OTB Chess960, in Michigan

I continue a multi-year quest to play Chess960 against carbon based life forms, in real time, without electronic intervention.

(I should add also, that aren't my son.  He and I sometimes play.)

I am once again hosting a real, honest to goodness, chess tournament, and if enough people show up, it will feature a real Chess960 section.

The tournament will be a four round, G/25 d/5 Swiss Style tournament, with rated and unrated sections and yes, Chess960. Details at http://gamesinmichigan.com/warriorschess

Of course, people have to show up in order to hold the tournament.  Will they?  

Finding people who want to play is very difficult, but I'm trying a couple of new variations that I hope will attract a crowd.  ("Crowd" being defined in a rather loose sense of the word.  Enough to play a four round tournament is a "crowd".)

First, the level of commitment required is even lower than my usual tournament format.  I've cut out one round, which cuts out the need for a lunch break.  I've cut the entry fee to five dollars.

Second, I have a new site which I'm excited about.  The Warriors 3 game store in Wayne, Michigan has a great room that is not part of the actual store.  It's totally sealed off, plus it has a skittles room available inside the store.  It should be a great venue.  Since it is a commercial establishment, it also has some reach beyond the USCF channels where my advertising (such as it is) usually goes. I'm hoping that among the gamers who frequent the store, there are some who want to play something "more serious",but without taking the plunge into full on tournament Chess.

We shall see.  And if not, there's Chess.

Plus, in the skittles room, I will have my collection of abstract/combinatorial games, including Chess variants like Shogi and Xiangqi, Go, and modern games including Hive and Khet.

Will people leave their house to play any game other than Chess?  Time will tell.  If you live near Detroit and are free on October 12, head down to Michigan avenue in Wayne.

Does anyone know of any other Chess960 tournaments, anywhere?  The only one I have ever heard of in the United States was an tournament among some US grandmasters some time ago in Saint Louis.  There was an article about it in Chess Life. I think it was the Kings vs. Queens tournaments, a male vs. female challenge.

The biggest tournament used to be the Mainz Classic, but I think that one closed down a couple of years ago.

Online Chess is fine, but OTB is much better.  I would just like to see something besides Chess all the time.