Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

[John Brown]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

imho if organizers spam this forums with their tournament announcements, pre-reg lists, other blahblah on regular bases before tournaments, then they must post results too or at least a link where they are posted promptly.

Eggie.
In My Opinion We do what we do as a favour to the Chess community. Next year we will not post on chess talk we will strictly post our flyer on the CFC site. We do not need people like you telling us what we can do or can not do. If players want a pre-registered list then they can email us. We are not obligated to help out last minute IM's joining and to set the record straight the IM contacted us and wanted some compensation. We give no special privledges to IM's GM's or Foreign players. We feel that chess players need a chance to win a prize and we will always run our tournaments with that in mind.
If all that came were IM's and we gave them free entries and we had to pay the rent out of our own pockets and then the winners want a prize. Well my answer would be what did you pay? Their answer would be zero. Our Prizes are based on entries. So you get a hand shake for winning First. We will do our own thing and we will see what happens. If we flop then we will stop running the event ,if we succeed we will continue. Oh yes and blahblahblah.to you also.

[John Brown]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

For those who did not attend we dedicated the Niagara Falls Open 2015 upset Prizes to our Friend and Chess comrade Jaime Solis.
The First Upset prize was a free membership to the CFC donated by John R. Brown in the memory of Jaime Soils. Lee Hendon won that .
We had another 21 upset prizes donated. We do not care what other tournament Directors do. We give prizes because we believe that everyone should have a chance at a prize.
We do not cater to IM's or GM's we cater to chess players.

[Rene Preotu]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

the IM contacted us and wanted some compensation.

Just to clarify... I didn't ask for "compensation" for Razvan. I asked very polite if you offer discounted entry fee to IMs. Compensation might sound like "appearance fee".

[Rene Preotu]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

We feel that chess players need a chance to win a prize and we will always run our tournaments with that in mind.

You don't learn a thing from beating patzers — except beating patzers. In effect, the Swiss prizes are to pay the better players for giving lessons to the weaker ones.

[Roger Patterson]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

Hi Roger if you were at the event you can see the cross table results and if you stay to the end you can see the prize winners. Ask Paul Leblanc he was there.
I believe this year we had 50 plus players and we gave out 22 plus prizes if you include ties. How many prizes did the Easter weekend in BC give out based on # of entrants?

We gave out $0 based on number of entrants. We did give out our guaranteed $5000 prize fund (actually a bit more but whose counting?) Results were posted on the website and links on chess talk the day the tournament ended. Took a few more days to write the final event report here: http://grandpacificopen.pbworks.com/...t%202015%20GPO

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

Maybe CMA should charge a refundable deposit to advertise those tournaments not rated CMA on the site. Not refunded if the tournament organizers use the site to advertise their tournaments but don't provide some sort of report (even a couple of paragraphs) within say a week or so of completion.

[John Brown]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

You don't learn a thing from beating patzers — except beating patzers. In effect, the Swiss prizes are to pay the better players for giving lessons to the weaker ones.

Hi Rene;
You may have given us an idea for next year. We can limit our entries to U2300 that way we can have Patzers playing patzers and Patzers winning prizes.

[Peter McKillop]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

You don't learn a thing from beating patzers — except beating patzers. In effect, the Swiss prizes are to pay the better players for giving lessons to the weaker ones.

A truism for swiss tournaments for as long as they've been around, I suppose. Nevertheless, it seems a bit mean-spirited of you to point this out in this context. From perusing the crosstables from prior NFOs, surely you and Razvan must have known what the approximate strength and size of the tournament would be and therefore what Razvan's lesson income for the weekend would be. If it wasn't acceptable then why did you bother going?

[Walter De Jong]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

Maybe CMA should charge a refundable deposit to advertise those tournaments not rated CMA on the site. Not refunded if the tournament organizers use the site to advertise their tournaments but don't provide some sort of report (even a couple of paragraphs) within say a week or so of completion.

I think its important to differentiate between events run by volunteers, and events where the organizer pays himself or herself from the entry fees. I assume John Erickson and John Brown act as volunteers in Niagara Falls.

