Hamilton Summer Open 2011

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Yes Peter.

F = floater :D

[Zachary Dukic]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Again I won't be able to play in a great Hamilton event. :( oh well, maybe next time. :)

[Garvin Nunes]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Just to be clear. Only those playing in the Junior section get the 15 dollar rate. Kids in the other sections still pay 45 dollars.

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Again I won't be able to play in a great Hamilton event. :( oh well, maybe next time. :)

No soup for you! :D:D

[Zachary Dukic]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

No soup for you! :D:D

haha oh well, looks like i'm buying the canned crap haha... I bet you were looking forward to your revenge against me from the kitchener active eh bob ;)

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

I bet you were looking forward to your revenge against me from the kitchener active eh bob ;)

Yes! :D:D:D

[Zachary Dukic]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Yes! :D:D:D

Haha, well, looks like your gonna have to wait :p :D

[Billy Carroll]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

I was excited to see this tournament upcoming as I had a great time in Hamilton last May in the Ontario Open. I brought three other players who wouldn't have been able to attend if we had not share expenses.

I was planning to do this again with at least one of the players this weekend.
Unfortunately, even with shared expenses, it is not feasible to spend so much on transportation and lodging (I am currently in Ottawa) without the glimmer of hope to recoup some of the costs with possible winnings.

Even though in any tournament I play I have only a remote chance of winning a prize, it still makes the tournament much more exciting when you've got a fighting chance to win some money. It builds intrigue and adds great conversations amongst the players making predictions and doing the math to see what has to occur in certain games for one to reach the prize podium.

The way the Hamilton Open is set up, it makes it much less attractive for an out-of-towner in a similar situation like myself to make such a long journey.
What is my situation? I am a 50-year-old player rated in the mid-1300s. I will be seated in the U2000 section if I wish to play for a prize.

If the goal is to attract as many players as possible, there needs to be a Class for non-Junior players who aren't so gifted at the game, but still have a passion for it. If I were well-off it wouldn't even be an issue, but times are hard and therefore I cannot attend. Sorry, but let's just say it would not be a cost-effective venture for me.

Sadly it doesn't just mean a loss of one player, but perhaps three more that would have come with me including two 1800s and a 2100.

Just a thought for upcoming tournaments - and not just in Hamilton. Even if there's just one Class prize for say U1650, it may sway more out-of-towners to make the trek.

I hope this comes across as a constructive suggestion and not the ramblings of some money-hungry madman. Anyone who has played against me knows they'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who plays the game for fun more than I do.

I'll be watching here on Chesstalk for the results coming in as I cheer for my favourite players. Have fun everyone!

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Billy, the reality is that for decades this was exactly the situation that faced local Hamilton chess players. There were no weekend tournaments in Hamilton for all of the 80's, 90s; the last weekend tournament was sometime in the 1970's. The Hamilton club itself was greatly reduced as it moved from a recreation centre that occupied the entire floor of a senior's building to one small basement room at the local YWCA. My understanding is because the members would not approve a dues increase when the rec centre wanted to charge more.

We had no choice but to spend money for transportation and accomodation if we wanted to play in weekend tournaments in another city. This started to change only a few years back when first a group of us started running one day actives and then after these ended for a number of years this current group started to run weekend events. The group of us that ran the one day actives did not feel up to the challenge of 2 day events because there were only 3 of us and we felt we had our hands full with the one day events and the running of the club on Friday nights; not me as much as Marco who was our TD. We tried to add to our volunteers but it just didn't happen. We also lacked a cost-effective facility large enough to host a large enough body of players as the school board was not on the radar back then. I believe they only started hosting more community groups as a result of a provincial government effort.

So don't begrude us in Hamilton our weekend tournaments, they've been a long time coming. If people from as far away as Ottawa can make it great, you are more than welcome. However, I don't think any amount of prize fund changes will make it cost effective for out of town players; especially since the cost of gas has more than doubled. We in Hamilton know and understand your pain. The situation in Hamilton was made even worse because the Toronto tournament scene suffered through the loss of the Primrose Hotel facility and Toronto tournaments became much smaller affairs held at the club room on Bayview. If it wasn't for Hal Bond and Patrick running events in Guelph and Kitchener and Tony Ficzere running events in Brantford (which ended some years back when he moved to Alberta) there would have been little in the way of weekend tournaments for Hamilton players to play in anywhere in the area. Even back then it was fairly costly and time consuming to pay for gas and take the hour there and hour back or to rent a hotel room, even if shared. I spent a small fortune once going to a Thanksgiving tournament at the Primrose, even with sharing a hotel room.

