$ 400 in 5 hours work !!

[Erwin Casareno]

BRAMPTON ACTIVE SPRING CHESS TOURNAMENT
Saturday, April 24, 2010
10:00 a.m. sharp
Courtyard Marriott Convention Center
90 Biscayne Crescent
Brampton, Ontario

Time: Opening Ceremonies 9.00am; Games start 10:00 am sharp

Type: Swiss, No byes, CFC rated

Rounds: 5 (R1 10:00-11:00 R2 11:15-12:15 Break 12:15 R3 1:30- 2:30 R4 2:45-3:45 R5 4:00-5:00)

CFC Membership: Required

Section: Open, Under 2100, Under 1800, Under 1400

Time Control: 30 minutes

Prizes: $2000 prize fund

Entrance Fee: $50.00 Pre-Registration only by April 1, 2010 (no cheques post-dated April 24 accepted)
Confirmation of pre-registration will be sent to the players via email provided.
Check in at registration desk by 9:30 am or you will not be paired for the first round. $70.00 cash on site.

No cheques will be accepted at the event and entrance subject to available seats per room capacity. If not enough seats are reserved, the event will be rescheduled to an alternate day in May to allow sufficient time to promote this amazing one-day event.

Registration: Online at http://www.littlechessmates.com/cgi-...e/storepro.php or mail cheque made payable to Little Chess Mates (140 Beechnut Rd, Woodbridge ON L4L 6T7) or via Paypal and fax entry form to 416


Organizers: Mario Adragna (416 885-8142) and TD- Devon Thomas (905 495-6834)


Must bring clocks. TD will decide which clock will be used between players. All chess sets will be provided. CFC membership required or can be purchased onsite. A surcharge of $15 will apply in addition to the CFC membership fee.





PRIZES - $2000
(Based on min of 100 players)

Open U2100 U1800 U1400 Best All U900
1st $400 $300 $250 $175 $50
2nd $200 $150 $125 $75
3rd $75 $75 $75 $50

Tournament triple-weighted chess sets supplied are available for purchase at the end of the tournament at half Little Chess Mate’s retail cost - $14.99 plus applicable taxes. 1 per player. See website for details.

Email: mario@littlechessmates.com

Tournament website: www.littlechessmates.com/parks.php

Side Events: Booth with chess equipment for purchase and raffle draw. Giant chess set to interact with. Opening and closing ceremonies.

Ample free parking at an award-winning convention center. Plenty of amenities: Tim Horton's, Wendy's, Applybe’s and more. Games projected on giant screen. A professional chess atmosphere.

This is a Little Chess Mates sponsored event. Facilitated and sponsored by Little Chess Mates, a chess facility exclusively for children.

LOCATION:
Courtyard Marriott Convention Center
90 Biscayne Crescent
Brampton, Ontario
Map: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/maps/...onto-brampton/



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BRAMPTON ACTIVE SPRING CHESS TOURNAMENT
Entry Form



By Mail Send Entry to: ______________________________ ______________ __/___/__ ________
Little Chess Mates Name CFC# Expiry CFC rating
140 Beechnut Road ______________________________ Please check box:
Woodbridge, ON L4L 6T7 Address
____________________________ Open Under 2100 Under 1800
Under 1400
Or Online at
www.littlechessmates.com ____________________________

____________________________
Entry Fee Enclosed: ____________________
____________________________
Telephone Numbers CFC Membership $58*: __________________

____________________________
Email Address

Please make cheques payable to Little Chess Mates. Preregister by April 1, 2010. Seats are limited.


*Includes a $15 surcharge.

[Jean Hébert]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

If not enough seats are reserved, the event will be rescheduled to an alternate day in May ...

Should we understand that if then "not enough seats are reserved" the event will simply be cancelled ? Is this the latest gimmick in canadian chess: guaranteed prizes IF the tournament is held (meaning "enough seats reserved") ? Put it on your agenda but be prepared for rescheduling. Sure.

[Jean Hébert]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

If not enough seats are reserved, the event will be rescheduled to an alternate day in May ...

Should we understand that if then "not enough seats are reserved" the event will simply be cancelled ? Is this the latest gimmick in canadian chess: guaranteed prizes IF the tournament is held (meaning "enough seats reserved") ?

[Christopher Mallon]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

The prizes seem to be based on 100 entries, it doesn't actually say Guaranteed.

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

Should we understand that if then "not enough seats are reserved" the event will simply be cancelled ? Is this the latest gimmick in canadian chess: guaranteed prizes IF the tournament is held (meaning "enough seats reserved") ?

Jean, not a gimmick, just an exercise in risk management. Organizers are at some financial risk if nobody shows up. Cancelling/rescheduling with over 3 weeks notice seems reasonable to me.

It is not clear as to whether this prize fund is guaranteed. Or is it the usual based on entries. What if they get 150 entries, does the prize fund go up?

