tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604794.post113617795051302781..comments2023-12-23T22:39:28.476+01:00Comments on Chess News & Events: QuestionsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604794.post-1136844244860081562006-01-09T23:04:00.000+01:002006-01-09T23:04:00.000+01:00Yes, the organizer sets the entry fees to cover th...Yes, the organizer sets the entry fees to cover the prize fund, as well as the tournament expenses and (hopefully) a profit. <BR/><BR/>I think the HB Global EF was about $300-$350 depending on how early a player registered. The tournament lost a ton of money, and the organization that ran it has ceased to exist.<BR/><BR/>But you must understand, the US has perhaps a couple of dozen tournaments each year with large prizes and multi-hundred-$ entry fees, which is not many considering the size of the country. <BR/><BR/>Most tournament chess is played in smaller, cheaper events, many in clubs. At my club (the Marshall in New York City), there's a weekly blitz tournament for $5 or $10, frequent quickplays at $15 to $40 (serveral every week), and a few slower tournamnets at $20 to $40. The entry fees depend on the size of the prize fund; we do seem to have a mania for money prizes.<BR/><BR/>Most adult chess is played in club tournaments like that. Thger are also many tournaments for school children, which usually have no money prizes and are inexpensive.<BR/><BR/>I don't think the poor development of players in the US is because of the entry fees. It's more because, in our culture, being a chess professional gets you very little money and even less prestige.<BR/><BR/>Also, the fact that we don't have a league system like European countries probably hurts the popularity of chess.ed g.https://www.blogger.com/profile/11919010458729730372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604794.post-1136825886116247292006-01-09T17:58:00.000+01:002006-01-09T17:58:00.000+01:00Thanks for raising the issue. Sorry I did not see...Thanks for raising the issue. Sorry I did not see your post until DG linked to it today. Yes, that would make a good topic for discussion. I will say that clubs and individual philanthropists will usually cover the fees for promising young players, especially through clubs. But the overall structure does create a barrier to participation.<BR/><BR/>I have been developing a couple longer reflections on related issues and will be sure to mention this when I post those.Michael Goellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14512012158305281566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604794.post-1136219467692093732006-01-02T17:31:00.000+01:002006-01-02T17:31:00.000+01:00I'd be interested to see what they say too. Who c...I'd be interested to see what they say too. Who can pay that much on top of travelling expenses? (I do think it was closer to $350 though, which is still a lot of money for anything, much less a chess tournament).DreadPirateJoshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00758323292473905225noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604794.post-1136195031362042392006-01-02T10:43:00.000+01:002006-01-02T10:43:00.000+01:00Actually Goran, after a bit of googling, it seems ...Actually Goran, after a bit of googling, it seems that the HB group is kaput. And with the group dead, it means that the tournament may also be dead. Check out this post by Mig.<BR/><BR/>http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/archives/hb_foundation_foundered.htmThe Closet Grandmasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17680425849888374045noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13604794.post-1136194684913536482006-01-02T10:38:00.000+01:002006-01-02T10:38:00.000+01:00Check out the FIDE chess event in Chicago: http://...Check out the FIDE chess event in Chicago: http://www.fidechessinchicago.com/info.html. The entry fee for those rated 2000-2199 is US$500! I read this today and nearly fell off my chair. And I thought Australian tournaments were rip offs! But the US one is downright extortion to me. But I am certain that there is a logical explanation.The Closet Grandmasterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17680425849888374045noreply@blogger.com