OTB Tournament Playing Conditions

What conditions in otb events are important to you? Whats the best/worst conditions you have played under and why?  Do you have a memorable event that stands out due to great or terrible conditions? What changes would you make if you could?

I want to have TDs which are monitored by the certifying agency and want to remove the apparent conflict of interest between making a large number of 3 tournament UNRs happy to allow their stupid three year old brother to run around the hall screaming and kids playing bug-house in the hallway so noisily tey can be constantly heard inside the tournament hall, and having a well run tournament which is quiet, and has REAL penalties for offenders, and TDs who do not enforce those penalties. Lets not have dumbed down no clock, no scorepad, "pubic school" style bronx/harlem etiquete, with people dribbling basketballs inside the roo where games are in progress, people walking around with babys in the Touranement hall, beepers and cell phones going aff and people answering them. It has gotten REALLY out of hand and w should protect and promote the sanctity of REAL tournament chess. I once had to threaten to get up a physically beat the (bleep) out of some (bleep) who kept talking while my opponent and I had to play a rook+knight + pawns ending with 2 minutes between us. The TD was not to be found and there were no TH monitors!

Kids should write moves until one or both has 5 min or less, NO rated game should take place without a clock. ALL game should use the proper time delay. Noone who is not a real TD shoud=ld be allowed to act as one etc.

Wow Johngalt !  I didnt realize things in US chess had gotten so bad?!  I have been playing in Europe since 1997 and things here , while not perfect, are not nearly so bad as what you describe. If a player's cell phone rings during a game here they are forfeited, especially IF the opponent complains. If noone complains they sometimes let it slide. My worst experience here is playing a team game in winter in an old building that had no heat. I was freezing the entire game! I was so cold that I had to constantly leave my seat and walk around even though I kept my winter coat during the game. I started making my moves standing up and was told that I had to sit to actually play my moves. I told me team captain that I would never play under such conditions again and havent to date.

I agree with Reb. Though I played very little, I've never even heard about such terrible conditions of play. I don't think that here any chessplayer would accept to play like this.

As for my worst tournament, it was when a player was clearly sick, had a cold and was always sniffing. Each of his opponent got also sick (I was of course one of them) and scattered it. At the 9 th day, almost every player in the tournament got it : talk about a prize !

One of my worst tournies in Europe was in Spain. The sets we were playing on were ridiculous. They were cheap plastic pieces and many times you would have pieces from 3 different sets! The pieces werent even from the same set! So, on some boards the bishops were taller than king and queen, etc. I have not been back to this event since that horrible experience. Now , I always take a nice wooden set with me to use in case this ever happens anywhere else.

I've heard that american players have to bring their own chess set & clock in tournament.

At my first tournament (Paris championship 2005), tables were too small for the board, clock & scoresheets. So they had to put 2 tables for each board. But then that was too large : some children have have to climb on their chair to reach pieces on the last rank. That was also difficult for some old people, so you pushed the board closer to them, but you're the one who have almost to stand up to play your move. 

Yes, in the US its normal that players bring pieces/clocks/boards and usually their own "scorebook".  This has advantages and disadvantages ofcourse. Its surprising to me that organizers dont seem to put much importance in comfortable playing conditions in many tournaments I have attended. Fortunately , I have also attended tournaments in which playing conditions were superb and this helps endure the ones that are not so superb.

Just so everyone doesn't judge all American tournaments based on Johngalt's comments, I'll say that I've never had experiences quite that bad, despite playing several tournaments in Johngalt's home town! I live in Boynton Beach, which is two towns north of Boca Raton, where his profile says he's from. I usually can't make it to the Boca Chess Club due to timing issues, but I've been there quite a few times, especially when they run their big annual event in November every year.

 

I've never seen a rated game without a clock. I have seen people make noise in or around the tournament room occasionally, but the TD's usually try to keep them quiet. Some are better at this than others, of course. And some TD's are stricter about announcing and enforcing penalties for cell phones going off than others.

