$ 400 in 5 hours work !!

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

But surely there is an event somewhere bigger than 36?

If you include FQE-rated active tournaments, the highest was 118 at the 1992 Quebec Open ative championship. Unfortunately - this event hasn't been held the last few years.

http://canbase.fqechecs.qc.ca/winqsr.htm

[Jean Hébert]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

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.

Here in Quebec we have three weekend events coming up, all three benefitting from sponsorhip and offering respectively 5000, 5000 and 12000$ in prizes. One of them (the Ch. Ouvert du Saguenay) in its 2nd edition is heavily sponsored. Participants will get probably 4-5 times what they pay in entry fees. The "ch. ouvert de la Mauricie" gets enough entries to at least break even, but still gets some hard money from the city. Their prize fund is not garanteed but year after year it is given in full. And the "ch. de Lanaudière" is another event that gives more money than it gets from the players, thanks to a fair amount of support from the city.
I have wrote it before and I will stick to it because it is a fact: most organizers do not get sponsorship because they don't search for it or/and don't know how.

[Erik Malmsten]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

I was wondering that myself. If you specify an adult event (as junior tournaments are typically at active time controls), the number is probably quite small. (with or without the stipulation that it be CFC rated)

Luc Poitras's events have drawn in the mid 30's although are not usually CFC rated. The 2009 BC active championship (which was CFC rated althought the 2010 version was not) had I think 36 or 38 people in two sections (I'd post the crosstable but the CFC xtable site seems to be down...sigh)

But surely there is an event somewhere bigger than 36?

I'm sure that the annual Keres 6-round active at the Estonian House on Broadview in the 1980-90s had 60 players.

[Aris Marghetis]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

I was wondering that myself. If you specify an adult event (as junior tournaments are typically at active time controls), the number is probably quite small. (with or without the stipulation that it be CFC rated)

Luc Poitras's events have drawn in the mid 30's although are not usually CFC rated. The 2009 BC active championship (which was CFC rated althought the 2010 version was not) had I think 36 or 38 people in two sections (I'd post the crosstable but the CFC xtable site seems to be down...sigh)

But surely there is an event somewhere bigger than 36?

I went to check out some of my previous Actives (as a player), but the damn website is unresponsive again, grrr. :(

Anyway, a few years back, there was a gentleman, I believe in Waterloo, Ontario, who was running CFC-rated Actives on ICC. It was once a month on Sunday evenings, if I remember correctly, and attendance eventually was quite decent, I seem to recall.

[Roger Patterson]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

And I suppose denigrating any new ideas that are tried by somebody is a sure way to improve conditions?

Sure, not all new ideas are good. But don't belittle and lambast people who try something new. Let them try and see if it works.

[Roger Patterson]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

I was wondering that myself. If you specify an adult event (as junior tournaments are typically at active time controls), the number is probably quite small. (with or without the stipulation that it be CFC rated)

Luc Poitras's events have drawn in the mid 30's although are not usually CFC rated. The 2009 BC active championship (which was CFC rated althought the 2010 version was not) had I think 36 or 38 people in two sections (I'd post the crosstable but the CFC xtable site seems to be down...sigh)

But surely there is an event somewhere bigger than 36?

[Christopher Mallon]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

Anyone know the record # of participants for a CFC Rated Active event?

[Gary Ruben]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

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.

Canadian chess is fragmented. Quebec provides very few members to the CFC and has no real affliliaton with the CFC. So, the CFC only appears to represent represent 75% of the population of the nation.

For tournaments, the players have to decide for themselves where they will play. Possibly some players would prefer to play in such a one day event for $50. as opposed to spending close to $200. to play for a week in the Canadian Open.

If the players want to make money and appearance fees, why shouldn't the organizers try to make money? For the players the risk is nobody will want to pay them to play and for the organizers the risk is nobody will pay to play in their events.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

More than 50,000 Canadians registered at chess.com

Try to bring them to OTB chess :D gl

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

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).

There was a better advice from Jean "It should mean back to the drawing board and fast", as with a such loose condition "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" - many will restrain. Thus there is still time and advices to succeed with "this amazing one-day event" ;)

[Ernest Klubis]

Re: $ 400 in 5 hours work !!

More than 50,000 Canadians registered at chess.com

[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)

[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 ;)

[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.

[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?