And it is interesting to note that this current facility in Hamilton will likely be disappearing. Hopefully this group will be able to find another school board property to use.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Zeljko wrote:

There were no weekend tournaments in Hamilton for all of the 80's, 90s;

Nitpick: I played in the Southwest Ontario Open, held in Hamilton, Nov. 14-16, 1980. If I recall correctly, I stayed at Roger Patterson's place - he was a McMaster student at the time. He would probably be aware of Hamilton chess activity around that time.

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Zeljko wrote:



Nitpick: I played in the Southwest Ontario Open, held in Hamilton, Nov. 14-16, 1980. If I recall correctly, I stayed at Roger Patterson's place - he was a McMaster student at the time. He would probably be aware of Hamilton chess activity around that time.

That's interesting, still a more than 25 year hiatus it seems. Where was that event held in 1980? The only weekend tournament I remember playing in was the Hamilton junior championship, an event not repeated- at least not in that format, some years after the event you played in, in 82 or 83 I think. It was held at the Hamilton Public Library. I remember one of the organizers being really grumpy with me because I called a number on the flyer to ask a question. He was apparently getting a lot of calls.

I mainly played in the Hamilton high school team league which was run by Walter Michalski, a teacher at my school. Several schools in Hamilton were a part of it if I remember right, both public and seperate. We used to travel to other schools for away games, being excused to leave at least one class early. I'm not sure when that league ended but I think it was shortly after I graduated. A player behind me a couple of years played in a school board individual championship and I don't think the team league existed then.

[Bob Gillanders]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

I hope this comes across as a constructive suggestion and not the ramblings of some money-hungry madman. Anyone who has played against me knows they'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who plays the game for fun more than I do.

Taken as such, no fear. It was great to have your group from Ottawa at the Ontario Open. As I recall, you guys had a good time. :) We will miss you all this time around.

We do want to give everyone a chance to win money, not just to top players. I think we do a reasonable job of prize distribution, but as always, money is scarce. In an effort to promote junior chess, we have made the 3rd section, under 1650, a junior section with lower entry fees. Unfortunately, that forces all the lower rated adults up a section.

Your comments do give me an idea. We should consider a cash prize for adults only. :D It only seems fair, since the kids win most of the money anyway. :( But I can't promise anything.

[Egidijus Zeromskis]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Saturday - 9:30 am, 2:00 pm and 6:00 pm
Sunday - 11:00 am and 4:00 pm

Do you mind to switch dates and rounds in future? or maybe even add one additional round on Sunday? or maybe only a one-day-play fee?

[Billy Carroll]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

To Zeljko:

Thanks for your reply. Although it appears I was making Hamilton a scapegoat, I was not. I believe I commented that this was a suggestion for all tournaments, not just in Hamilton. Your entrance fees are quite a bit lower than most other tournaments I've entered around the province. I often get in early to take advantage of the discounts and on average I pay $60. Your fee of $45 is great, so I am suggesting even a slight increase of $10 to $15 still makes it very attractive and may allow one extra prize.

I guess I was really disappointed because I was looking forward it as I had a great time in May. I definitely wasn't disrespecting the city because I loved it and had great times dining out at the various restaurants.

To Bob:

Thank-you. You completely understand my point - a small prize for adults would be nice. Yes, our group had a great time, considering it was four complete strangers getting together to play chess. I'd like to think I made some new friends there. Also, I know all too well how great these youngsters are - they often kick my butt :-D Last month I was paired against a 7-year-old lad who was playing his 9th or 10th career tournament game and had yet to win. He was so excited to get his first win under his belt. I'm pretty sure he's still smiling to this day :-)

[Zeljko Kitich]

Re: Hamilton Summer Open 2011

Sure thing Billy, I just wanted to express my happiness that this current group (of which I am not a part) is running great tournaments after a long lean period.

As far as kids, yes it can be a downer when they beat you but it can be satisfying when you fight back. I remember at one tournament a kid getting a clear advantage against me, material if I remember right, who then proceeded to bounce excitedly up and down in his chair thinking he had won. Several moves later I played a good combo and won some major material and the game; to which he stopped bouncing. In your face kid! Yeah he was just a kid but no one eats my supper without a fight...:p:p Then there was the kid who fell for an easy checkmate I wasn't even trying for, I was repositioning my pieces, saw that there was an awkward pin against me but that it didn't work because of the mate, but all the kid saw was the awkward pin - in your face kid :) :)