director believes they are warranted.
The organizers wish to express our appreciation for players agreeing and accepting these rules. Understand that we are not asking players to go all out to win and thereby risk losing. Our sole intention is to respect our sponsor, fans and chess by attempting to get rid of early agreed draws. It is our privileged intention to make the event as enjoyable and as rewarding experience as possible for all the participants as well as for the thousands of fans who will be following the event. Your signature establishes your full understanding of these rules and your agreement to comply with them in play and in spirit.
early bird special until January 31, 2014
We can’t wait to have you join us in October for the Millionaire Chess Open, so we’re offering a chance to win 5 nights at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino AND a chance to win an airline ticket if you register by January 31st.
Can’t commit before then? Not to worry! If you register between February 1 and March 31, you’ll still have a chance to win an airline ticket.
The Millionaire Chess Open is different from any other open chess tournament in history. The first seven rounds of every section will be a qualifying round to determine who plays the finals on Millionaire Monday. Four finalists will move on to play two knock-out rounds to determine who wins the top prize. The last two rounds of the Open section will also be played on Millionaire Monday to determine who wins 5th place and under, as well as to give players a chance to acquire norms. In the other sections, the tournament will be officially over by Sunday night, October 12 for players who did not make it to Millionaire Monday.
Round Times for Open Section
5-Day Schedule (Time control is 40/2 and G/30)
Round 1: Thursday, October 9 @ 12:00 p.m.
Round 2: Thursday, October 9 @ 6:00 p.m.
Round 3: Friday, October 10 @ 12:00 p.m.
Round 4: Friday, October 10 @ 6:00 p.m.
Round 5: Saturday, October 11 @ 12:00 p.m.
Round 6: Saturday, October 11 @ 6:00 p.m.
Round 7: Sunday, October 12 @ 12:00 p.m.
Between rounds 7 and 8, tie-breaks will determine top four players for Semi-Finals & Finals.
Qualifying Round: Sunday, October 12 @ 6:00 p.m.
The full schedule for the qualifying round will depend on the number of players competing for the final four spots and will be announced 10 minutes before the beginning of the round.
All players who do not make it into the final four will continue to play rounds 8 and 9 to determine 5th place and below, and to qualify for norms.
Round 8: Monday, October 13 @ 10:00 a.m.
Round 9: Monday, October 13 @ 4:00 p.m.
Round Times for Under 2200,
U2000, U1800, U1600, U1400
5-Day Schedule (Time control is 40/2 and G/30)
Round 1: Thursday, October 9 @ 12:00 p.m.
Round 2: Thursday, October 9 @ 6:00 p.m.
Round 3: Friday, October 10 @ 12:00 p.m.
Round 4: Friday, October 10 @ 6:00 p.m.
Round 5: Saturday, October 11 @ 12:00 p.m.
Round 6: Saturday, October 11 @ 6:00 p.m.
Round 7: Sunday, October 12 @ 12:00 p.m.
Tie-breaks will determine top four players for Semi-Finals & Finals. Qualifying Round: Sunday, October 12 @ 6:00 p.m.
The full schedule for the qualifying round will depend on the number of players competing for the final four spots in each section and will be announced 10 minutes before the beginning of the round.
After the final four players have been determined, the tournament is officially over for the rest of the participants in the Under 2200, U2000, U1800, U1600, and U1400 sections.
4-Day Schedule (Time control is G/45)
Round 1: Friday, October 10 @ 5:30 p.m.
Round 2: Friday, October 10 @ 7:30 p.m.
Round 3: Saturday, October 11 @ 11:30 a.m.
Round 4: Saturday, October 11 @ 1:30 p.m.
Round 5: Saturday, October 11 @ 3:30 p.m.
For rounds 6 and 7, merge with 5-day and compete for the same prizes.
Millionaire Monday Schedule
The top four players from each section will play each other in a double round knock-out to determine the eventual winner and prize distribution. The time control will be G/25 with a 5-second increment. In case of a tie after two games, the players will play two G/15 games with a 5-second increment. In the event of a tie after those games, the players will play two 5-minute blitz games with a 2-second increment. In the event of a tie after those games, the players will play an Armageddon blitz game (White 5 minutes, Black 3 minutes 30 seconds with draw odds).
Semi-Finals Schedule
Round 1 (G/25 +5s): Monday, October 13 @ 11:00 a.m.
Round 2 (G/25 +5s): Monday, October 13 @ 12:30 p.m.
1st Tie-Break Round
1st Game (G/15 +5s): Monday, October 13 @ 2:00 p.m.
