I think it is great.
you cannot do anything about sandbagging.
just play your best chess. If you worry about what others do at otb tournament you can do like me quit otb chess. people are more tournament players than chess players. They calculate more on getting
draws with people they know.
I think on the other hand it is a good thing that there will be more money to chess.
I agree, it is a great chance to become rich.
I'm now going to leave my job, everyday I'll play 500 different tactics, and then I'll hire a GM or IM for a specific sharp opening repertoire.
That will give me a 90% chance of winning.
It's a good idea.
Let's see what calibre of participation it attracts.
I think this survey summarizes the big flop GM Ashley and partner are going toward ... maybe there is hope that not all chess players are easy marks.
Practically here we have 214 players who are ready to give GM Ashley 1000 dollars hoping they will win a lot of money! And about 1380 will watch in chess.com the eventual article on the competition, or if they have time watch a game or two online. And about 1470 don't care about the tournament or believe it will have enough participants.
To me some of the rules are ridicolous. Like the example of the French exchange considered drawish, when Waitzkin and Ashley prepared on it and played it to win.
Then there is the big problem of sandbagging.
But what I really don't understand is: why there are cups like Sinequefield, where the 4-5 players in it got more than 20K each, when that money could be used to sponsor an event like this one?
And last but not least, I read a comment which said that GM Ashley and the other organizers are filling up their pockets with at least 2 million dollars if 3000 people show up.