Here is a picture from a recent chess event in Europe. In this picture, you can see a man setting up the wooden boards, wooden pieces and clocks for the organizer before a round. In America, even a US Champion and world-class player like GM Alex Onischuk is required to bring his own chess set and board to a major event like the World Open or Foxwoods Open.
Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
I’m from Germany and I play chess in many European countries. This is very common for all of us as you know. Why don’t the World Open and Foxwoods do this?
Yes, but not all tournaments require GMs to bring their own. Any national tournament I have ever been to, which I admit might only be 5 or 6, have supplied equipment for the top boards.
Goichberg doesn’t care.
That’s weird! Are the tournaments for weaker players in America like this as well, i.e. the players have to bring along their own set and clock?
Everything has a cost. In order to have chess sets & boards for every participant in a tournament (not counting clocks, or even the price of the chess sets), one must hire someone to store the sets, maintain the sets, set up the sets before each tournament, replace broken or missing pieces, spend money to replace stolen sets and boards, hire someone to collect all the sets after the tournament, and store them in a safe place for the next tournament.
Do GMs want tournament directors to spend money on providing sets for every participant in a tournament, or on adding it to the prize fund?
After all, most chess players have sets & clocks anyway. There are only a few too lazy to bring one to a tournament.
We’re not talking about every board. We’re talking about perhaps for the top 5-10 boards where superstars are playing. Sets and boards are provided for scholastic events and national open. Goichberg is the only big time organizer who doesn’t provide anything, even for top GMs and US Champion like Onischuk.
ahhhh – at no blitz or rapid tournament, not to mention any regular time control chess event in germany, i’ve played on amateur level in the past 35 years, i was forced to carry my own chess piece set and clock with me (of course, there are only wooden chess sets on tables 1-8 or so) – but it fits well to the fact, that e.g. a McDonald’s employee has to buy his/her own working suit in US, something unthinkable in germany (our unions are rather mighty!).
indeed – the US are – in some ways – a Third World Country …
@steven craig – i disagree with you: let the US organizers keep their two dimes to have a nice friday afternoon – and no – it won’t do anything to price funds, if the organizer would supply boards, pieces, clocks and manpower – in my humble opinion.
Even 5 or 10 sets has its own problems. Would you leave your chess set and clock set up between rounds at the Foxwoods or World Open? I doubt it, and if you did, you would run the chance of having it stolen. As I said, everything has its cost.
Excuse me, have you ever seen the set ups at the World Open or Foxwoods? The top section is roped off. There are always at least 2 TDs / relay persons at all times. No one can get in except the players. I can understand no clock. No one in America provides clocks. But a $2 board an $3 set for the top 5 and 10 boards at 2 of the biggest events in the US? You have to be kidding me.
No doubt the US has its problems, and I don’t care to enter a debate whether our social problems are better or worse than your country’s social problems. But you are not being fair when you claim that the price of providing sets and clocks for everyone would only cost Goichberg “two dimes.” Even for hyperbole, your statement is ridiculous. And I’m sure that Goichberg would be most willing to hire you (for 20 cents) to provide the boards and clock for him.
Anon, let’s not attack Bill Goichberg. He is not here to defend himself.
Thanks!
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
I actually like having to bring my own set and clock to tournaments. I am comfortable with the look and feel of the pieces and board I use. Moreover, if I bring a clock, I’m always assured that I’ll be using a digital clock, which I prefer because it allows me to see exactly how much time I have left and it allows for an increment. In a tournament with dozens, or hundreds, of players, it is likely that I would end up using a cheap analog clock- as buying a large number of digital clocks would be cost prohibitive for most tournaments.
Brad Hoehne
In the Philippines, the organizer always provides the boards, sets and clocks. The reason is that some players here are too poor to have their own sets. It’s pretty rare for a player to have his own clock.
But here’s the rub. The organizer never has enough sets and clocks bec he usually has no idea how many are coming. Pre-registration is a joke…nobody mails anything here. You have to go into federation HQ to pre-register. Today we started the National Age Group Chess Championship. According to players there, the organizer has enough boards but not sets(!) and of course not enough clocks. So they play in two shifts per round so each round takes twice as long to finish.