 

One of the worst I've seen was last weekend's Miami Open. The tournament had different schedules, so different players were starting their games at different times, all in the same room. Unfortunately, this meant that the people coming in to start their games were talking, while others were already playing. The silliest part of all this is that there were a bunch of smaller rooms off to the side that were unused, which could have been used to segregate the different groups of players to avoid all this.

 

As for bringing equipment, yes, that is the norm here in America. Players bring their own sets and clocks. USCF has standards for what's acceptible, to make sure everyone brings Staunton design, normal size, etc. The player with the black pieces has the choice of what to use, as long as it meets USCF standards. If their clock can't handle the delay, the other player can insist on using one that does. For the most part, it works well, since everyone's got pretty standard equipment, except the clocks that tend to be somewhat random.

 

Theoretically, I'd think that this would help create more clubs, since there wouldn't be the price of equipment as part of the club's startup cost. They just have to find a place to meet and advertise, and people show up with their own equipment.

 

--Fromper 

I feel that on my last tournament the conditions where horrible. It was located in a chess club but the building has a tin roof. It was weekend tournament and the heat was 40 degree C. There wasn't much space between the tables and definitely not enough air to breathe. I drank 2 litre water per game. My head was red all the time. The other seemed to be used to these conditions. After all this was their chess club. I coudn't sit in the hall so I had to walk out after I played my move and to check from time to time had my opponent moved. 

Air conditionar could do the job. 

Thanks

Lyubo 

When I think of the best playing conditions I have experienced 2 tournaments come to mind immediately.  1Benasque 2004  (Spain)  and  Traunsee Open 2007 (Gmunden Austria)  Why? Rounds started on time, arbiters did their jobs properly, lighting excellent, plenty of space and good chess boards, pieces.

Many tournaments do have better playing conditions. Sometimes organizers and TDs have been cheated by a venue which promised NOT to have noisy events on the same day and the same place as the tournament and did. The "Turkey Bowl" hosted by FAU and with Jon Haskel as TD are usually very well run and quiet. The venue is coopeative. This is also a tournament with few young children. Kids can learn a lot about manners just by learning how to behave at a chess tournament and learning to do so. There should be some area between the skittles area and the tournament hall. also people should not report their results verbally but in writing, and outside the playing hall. People shuld be kept a respectful distance from the doors which open into the playing hall and childrens horseplay must be prohibited. People should be automatically and immediately forfeited for a cell phone going off audibly in the playing area with games in progress within earshot of it. Playesrs should not be required to complain as they may be inhibited to do so for fear of reprisal. TDs should be paid by the Chess federation, not the organizer, or there should be some arrangement to get all TDs to be more concerned with the tournament running properly, than hurting the feelings of a parent of a child who knows nothing of how to behave, where the parent sets no example either. Maybe if organizers actually were able to provide some cheap entertainment aay from the tournament hall it would be good. Also if there were a cost effective way to do so at scholastic events, a way to relay the game to a spectator area which players are NOT allowed to visit as long as any games are still n progress and spectators in this area are not allowed to speak privately with any competitor while games are in progress without a TD or assistant in on the conversation ( to prevent inadvertant assistance by parent with monroi.com and fritz 10 on the same computer) It is not that we think the parent is deliberately influencing their child, or even accidentally doing so, but to make all competitors feel comfrtable that such a thing is completely impossible. If you have a parent or coach ( or anyone with an invested interest in the outcome of any of the games in progress) who has a laptop, monroi.com and fritz running on the same computer, the possibility of any communication with any person who will be reentering the T hall, or who may communicate with someone who is could inadvertantly influence a game without even intending to.

Sometimes just the look on someones face may give away whether someone tinks they are ( say ) winning or losing.

That could be usefull information. Maybe not but it should not be possible. Perhaps devices like Monroi should not be broadcasting a signal to the internet with the game on it while it is being played.

 

btw FIDE has the right idea re: USCF 14 e2, and 14 e3, these rules should be simply stricken out.

Im yet to play an OTB tournament and looking forward to enter one next year, how many games do you think I will lose before I get the drift of it?

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