2026 Daily Chess Championship - Timeout Disaster

I will have to admit, that this is the first Chess Tournament, that I have ever participated in. And the Numbers are impressive. 55.000 Players. 609.300 Matches to play in Round 1. And then the first 24 Hours passed by and I witnessed, how as of yesterday Evening the Numbers for "finished" Games due to Timeout increased at a Pace, that one was hardly able to refresh the Page often enough.

As I write this (Saturday the 3rd January, 8.15 PM CET), the total Amount of forfeited Games due to Timeout is 173.454, or 28.46% of all Games that have to played in Round 1. I have little doubt, that this Number will go up in the next Days.

I do not judge. At least not the Players. There may be a Plethora of Reasons, why so many drop out of the Contest. Respectively don`t show up in the first place. Maybe they really had no time. Maybe they forgot about it. After all, this is not really an important Event in anyone`s Life. Maybe some were disappointed to learn, that there are no monetary Prizes to win for playing good and winning a lot of Matches. I saw a few Questions in that regard. But there is one Aspect, that I would like to put in the Limelight, because I do think that it is a contributing Factor.

A Cooking Recipe

I don`t want to go full David Attenborough on you, but I would like you to take a look at this little Fellow.

This is a Seal. Cute Guy, right? He brings me directly to the act of Seal Clubbing. The more gruesome Version is a national Pastime in Canada, next to Ice Hockey and Lacrosse. But the Version that I mean refers, according to Urban Dictionary, to:

"When an Individual who is highly skilled at a Task, competes with other people who are relatively new/unskilled at said Task. Often used in Multiplayer Video Games."

Keeping this in mind, let`s take a look at Group 27 of this Tournament.

Let me get this straight. Chess.com starts a massive Tournament. It divides the Participants in Groups of 12 People. Only one Person can advance. Then it puts Titled / Highranking Players together in a Group with 11 Noobs. Jeez, I wonder what the Result may be.

I hope that absolutely nobody is surprised, when Lowranked Players take a look at this and say: "Nah, I am good" and leave the Competition for good to do something Fun instead. When the Tournament started, I saw way too many "I am cooked" Comments from Lowranking Players, after they saw their Group Composition. Yes! You are cooked. And looking at the Matchmaking, that is exactly the desired Result. 

Conclusion

Chess.com is well advised to either:

Stop starting Open Tournaments, when the only Reason for Lowranking Players to exist in them is to serve as Cannon Fodder for Titled / Highranking Players. Because it is quite obvious, that they are not wanted anywhere near Round 2.

or

Change the Matchmaking in a way, that People get into a Group with Players of their own Skill Level only. By doing that it is made sure, that even Lowranking Players have a Chance to advance to Round 2. Maybe even Round 3. In the end it will still be a Highranking Player, that will win the Tournament. As it should be. But at least this way the Tournament will be Fun for more Players beyond the select few.

This being said, due to three Players` Timeouts in my Group, I have gained my 22nd and 23rd Passport, without having played against the respective People.  Hooray!

Good luck with all your Games and I see you out there.