So for me, having players bring their own sets, boards and clocks is a GREAT idea.
I must admit that I like using my own set (wooden), board, and clock (chronos), also. And for what it is worth, at the last US Open, one round I got to my board only to find a piece missing. I spent 15 minutes or so contacting the TD (who did nothing) before I, crawling on the floor, found the missing piece.
I think it’s disrespectful not to provide at least sets and boards for the top boards at the World Open. I don’t know about Foxwoods since I’ve never been there. Onischuk pulled out of the World Open last year because of this reason. He felt very insulted.
Just my 2 cents.
LOL!??!?
Bring your own chess sets?!? LOL Even as a GM?????????
Impossible!!!!!!!! 😮
What is wrong with asking players to bring their own equipment to a tournament? A chess set and board costs a few dollars. A clock is more, but it still isn’t very expensive.
If it is true that organizers in Europe are expected to supply boards — indeed, *wooden* boards — why is that better.
As for the shock and horror that even, ohmygod, GRANDMASTERS are expected to provide their own equipment in the U.S., just like they were, you know, regular people — give me a break.
I would like to see Bill Goichberg demanding Kramnik, Topalov, Kasparov, Anand or any of these top GMs to bring their own boards and sets. That’s quite ridiculous.
To: just two cents
I have played in many World Opens, and one Foxwoods (among other tournaments). And while I can understand people wanting higher standards for playing conditions, there is an economic factor nonetheless. Why don’t you do a better job at it? Start your own mega-prize fund tournament and show us how it should really be done! No one is stopping anyone from doing a better job. GM Maurice Ashley has done so, but he his not putting out such mega-tournaments every year. If you want to run tournaments better than Goichberg, chess players would be more than willing to show up and play. But the fact is, whatever short comings Goichberg might have, at least he is willing to show year after year and put in the hard work of running a successful mega tournament. Talk is cheap, show us how you could do better!
It is up to each organizer to do as he / she wishes. We should not bash anyone. However, I do provide boards, wooden sets and clocks (choice of digital or analog) for ALL events at my chess center, even scholastic events. I have done this for 10 years already.
Best wishes,
Susan Polgar
http://www.PolgarChess.com
Bringing your own chess sets and clocks to a tornament has some advantages:
a] I have programed my clock to run faster on my opponents side than on my own.
b] Bringing my own pieces allows me to secretly write the opening moves on them to avoid memorization.
If the tournament provided all these I would be at a great disadvantage.
>>
I would like to see Bill Goichberg demanding Kramnik, Topalov, Kasparov, Anand or any of these top GMs to bring their own boards and sets. That’s quite ridiculous.
>>
If they play in an Open tournament, then maybe they should. Remember, this European tournament in the picture isn’t providing sets for just the GM’s, they’re doing it for everybody. That’s equal treatment, same as here. What you’re demanding is unequal treatment.
Anand, Topalov, etc don’t play in Goichberg’s tournaments, anyway.
This is because those tournaments are much more of a lottery than anybody is prepared to admit, with a so-called world-class grandmaster having a good chance of being embarassed.
Besides, the middle rounds of these tournaments are a hard slog. If you want to finish high it is obligatory to win, rather than agreeing to a friendly “energy-saving” draw between “equals”. That isn’t so easy.
You can’t compare chess in other continents and in the US. They respect chess players over there. It’s a different game.
For an event in which seeing the GMs play is one of the attractions of the tournament, I can see the sense of providing nice boards, sets, and clocks to the top boards; it makes everything look nicer and adds to the atmosphere of professionalism. But, for the rest of us, we can bring our own.
Susan Polgar wrote: >
My point is not that it can’t be done, only that there is an economic cost to it. Wooden sets and digital clocks are not free.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember you running an open mega-prize-fund tournament in the US year after year. (Although, personally, I think it would be great for you or someone else to try.)