If an event is run by volunteers, maybe those who wish to complain about how an event is run - especially if they didn't play in it - should first make a donation to the CMA or CFC through PayPal. An online "complaint jar" that could be used for promoting chess in Canada.

I consider volunteer chess organizers to be the linchpin of tournament chess. Over the years I've seen a lot of different organizers take a lot of crap. It's no wonder so few are willing to be organizers. In my view the chess community should do everything possible to make the lives of organizers easier, and certainly not put unnecessary barriers in their way.

I am not saying that organizers are perfect. I am advocating for taking a constructive approach in how we interact with them.

[Rene Preotu]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

A truism for swiss tournaments for as long as they've been around, I suppose. Nevertheless, it seems a bit mean-spirited of you to point this out in this context. From perusing the crosstables from prior NFOs, surely you and Razvan must have known what the approximate strength and size of the tournament would be and therefore what Razvan's lesson income for the weekend would be. If it wasn't acceptable then why did you bother going?

You took my post out of the context. It has nothing to do with Razvan.

[Peter McKillop]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

You took my post out of the context. It has nothing to do with Razvan.

Then what was your meaning?

[Tom O'Donnell]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

I think its important to differentiate between events run by volunteers, and events where the organizer pays himself or herself from the entry fees. I assume John Erickson and John Brown act as volunteers in Niagara Falls.

If an event is run by volunteers, maybe those who wish to complain about how an event is run - especially if they didn't play in it - should first make a donation to the CMA or CFC through PayPal. An online "complaint jar" that could be used for promoting chess in Canada.

I consider volunteer chess organizers to be the linchpin of tournament chess. Over the years I've seen a lot of different organizers take a lot of crap. It's no wonder so few are willing to be organizers. In my view the chess community should do everything possible to make the lives of organizers easier, and certainly not put unnecessary barriers in their way.

I am not saying that organizers are perfect. I am advocating for taking a constructive approach in how we interact with them.

The ChessTalk site costs CMA money. I doubt Larry and company make back the money and especially time they spend on maintaining the site through sales. He is providing tournament organizers with a free service. If he imposes this condition and tournament organizers don't like it, they don't have to advertise here. You can't argue on the one hand that tournament volunteers should receive special treatment and on the other say hey we know CMA is volunteering their resources but so what. It's not like CMA is asking for the moon. Larry has in the past only asked for a short report, nothing more.

[Walter De Jong]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

The ChessTalk site costs CMA money. I doubt Larry and company make back the money and especially time they spend on maintaining the site through sales. He is providing tournament organizers with a free service. If he imposes this condition and tournament organizers don't like it, they don't have to advertise here. You can't argue on the one hand that tournament volunteers should receive special treatment and on the other say hey we know CMA is volunteering their resources but so what. It's not like CMA is asking for the moon. Larry has in the past only asked for a short report, nothing more.

I didn't realize Larry had asked for short reports in the past. He obviously has the right to do so. I take issue when others, who have no skin in the game (haven't contributed money or time), hassle the volunteers, who have contributed something (a lot of their time).

For the record, I greatly appreciate how ChessTalk (and the CMA) promote chess in Canada.

[Rene Preotu]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

Then what was your meaning?

We do not cater to IM's or GM's we cater to chess players.

Hi Rene;
You may have given us an idea for next year. We can limit our entries to U2300 that way we can have Patzers playing patzers and Patzers winning prizes.

It's OK, John got the message.

[John Brown]

Re: Niagara Falls Open 2015 Standings

Yes Rene it has everything to do with your post. Your son or you contacted John Erickson and asked for a discount we said there was none and the reply was thanks. We assumed Razvan was not coming.
Then you or Razvan wait till the last minute to see our field and then enter.
Maybe a good lesson should be that if IM's enter late then we structure the prize fund that U2300's are eligible for First - seventh prizes and that IM's get a top IM prize of $100.
entering an IM late in a tournament does not help us bring in more players. What it does is shows us that an IM wants to pick up some easy cash.
Sorry Rene but you say we are patzers then why the heck was Razvan even at our event, if for nothing more than reaping a cash grab.
You feel that we want to be bullied. Well sorry you came to the worst corral for bullying.