2013 World Open

So, the world open is in arlington. I am 1220 uscf should i enter the U1400. Im afraid there may be huge sandbaggers and all and my dad is paying a lot of money. 2 hours drive, 350 dollars entry fee+3 nights, which is like another 300 dollars. Should i go or stay

I went and didn't have any trouble but my friend ran into a cheater... Anyway I got 6/9 although that had to be the luckiest tournament ever. Big mistakes were made in just about all of my games. I think I only played one game well where I kept an advantage the entire game and even that one had weird moves. The biggest thing is to just make sure your pieces aren't hanging. I hung two knights and a few pawns during the tournament... I'm also pretty sure that my lack of opening knowledge actually ended up confusing a lot of my opponents. In the few tournaments I played I never got wiped out by anyone.

im not really 1200. i just started uscf tournaments. im actually 1500-1600

It really won't be unlike other tournaments (except with more people) so your game probably won't improve more than if it was a local tournament. Still the experience of going to a World Open might make the trip worth your money.

if you say you really believe that you should be rated around 1500-1600 then I think it's definitely a good investment. the reason I say that is that you should be well above the avg U1400 player and could make a lot of money in this tournament; ergo, high risk but higher reward

that being said, I would only take that advice if you really do believe you should be rated around 1500-1600. the most important thing is to be honest with yourself

also - looking at your chess.com ratings, I strongly believe it's worth the trip. you really should have a good shot at making a lot of money if you bring your A-game

Go have a good time, don't worry about winning money it will only ruin the experience I went once and had a great time can't wait to go back. Treat it as a vacation there is nothing like playing in a major tournament local tourn. don't even come close Yes it is a lot of money but the trip and the memories are well worth it. If you go let us know how you did.

So you are a sandbagger worried about other sandbaggers? I am just joking with you. Impressive ratings you have. Good luck kid. I hope you win.

haha, i guess so brasigringo. but i dont really know if im a 1500-1600. ive beaten 1880 fide people and 1700 uscf people but i have also lost to 1478 people due to touch move and 1600's through exhaustion. thanks for all your feedback, very supportive

I've never been there, but it has to be one of the best tournaments to go to in America just for the experience as posters above said.  Have a good time and maybe you'll suprise yourself 

I went to a Wisconsin State Tournament and while certainly not nearly as big, I've always wished I could go back and do it all over again. If just for the experience, I'd say go for it!

First day 2 lose 1 win. I have never missed such simple tactics it's crazy 6 more to go. Feeling kind I f sad

well it's a good thing you have 6 more to go you can still end up with a great result

U1400 haha why is orb do much harder for me

U1800 has been pretty hard so far.

Maybe it's just first day jitters. You'll find the groove.

I'm playing in the U2200. My published rating is 1955 (it's actually near 2000), and I'm 2.5/4.

@TitanCG, when somebody has a bad start at one of these long 9 round tournaments, I like saying: "Don't worry. There's always tommorow. And the next day. And the next day..."

As others have said, 'Enjoy yourself'.  My first time at the WO left me with good memories.  So, 2 things I recommend for you to do; aside from playing your best, of course. 

#1, take advantage of the free GM analysis of your game.   #2, get a t-shirt.  The last time I went (2009) there was one vendor with cool tournament themed shirts. 

I have never met a 1200 who made no mistakes. Well theres my first draw

tough first day in the U2000 section, went 2-2-1 for a 2.5/5 ... time to go streaking!