2013 World Open

I was considering playing in the 2013 World Open in the U2200 section, since I've only played before in smaller regional events. Are any other members planning to go?  I ran into a problem in that when I entered hotel dates in to check the price they said they were already sold out!  so the tournament flyer "hotel rate" of around $100 a night becomes $200-$300 a night at another comparable hotel (i.e. not fleabag) and I'd have to travel to the site each day.. that's just not feasible.  I think they're going to have a big problem if the hotel is indeed already sold out.

I have been to that tournament many times.  The hotel issue happens all the time.  They are not out of rooms.  They typically run out for the World Open around early May.  This is a notorious problem that seems to happen with CCA events (not limited to the World Open).

Send an email to Bill Goichberg (go to www.chesstour.com, the email is listed on the home page (spelled out, I think to avoid spammers, you'll know what I mean).

I won't be at the World Open this year.  Going to the Chicago Open (May) and US Open (July/August).

Also, a word of note.  Another issue that is notorious for happening with CCA events is that hotels will block only King rooms, not 2 Double rooms, even though Bill will specifically tell them they will need majority 2 Double, as chess players often tend to go in pairs and split room costs (as will be the case with me in Chicago).  It's not that CCA doesn't know what they are doing.  It's the hotels being stupid!  Trust me!

I am for sure going to chicago open, not so sure about world open.

Hotels will often claim that the "chess rate" is sold out inaccurately. In this case you should call them during business hours and ask to speak directly to whoever the liaison is (you can usually get this information from CCA). In this particular case, you're looking so early that the hotel might not be aware of what you are referencing. It should also be noted that the World Open is at a new location this year. 

Usually the hotel deadline dates on the chesstour website are pretty accurate, though being early is better than close to the deadline. 

Go to chesstour.com for the more pertinent information.

What section of the Chicago Open?  For me, it will either be the Under 2300 or Under 2100.  I'm teetering at the cutoff, currently 2082.

u2100 got to win one of these and get a higher floor, so I can start playing riskier stuff in tournaments that aren't fide rated without fear:p

If you guys studied hard for the next two months imagine how much stronger than the rest of the field youd be haha.

If you're to try to win the U1600 World Open for instance, your quality of play should be 1800-2000 level.  And to win the U2200 section of the World Open you should be playing at the level of a solid to strong master.  And it helps to be near the top of your section in rating.  I don't think the turnout will be that great given the new location [I'm not playing this year and neither will some of my Philly friends and may deter turnout for some players from NY/NJ if they cannot take a train] but we'll see...

If I study hard for the next 2 months, I'll probably be over 2100, and be on the lower end of the section playing in the Under 2300!  LOL!

Works both for and against you.  I'm currently studying a number of books, specifically:

Winning Chess Middlegames - Sokolov
Grandmaster Preparation: Calculation - Aagaard
The Grandmaster Battle Manual - Kotronias
Chess On The Edge: Volume 1 - Harper and Seirawan
My Great Predecessors Part I - Kasparov (Just starting Alekhine, finished the other 3)
One Opening book that I'd studying heavily for Black, and for the time being, using most my White Opening books as reference after a game.  Shoring up my Black game first.

haha atleast you have motivation to study books.  I am too lazy for that.  Instead I go to my chessclub twice a week at my university and just play with 2100s constantly.

UMBC or Texas?

People sandbag in these tournments.  The U1600 winner may in reality be some GM from Uzbekistan, playing under God knows what name, somebody that you and I have never heard of in our lifes.

You might be over 2100 strength but no reason you have to play in a tournament before then, you could be the absolute favorite for the u-2100. I like your books! Ive actually read a little over a chapter in Sokolov's book myself, maybe 2 I cant remember. Currently Im mostly shoring up my opening knowledge though. Cant be spending 30-60 minutes on the first 12 moves now can I?

Illinois haha we were sneaky at Panams.

Guys is there an U1400 for people rated 1400 blitz that sucks like me??? :)

I do that I'll get rusty.  I play 1 rated game a week at the club (G/90) and I play in a large number of tournaments.

I have had over 100 USCF Rated Games every year from 1998 to 2012, and closer to 150 to 180 in the 1998 to 2003 stretch when I was single.  I'm not the type that can sit out for 4 months and then try to play 7 games of tournament chess in a weekend.

My assumption would be half the players are sandbagging in some form or other (not neccesarily in a dishonorable way, possibly just by booking up and avoiding tournaments for awhile), and that if I entered in my section I would get slaughtered.

Sandbagging doesn't require fraud.  They have partially fixed the issue maybe 5 to 10 years ago.  Sandbagging can be as simple as playing in your local tournaments at the club and throwing your games.  Not blatantly, like allowing the Scholar's Mate or Fool's Mate, but making a series of 2nd best moves against lower rated players to get draws and losses against them.

So what you'd do is take your 2105 rating (which would be a 1900 floor), throw a bunch of games at the club in January, February, and March, and get yourself down to 1980, and then win the Under 2000 section, for example.

Now, if your rating was 30 above the limit in the last 12 months, you are capped at $1500 (I think, it might be $2000).  So if that 2105 sandbags to 1980, and score 8.5/9, yeah it's a loss for 8 of his opponents, but he's only getting $1500 instead of $14k, and so second place becomes something like $18k (I haven't looked at the actual numbers).

Back in 1999, my first year at the World Open, there was no such limit.  Every player has the right to inactivity, but then you risk getting rusty.  Remember Michael Jordan?  He won the NBA Title in 1991, 1992, 1993, didn't play 1993-1994 after his father got killed, and in the 1994-1995 season, he came back in March.  He was rusty, and the Bulls lost in the Playoffs as the Magic went to the finals.  Then Jordan won again in 1996, 1997, and 1998, so sitting out isn't always the answer either, but it is a legal one at least.

I played in the World Open 8 times.  U2000 in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2005.  Under 2200 in 2004 and 2009.  My rating in 2004 was just over 2000, so not over the 30 point limit, and was legitimately eligible in 2005 for full prize credit, and happened to be the top seed with a rating of 1997, not by sandbagging, but by coincidence.  I tied for 4th in both 2002 and 2005, so even being the highest rated player doesn't assure victory.  In 2002, I started with a draw and loss before basically running the table rounds 3 thru 9 except for a draw round 7.  In 2005, I actually started with a loss as the top seed, re-entered and stayed in the same schedule, taking a half point bye, so basically bought a 1/2 point for $120.  I won rounds 2, 3, and 4 before drawing round 5.  Got a win in round 6, and lost the 7th for a score of 5/7.  Two wins the last day got me in a tie for 4th and $650.  Had I not re-entered, my pairings would be different, so can't compare, but 6 1/2 got $300 if I remember right, so I paid an extra $120 to get $350 more than if I had scored a half point less.

So I can safely tell ou that while my ratings and results were legitimate, even those that Sandbag don't have it easy either.

I guess Im sort of sandbagging in that I dont live very close to any big chessclubs so no rated tournaments nearby, I only have money to enter a tournament and stay at a hotel maybe 3-4 times a year, and Im pretty motivated to improve. So basically every tournament Ive entered since I was a 1600uscf player Ive gained atleast 40 rating points haha.

I'm joining the 2013 world open, but i dont know if i should join the 3-day part, 4-day part, or 5-day part.