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First Saturday Tournament Prices 2011-2012: Now released http://firstsaturday.hu/firstsat_pro..._2011_2012.htm
Foreign players should note these are the 'tourist' prices. Example FM-A group for FIDE 2000-2100 the listed price is 140EUR(187USD/191CAN/42,428HUF. The price for a Hungarian player in the same group with the same rating is 39EUR(53USD/54CAN/ 12,000HUF) which is still expensive by Hungarian standards(more than double other round robins I played in).
Prices are negotiable(!). Just refuse to get gouged. In my first year living in Budapest I was charged these kind of prices for a year. There is no need for you to suffer the same fate.
NOTE also there are NO prizes for any groups. All other Budapest tournaments(RR or Open) have modest prizes. All the money goes to the organizer.
First Saturday depends on a steady stream of unsupecting newcomers to replace the ones who don't come back. Don't be a naive tourist! I have given the same pricing warning many times so hopefully you are not reading this for the first time. There are many ways to have a nice chess time in Hungary but First Saturday RRs are not one of them-unless you desperately want a norm shot.
If you are thinking of the IM norm group very common are groups where the IMs are barely 2300 or just a bit over. These are really FM 'norm' groups if there were such things. The GM groups problem is the variability in strength of the participating GMs. Sometimes it's a respectable groups, others times it's mid-2400 GMs. Other times (not so often now) there are not enough players so there is a double RR or the group is cancelled.
Prices are negotiable too for the higher groups. The norm business here is a little cottage industry for getting foreign currency. Don't expect a fair deal. It's all the fun of buying a used car when dealing with the organizer.
My little campaign to tell every foreigner I meet or know has resulted in the local foreign residents that I know getting offered the Hungarian price for the FM groups but I don't think this will apply to unsuspecting tourists who keep showing up.
If you're still going to come after this, don't accept any price that is quoted for accomodation if you asked to pay the organizer. These are rooms given to him by the hotel so the price is also negotiable.
I'm going to be stunned to see another Canadian player here any time soon. Well happy new year in advance.
Michael Yip
PS I'm known as the 'enemy of First Saturday' now
Foreign players should note these are the 'tourist' prices. Example FM-A group for FIDE 2000-2100 the listed price is 140EUR(187USD/191CAN/42,428HUF. The price for a Hungarian player in the same group with the same rating is 39EUR(53USD/54CAN/ 12,000HUF) which is still expensive by Hungarian standards(more than double other round robins I played in).
Prices are negotiable(!). Just refuse to get gouged. In my first year living in Budapest I was charged these kind of prices for a year. There is no need for you to suffer the same fate.
NOTE also there are NO prizes for any groups. All other Budapest tournaments(RR or Open) have modest prizes. All the money goes to the organizer.
First Saturday depends on a steady stream of unsupecting newcomers to replace the ones who don't come back. Don't be a naive tourist! I have given the same pricing warning many times so hopefully you are not reading this for the first time. There are many ways to have a nice chess time in Hungary but First Saturday RRs are not one of them-unless you desperately want a norm shot.
If you are thinking of the IM norm group very common are groups where the IMs are barely 2300 or just a bit over. These are really FM 'norm' groups if there were such things. The GM groups problem is the variability in strength of the participating GMs. Sometimes it's a respectable groups, others times it's mid-2400 GMs. Other times (not so often now) there are not enough players so there is a double RR or the group is cancelled.
Prices are negotiable too for the higher groups. The norm business here is a little cottage industry for getting foreign currency. Don't expect a fair deal. It's all the fun of buying a used car when dealing with the organizer.
My little campaign to tell every foreigner I meet or know has resulted in the local foreign residents that I know getting offered the Hungarian price for the FM groups but I don't think this will apply to unsuspecting tourists who keep showing up.
If you're still going to come after this, don't accept any price that is quoted for accomodation if you asked to pay the organizer. These are rooms given to him by the hotel so the price is also negotiable.
I'm going to be stunned to see another Canadian player here any time soon. Well happy new year in advance.
Michael Yip
PS I'm known as the 'enemy of First Saturday' now
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