Is the local chess club becoming popular again?

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  • #16
    Re: Is the local chess club becoming popular again?

    I believe there are memberships sold in the Bayview Games Club, and that members get a discount on the rapid tournament entry fee ( but someone will have to confirm this ).

    Bob

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    • #17
      Re: Is the local chess club becoming popular again?

      Originally posted by Bindi Cheng View Post
      Seems like the Vlad club is just a way for those IM's to get quick cash. It's how you would imagine a poker club to be run
      Originally posted by Tom O'Donnell View Post
      I guess any time two or more people meet anywhere to play chess it's a club? I am pretty sure that if there were no cash prizes there would be no IMs at this "club", eh? ;-)
      You may invent own popsicles to attract members :D

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      • #18
        Re: Is the local chess club becoming popular again?

        What makes it a 'club' is that the people arrive an hour before the tournament to chat over a coffee or a beer and some stay afterwards for offhand games. The core of regulars gives the gathering the feeling of a club.
        Even the regular prize winners could probably do better on a $ per hour basis by spending time with a student and yes, some of the players pay an annual membership ($100) which gives them a $5 saving on the entry fee - not cost effective but gives them the 'club membership feeling', I guess.

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        • #19
          Re: Is the local chess club becoming popular again?

          Originally posted by Vlad Dobrich View Post
          What makes it a 'club' is that the people arrive an hour before the tournament to chat over a coffee or a beer and some stay afterwards for offhand games. The core of regulars gives the gathering the feeling of a club.
          Even the regular prize winners could probably do better on a $ per hour basis by spending time with a student and yes, some of the players pay an annual membership ($100) which gives them a $5 saving on the entry fee - not cost effective but gives them the 'club membership feeling', I guess.
          I have not attended this club, but Vlad's description does sound quite appealing. I am neither a huge eater nor boozer, but I find it great fun to share an appetizer and/or drinks with other players, especially my opponent after a long chessboard battle. It is extremely rare nowadays, but I found it fantastic to eat and drink while playing in a licensed establishment. Years ago, Larry ran a club in Montreal where you played one game a week in a rated round-robin, and could eat freshly cooked food at the table. I cannot remember if the drinks could be alcoholic or not, but I just loved that club! :)

          The following might not be a popular opinion, but I feel it deserves being voiced. The RA chess club has had for a long time a 14-year-old limit, but it is exercised far differently now than when I first moved to Ottawa in the early 90s. Back then, it was much more rare for a young kid to become a regular at the club, whereas now, there are very many kids at the club. Special kids like Joey Qin would always make it in, and I never minded losing to better players. People who know me know that I am great with kids, but I work with them on a daily basis, sometime multiple times a day. So I am one of those older folk who does miss chatting with an adult before and after a game, not just about our game or even just about chess, perhaps sharing a beer and an order of bruschetta. ;)

          P.S. to Vlad: I would like to email you privately about something, but cannot find your email address. At your convenience, please email me at arismarghetis at rogers dot com

          Thanks and regards, Aris.

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          • #20
            Re: Is the local chess club becoming popular again?

            I fully understand whar Aris is saying but would note that most of the adult members of the RA can be found in the Fieldhouse after the game enjoying a beer and broschetta while doing a post mortem or just playing.

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            • #21
              Re: Is the local chess club becoming popular again?

              Originally posted by Gordon Ritchie View Post
              I fully understand whar Aris is saying but would note that most of the adult members of the RA can be found in the Fieldhouse after the game enjoying a beer and broschetta while doing a post mortem or just playing.
              Oh yeah, and it is an absolutely awesome group of guys! I guess I started noticing a couple of years ago that fewer of my opponents were old enough to do that too! ;)

              One more thing, is that, rightly or wrongly, I prefer to play for at least a few hours, to really escape into chess! Many younger opponents are so good they speed through! :)

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              • #22
                Re: Is the local chess club becoming popular again?

                I fully understand what he is saying and its disturbing. I'm not sure who is going to be on the committee to pick the "special kids", or even if anyone thought to ask those kids what kind of club they want.

                Youth players are either welcome or they are not. End of story.

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                • #23
                  Re: Is the local chess club becoming popular again?

                  1968/69 Oakridge Student Council - yes or no? :)
                  "We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." - Aesop
                  "Only the dead have seen the end of war." - Plato
                  "If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he comes next to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination." - Thomas De Quincey

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