2nd Game (G/15 +5s): Monday, October 13 @ 2:45 p.m.
2nd Tie-Break Round
1st Game (5min +2s): Monday, October 13 @ 3:30 p.m.
2nd Game (5min +2s): Monday, October 13 @ 3:45 p.m.
3rd Tie-Break Round
1 Game (White 5m, Black 3m 30s w/draw odds): Monday, October 13 @ 4:00 p.m.
Finals Schedule
Round 1 (G/25 +5s): Monday, October 13 @ 5:00 p.m.
Round 2 (G/25 +5s): Monday, October 13 @ 6:30 p.m.
1st Tie-Break Round
1st Game (G/15 +5s): Monday, October 13 @ 8:00 p.m.
2nd Game (G/15 +5s): Monday, October 13 @ 8:45 p.m.
2nd Tie-Break Round
1st Game (5min +2s): Monday, October 13 @ 9:30 p.m.
2nd Game (5min +2s): Monday, October 13 @ 9:45 p.m.
3rd Tie-Break Round
1 Game (White 5m, Black 3m 30s w/draw odds): Monday, October 13 @ 10:00 p.m.
Interesting that this event is announced next to the cheating scandal post! And the $1M prize is guaranteed – by whom? Not by the hosting casino – smells fishy already. And why cancel if $1.5 million in entries is not collected by the March date?
The only way to run a chess tournament with a $1M + prize fund is to work up to it and thus establish credibility. The only group that could do this right now would be the CCCA headed by Bill Goichberg who was running events when I played tournaments 35 years ago!
The organizers of this event take pains to assure that there will be safeguards against the use of electronic devices, but no measures to prevent sandbagging. From my experience in backgammon, I know that the most prevalent cheating occurs when you don’t get paid when you win. I once played in what was advertised as a $1M first prize tourney in Rimini, Italy. The way the money was to be raised in the knock-out event was to entice losers of each round to buy back into the events next round (as if you had won your match) for a price which would give you plus equity for your fee. Unfortunately for the organizer there were too few original entries for the scheme to work – and not enough $ raised for him to abscond with the purse ( I found later from a reliable source that he had planned to skip out - to Lybia with the $M plus). So he went through and paid out the prizes at the end including a 17M Lire first prize – which I won - so I was lucky twice – to win and also get paid.
So, it seems there is no guarantee at the chess event at all else the casino would be the guarantor – simply the organizer saying the money is guaranteed, for sure, for sure is no guarantee at all. And their hype that this is a $1M event has got at least one chess player, Hans, that that is the First Prize whereas the winner only gets $100,000. And whenever I hear fast-talking hype, alarm bells ring in my mind.
Come March, the event will be exposed for what it is – a transparent scam!
Come March, the event will be exposed for what it is – a transparent scam!
Well, if they cancel the whole thing and refund everybody, where's the scam? Ashley knows for sure that he's gonna have an army of american lawyers after him if he doesn't deliver what is advertised.
Actually, I think this whole thing could work out for a very simple reason: there's a lot of 1000$ and 2000$ prizes in there. If you put all the money on the prizes for 1st-3rd places, you won't get many entries. But having to finish between 7th and 20th place in a section? I'm sure your average Joe is convinced he can do it, even if the odds are down because you have 1 000 participants instead of 100.
Last edited by Mathieu Cloutier; Friday, 13th December, 2013, 05:04 PM.
The problem is that the prize fund, as high as it may seem, is extremely low for the expected number of participants and the entry fees.
It seems like they are hoping for more than 2000 players, for a total of maybe 3 million dollars in entry fees.
And that doesn't take into consideration the fact that the casino probably pays them a lot of money to organize this event. If they indeed get 2000 players, they could easily make a profit of two or three million dollars.
In any case, I hope Americans will realize this is nothing more than a scam.
The problem is that the prize fund, as high as it may seem, is extremely low for the expected number of participants and the entry fees.
Sorry, but I don't see the scam. This is 100% transparent. Any participant has acces to all the information at all time. If you register for this event, you know that you are actually paying for the prize fund and what is your expected return.
Sorry, but I don't see the scam. This is 100% transparent. Any participant has acces to all the information at all time. If you register for this event, you know that you are actually paying for the prize fund and what is your expected return.
... Full refund to all registrants should things get cancelled, so no risk on that end for people ...
You're assuming the organizers will be around to pay out refunds. Sounds to me like there's an element of risk there. :)
"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." - Aesop
"Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato
"If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination." - Thomas De Quincey
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