Ashley's Million-dollar chess tourney - but bring your own clocks

Looking at your USCF card, looks like you were probably about a 1600 strength player who had a good tournament.  Although your results for the year leading up to that tournament were consistently 1100-1200 strength, which is kind of strange.

Of course, being a kid, I guess that's not so surprising.

I wasn't really a kid, around 17 at the time of the tournament. I've yet to have such a good result in a tournament again, and play very inconsistently OTB and online..

17 is a kid by my definition.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elo_rating_system

Read the first few paragraphs under Mathematical details.  The higher rated player isn't expected to win every game.  In fact, when the rating difference is less than 200 (as in the MC Open class sections), the lower rated player will win or draw a good share of the time.

loaded like a freight train. flying like an airplane. feeling like a space brain in vegas tonight.  watch out.

I'm a mean machine, been drinkin' gasoline, and honey you can make my motor run . . .

the scars healing, but the dealer's squealing. the pool's in but the patio ain't dry.

Uncanny

I am not saying that a lower rated player will lose every single game; winning or drawing "a good share" of the time is not sufficient to win a prize.

Believe it or not, low-rated players do occasionally pick up some prize money.  I did it a couple of times last year (for some reason, I didn't make my usual stupid blunders in those tournaments).

Having what is supposed to be a high end event in an at best middle of the road Vegas casino does seem a bit of a blunder. Vegas for some reason has a glamorous image, but one's experience will vary sharply depending on the particulars.   

However, if they really are going to try to in the long term build a brand to exploit a market for high end events, naming themselves "Millionaire Chess" is probably the bigger blunder. It appears that there is a market for $1000 chess tournaments, just one that is at present and the foreseeable future not big enough to support million dollar prize pools plus expenses plus profit margin. Going forward, they either have to change the name, or look somewhat silly calling themselves that when they are offering $250K or so in prizes.

Changing the name makes the brand building of the first tournament nearly worthless... Not changing the name either locks them into unrealistic prize pools or makes them look dishonest. 

Well I hit my peak I think...haven't improved since then.

>naming themselves "Millionaire Chess" is probably the bigger blunder.<

The name should really be "Million Dollar Chess." Millionaire Chess implies that either millionaires are playing or that you can become one by winning. Neither is the case.

Since one of the organizers is a millionaire, maybe it refers to them. Kind of like "Kasparov Chess" if promoted by Garry Kasparov.

In any event, it's a bit misleading.

>It appears that there is a market for $1000 chess tournaments,<

That's a big maybe. I'm guessing most of the people who entered (and who won't win anything) are treating this as a once-in-a-lifetime event, a vacation with the added thrill of a high stakes chess tournament.

I can't see most of them re-upping next year. I said earlier there's probably a core 200-250 who would come back, almost all of them masters, and many of whom can write it all off as a business expense.

Strippers.

Man did not walk on the moon

Well articulated. "This" is the key to the success or failure of MC - not whether they are going to loose money in this first year's edition or whether they didn't get 1500 or 1000 registrants - which will be nothing in the long run.  

MC Team has to do everything to make sure your "this" calculation comes out wrong. Only time will tell although I know we have people in either side who knows what will happen in future ahead of time! 

First of all, I suggest not to feed the trolls in this post. Everyone, by now, know who I was referring to. Lower rated players have the same chance to win the money as experts. They all compete in their own sections against players of the equal strength. I personally LOVE the fact that tournament is in Vegas. In fact, I wouldnt go to any other place. In Vegas, I can take a break from the family, drink (not getting shit faced), play poker (Which i play much better than I play chess), go clubbing Friday and Saturday.

I am one of the early registrants and certainly signed up for much of the rationale described above - although I plan to make it an annual event.

For a variety of reasons it is difficult for me to play in tournaments frequently and ironically a local one is more logistically difficult (too many distractions and I would rather stay at a nice hotel than commute back and forth - so may as well go someplace).

I am part of the target market of players with scarce time looking for an opportunity to enjoy a big tournament in a location that would be a destination for us in its own right. Being comfortable and enjoying the experience, and having my wife able to join me and enjoy herself while I am focused on the tournament makes this attractive to me.

Mine is probably a common story among players in this tournament. But it really does all come down to what individuals are after. Your mileage may vary and what makes something attractive to me may be the very reason others want to avoid it. Everything has its target markets. I think MC has two key markets: Those that see a real opportunity to do well and those like me that see what may be one of our best opportunities to get a big tournament experience in a setting we will enjoy.

Completely agree with mattchess

ditto mattchess... my case is same as yours. i just have 1 additional problem of managing a 6 day vacations more than once a year from office (because i go to non chess vacations too)... but once or even twice a year i will be able to manage. see you in vegas!