Having sets and boards provided is a very nice touch in open tournaments, and I certainly enjoy that amenity when it exists. But having to bring my own set and clock to Goichberg’s tournaments is not a big deal for me. I’ve played in many of his events, they are well run, my advance registration is always handled properly, and the prizes are paid promptly. For me, it’s a non-issue.
Susan’s events are relatively small, especially the ones at her club. Some of the others that have her name on them aren’t really organized by Susan, and anyway, tend also to be small and/or are side events for larger open tournaments, like the National Open in Las Vegas.
Susan is right that what organizers do in their events is up to them and it isn’t carved in stone anywhere how tournaments have to be run. But what Susan does in her events is not really generalizable to large-scale events like Goichberg runs.
What does it cost to play in German, English or other European open (not a closed invitational event) – ? 100 euro ? 200 euro ? less ? more.
Just curious about the economics. Also the few large opens which are publicized on the web to the USA tend to have only 1-2 sections – “major” or “minor” and not as many subsections (e.g.
Sorry – clarification about last comment – I meant that the few open European events which are publicized in the USA – like Isle of Mann or Gibraltar seem to have only two sections. Sorry about the confusion
When I lived in France and Switzerland and played in open events and festivals, they tended to have quite low entry fees, around $20.
There were sponsors: generally banks, insurance companies, and public utilities. There was quite a lot of advertising for the sponsors around the place, like big banners, their logos on the score sheets, etc. There was often a press presence.
The “top” section often had quite large prizes, and attracted masters and grandmasters. But the lower sections usually had much smaller prizes than the class prizes in a typical Goichberg tournament.
This was about ten years ago; but I doubt it has changed dramatically.
>>LOL!??!?
Bring your own chess sets?!? LOL Even as a GM?????????
Impossible!!!!!!!! 😮
LOL. Do you know what the word “impossible” means? Hint: If they do it at the World and Foxwood Opens, that means it’s not impossible.
really?
r u kidding?
that can’t be happening in the U.S… I thought you wanted to be considered part of the “civilized world”!!!!!!
In Italy in every tournament organizers (with the help of one or more chess clubs) provides chess sets (often plastic sets), and clocks.
In Italy chess is not a “top” sport, but i think, even if provide board is a cost, organizers must do it. If you pay to play on a tournament, why you have to bring with you the board? I think it’s a non-sense.
ciao
Simone
>What does it cost to play in German, >English or other European open (not >a closed invitational event) – ? 100 >euro ? 200 euro ? less ? more.
In Italy I paid for the last tournament (regional tournament) 25 euro for 5 rounds.
Last december I played an Open tournament ( for players > 1700 Italian or FIDE ELO) and I paid 50 euro (7 rounds).
You can check the condition of one of the most interesting tournament in Italy here:(english version)
http://asd.caissa.it/en/index.php?cont=TORNEO&id_torneo=5
“The tournament will be played in a recently opened air-conditioned playing hall, with wooden chess sets and boards and DGT clocks for all players. Morning lectures of the duration of approximately one hour will be held by leading IM/GM trainers (among them Jacob Aagaard, Mihail Marin and Jonathan Rowson).”
This is very informative – so it seems that opens in Europe supply boards, sets and clocks and cost only around 25-50 euro for 5 rounds or so – a great bargain!
Does anyone know how the organizers arrange the boards and sets and clocks? Are there people or companies who handle chess equipment for hire? It can’t be a huge “market”?
just for completion:
the biggest open tournament in europe is Bad Wiessee, Germany – we had 447 regular participants (limited to 512) last year – the fee was 80 Euro (about 100 $) for 9 rounds of a swiss tournament …
no boards, no piece sets, no clocks needed …
and price categories
>2400
>2200
>2000
>1800
>1600
>1200
senior player prices, youth prices and so on …
it’s a matter of will, not of costs…
my last two pence!
Well, I’d rather bring my own good quality set than use the cheap plastic toy sets that are so common in the US. That is what I do.
Do top tennis players bring their own rackets? Do top golfers bring their own clubs? Do top bowlers bring their own balls?