If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Policy / Politique
The fee for tournament organizers advertising on ChessTalk is $20/event or $100/yearly unlimited for the year.
Les frais d'inscription des organisateurs de tournoi sur ChessTalk sont de 20 $/événement ou de 100 $/année illimitée.
You can etransfer to Henry Lam at chesstalkforum at gmail dot com
Transfér à Henry Lam à chesstalkforum@gmail.com
Dark Knight / Le Chevalier Noir
General Guidelines
---- Nous avons besoin d'un traduction français!
Some Basics
1. Under Board "Frequently Asked Questions" (FAQs) there are 3 sections dealing with General Forum Usage, User Profile Features, and Reading and Posting Messages. These deal with everything from Avatars to Your Notifications. Most general technical questions are covered there. Here is a link to the FAQs. https://forum.chesstalk.com/help
2. Consider using the SEARCH button if you are looking for information. You may find your question has already been answered in a previous thread.
3. If you've looked for an answer to a question, and not found one, then you should consider asking your question in a new thread. For example, there have already been questions and discussion regarding: how to do chess diagrams (FENs); crosstables that line up properly; and the numerous little “glitches” that every new site will have.
4. Read pinned or sticky threads, like this one, if they look important. This applies especially to newcomers.
5. Read the thread you're posting in before you post. There are a variety of ways to look at a thread. These are covered under “Display Modes”.
6. Thread titles: please provide some details in your thread title. This is useful for a number of reasons. It helps ChessTalk members to quickly skim the threads. It prevents duplication of threads. And so on.
7. Unnecessary thread proliferation (e.g., deliberately creating a new thread that duplicates existing discussion) is discouraged. Look to see if a thread on your topic may have already been started and, if so, consider adding your contribution to the pre-existing thread. However, starting new threads to explore side-issues that are not relevant to the original subject is strongly encouraged. A single thread on the Canadian Open, with hundreds of posts on multiple sub-topics, is no better than a dozen threads on the Open covering only a few topics. Use your good judgment when starting a new thread.
8. If and/or when sub-forums are created, please make sure to create threads in the proper place.
Debate
9. Give an opinion and back it up with a reason. Throwaway comments such as "Game X pwnz because my friend and I think so!" could be considered pointless at best, and inflammatory at worst.
10. Try to give your own opinions, not simply those copied and pasted from reviews or opinions of your friends.
Unacceptable behavior and warnings
11. In registering here at ChessTalk please note that the same or similar rules apply here as applied at the previous Boardhost message board. In particular, the following content is not permitted to appear in any messages:
* Racism
* Hatred
* Harassment
* Adult content
* Obscene material
* Nudity or pornography
* Material that infringes intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party
* Material the posting of which is tortious or violates a contractual or fiduciary obligation you or we owe to another party
* Piracy, hacking, viruses, worms, or warez
* Spam
* Any illegal content
* unapproved Commercial banner advertisements or revenue-generating links
* Any link to or any images from a site containing any material outlined in these restrictions
* Any material deemed offensive or inappropriate by the Board staff
12. Users are welcome to challenge other points of view and opinions, but should do so respectfully. Personal attacks on others will not be tolerated. Posts and threads with unacceptable content can be closed or deleted altogether. Furthermore, a range of sanctions are possible - from a simple warning to a temporary or even a permanent banning from ChessTalk.
Helping to Moderate
13. 'Report' links (an exclamation mark inside a triangle) can be found in many places throughout the board. These links allow users to alert the board staff to anything which is offensive, objectionable or illegal. Please consider using this feature if the need arises.
Advice for free
14. You should exercise the same caution with Private Messages as you would with any public posting.
When I was running blitz tournaments in Montreal (up to 5-6 years ago), I charged everyone (GM's, IM's, beginners, women, seniors, etc.) the same ($5). I added on late fees of $2 (which I kept), and the rest went into the prize fund (sometimes the house got a small cut). No one complained that they weren't getting in for free.
Nowadays - almost everyone plays blitz on the Internet, so why pay to enter a blitz tournament? Montreal's Cafe Pi has a blitz one Sunday a month, for which they get in return, extra sales of food, beer, etc. (the other Sundays are taken up my Mah-Jong, and sometimes Go and other games). It doesn't matter how many players they get, since there are already a couple of dozen others (chess players and non-players) in the place. A $5 entry fee pleases the players - they don't care if the strong players stay away due to the lack of a large prize fund.
The presence or absence of IMs or GMs is not a deal breaker for me as far as participation in a tournament is concerned but their presence is a plus. A dozen 2200+ players with a few 2300+ and 2400+ players sprinkled in is almost a no brainer and I will play if I possibly can. Realistically the cost of playing in a three day weekend tournament (if you ignore my habit of buying chess books and software) is probably about $400 for a three day tournament (and a lot more if you don't ignore my habit). This exceeds my likely winnings by a significant margin.
What can be a deal breaker for me is if I see a Friday night round in a tournament three or four hours away by car and I have no vacation days left and then the presence of a number of 1600 or 1700 players in the top section. The first round is lost to a bye and one of the remaining rounds is likely a game against one of the class B players, or if I'm lucky a class A player. If it is a five round tournament that only gives me three games against tough (for me) competition. Alternatively, I can stay home and just play a few tournament games against the local 2000+ to 2200+ players and get up to four tough games for $10 less a $15 to $20 prize if I win the tournament. Financially, the local tournament makes a lot more sense though the chance to play some different players does keep me going out of town when I can.
Sunday used to be speed chess day. Some makeup and slow games were played but mostly there were speed games. As I recall, in some of the games money changed hands. :)
The Sunday turnout wasn't as big as the weekday night when the tournament games were played.
I used to play at the local seniors club but liked the penny ante poker better. I should really drop over one day and see if they still have the chess club going.
Most people complain silently, most of the time by staying home. The people complaining openly are in comparison a blessing for organizers who then know exactly what the problem is.
A $5 entry fee pleases the players - they don't care if the strong players stay away due to the lack of a large prize fund.
How many such "satisfied" customers was there at the last blitz ? Six I believe. Such figure does not make me buy the line "people are happy as it is".
There is no publicity for the Montreal Sunday blitzes outside the Cafe and on Chesstalk. Of course - if I were running the event (now it runs by itself - they players settle their own disputes) and wanted more players, I could do it (but I am no longer doing that task). And if the entry fees were raised to (let's say) $20, none of the regulars would play without proper organization and TD'ing.
Yes - there were six "satisfied customers" at the last blitz (the day after New Year's, by the way).
Tweet
Comment