Little Mates deals with kids. Is this a junior or adult tournament?

Hopefully, Erwin can clear up these questions.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

Little Mates deals with kids. Is this a junior or adult tournament?

Hopefully, Erwin can clear up these questions.

I think, the previous announcement had a separate kid tournament.

[Erwin Casareno]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

Gentlemen,

The organizer, Mr. Mario Adragna, has reminded me of my commitment to repost this active chess tournament that he is conducting in Brampton this April.

And as stated in his ad, the prize fund is as stated, provided a minimum of 100 players sign up for the tournament. If this is not met, he intends to re-schedule the tournament.

Now for players who have registered and sent thier payment to him, there is no danger to your payment coz he will return the checks.

Mr. Adragna has plans to host chess tournaments. But he needs support.

And i believe this is not an advertising gimmick. This is why i help him advertise his tournament here. For free. For friendship.

Should there be further question, please do not hesitate to contact him directly.......................


Bob G, - this tournament is for all ages. I do not know how to edit the title in my first post so i wrote a correction in the intro of the ad.

As for the > 100 entries, only he knws the answer. He prepared the ad.



Now, if you will excuse me, i have to attend to my business as my wife is on a 6 week vacation in the Philippines.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

This sounds like the type of event in which you don't want on-site entries - you want to know in advance whether to hold the tournament or not. How would you like to arrive (along with 90 other players) just before the first round - watching the number of entries increase....92....93....94....sorry - it's 9:30, and we only have 94 entries. Tournament cancelled!

On the other hand - there might be 20 or 30 advance entries - do you cancel the tournament - or might you be surpised with 80 or 90 on-site entries?

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

Prize fund is 2000 with min 100 players paying a 50$ fee (5000 total collected). 2000/5000 = 40% return to the prize fund

I wish organizers to succeed, as to attract 100 CFC players might be very difficult.

[Jean Hébert]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

Jean, not a gimmick, just an exercise in risk management. Organizers are at some financial risk if nobody shows up. Cancelling/rescheduling with over 3 weeks notice seems reasonable to me.

Serious organizers take calculated risks. They know their market. This is how you build credibility and get sponsors. If you pass on the risks to the potential participants you earn zero respect from me and no credibility. Announcing a tournament with possible "cancelling/rescheduling" is not serious at all and deserves no support whatsoever. It should mean back to the drawing board and fast.

[John Coleman]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

It seems to me that by saying both

"A lucrative one day $2000 unconditional guaranteed prize fund" and also
"If not enough seats are sold, the event will rescheduled" the organiser is trying to have it both ways.

And what's with "A surcharge of $15 will apply in addition to the CFC membership fee" for people paying their membership dues?? Doesn't seem reasonable at all.

Does anyone have any experience with this organiser?

[Jean Hébert]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

Prize fund is 2000 with min 100 players paying a 50$ fee (5000 total collected). 2000/5000 = 40% return to the prize fund

I wish organizers to succeed...

We should wish only the good organizers to succeed. Those trying silly formulas doomed to failure actually hurt the game of chess and should be censured before they can do more damage. In this particular case looking at those above figures, we are dealing with someone with little interest in the game itself but a big interest in making a profit. To achieve this goal he is ready to ask for outrageous entry fees, reschedule or cancel events and what else ? No respect at all for the game, no respect at all for the chess players/customers.

After spending a month in France looking closely at the wonderful organisation of two great open chess tournaments, reading this on Chesstalk is a shocking return to Canada's retarded state of chess development.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

No respect at all for the game, no respect at all for the chess players/customers.

"Supply and demand" will resolve all those ambitions ;)

[Kerry Liles]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

"Supply and demand" will resolve all those ambitions ;)

Maybe. But only after a lot of time and perhaps bad communication and loss of goodwill. Jean has a good point (in general; I am not certain about this particular tournament since the details are far from clear).

It is a bit of a catch-22 situation for organizers; it is hard to commit to room rental and perhaps guaranteed hotel rates or other money for incentives, prizes etc. without knowing that the tournament will indeed take place with at least the required minimum of players needed to be a success.

This might limit organizers to a small set of people willing (or experienced enough) to take the risk. And risk it is. We can argue about how much risk perhaps.

As Jean has pointed out on other occasions, obtaining sponsorship to mitigate the risk is a good solution, but an elusive one for most prospective tournaments. National tournaments like the Canadian Open or a Large tournament in a big city may have a better shot at sponsorship than a local weekend Swiss, but the risks are not the same in those two situations.

IF this particular tournament takes place with the stated prize fund, it would be a good thing, but I can imagine a lot of reasons why it may not happen... (for example, if the organizer takes offence to some of the knee-jerk reaction typically found here on ChessTalk, he might decide the risks just went out of control and then bail)

[Ernest Klubis]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

More than 50,000 Canadians registered at chess.com