Saturday, May 05, 2007
My last post was about chess cheaters and the best way to remove them from our beloved game. This post started a thread on rec.games.chess.misc and generated a very insightful comment that pointed out a shortcoming in the post. I was negligent in discussing what are valid prizes. This is a big deal because I believe that you shouldn't point out problems unless you are willing to provide a solution or at least work toward finding one. As you can probably guess this post will be all about prizes that are enticing to players, but are not the prizes cheaters will go after.Let me start with cash. There is nothing wrong with cash prizes. The problem is excessive cash prizes. A cash prize that covers the tournament expenses is fine. A cash prize that's equivalent to a new car is not. Unfortunately it's too hard to distinguish between what's a safe amount and what's too much so it's probably a good idea to just stay away from cash. I am convinced that the players that are motivated by cash are in a small minority of players so eliminating this from all sections except the open shouldn't hurt attendance.
Now on to what I consider prizes that everyone can feel good about providing. Let's start with the old standby, trophies. Trophies are wonderful. Unlike money a trophy last forever. It's a great reminder of an event that you did well at and they say something about you. I did a little research and found that trophies have come a long way from when I was a little kid. We are not limited to plastic and marble bases anymore. The choices for trophies has grown considerably and the material ranges from plastic to crystal and everything in between. The price range for these items also varies considerably depending on the quality of the material and the complexity of the design. With all these options you can see that we could play and win several tournaments without getting the same kind of trophy twice.
The final prizes I would like to mention are books/equipment. These types of prizes are great because I can't think of a single chess player that isn't always trying to get there hands on more chess stuff. Books, DVD's, clocks, and high end chess sets are prizes that can be useful to chess players. Along these lines a training session with a local GM would also be very appealing. These prizes are only appealing to chess players. What would a chess cheat do with a free lesson?
The idea of moving away from cash prizes is not a new and radical change. There are plenty of other very successful competitive events that never give out money. I can't think of a 5K run that gives much more then t-shirts and many racquetball and orienteering races give shoes and other equipment as prizes. Chess at the non-professional level should be all about the love of the game not the cash prize.
Labels: Chess Cheats
posted by John Evans at 7:17 AM
69 Comments:
I agree with you.
Entry fees should be low and there shouldn't be any cash prizes at amateur events. "Amateur" means someone who play for the love of the game not for money.
If somebody wants to organize events with a Professional/Open top section with cash prizes, that would be OK. But the cash prizes should come from sponsors, or from the players i those sections; I don't want to subsidize those cash prizes.
But the amateur sections should have no cash prizes and low entry fees.
The formula for the major Opens in the United States is that amateur players fund large prizes for the top players through extremely high entry fees. As a consolation, their entry fees funds high class prizes as well, and competitors get an apparent lottery ticket for a large class prize. At best the lottery ticket has low odds, and unless you are a sandbagger or a rapidly improving young player, it most probably has even lower odds than it looks.
It seems to me that if you want to gamble, you're better off going to a casino and betting on red at the roulette table.
Thank you!
I honestly believe that chess has withstood the test of time not because prize funds have increased, but because chess like mathematics or art is language that is universal. Its pure and beautiful and we who truly love it understand that anything that hurts the reputation of chess hurts all of us.
Lets not let the greed of the world ruin it. Chess belongs to all of us and its our duty to protect it.
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The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
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I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.
A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.
Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.
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Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
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I don't suffer from insanity. I enjoy every minute of it.
Hello all!
When there's a will, I want to be in it.
Oops. My brain just hit a bad sector.
Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.
I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!
Build a watch in 179 easy steps - by C. Forsberg.
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies
Save the whales, collect the whole set
Save the whales, collect the whole set
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.
Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
Magnific!
Oops. My brain just hit a bad sector.
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81
Give me ambiguity or give me something else.
Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math.
When there's a will, I want to be in it.
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies
I'm not a complete idiot, some parts are missing!
The gene pool could use a little chlorine.
Please write anything else!
Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
640K ought to be enough for anybody. - Bill Gates 81
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
C++ should have been called B
Save the whales, collect the whole set
A lot of people mistake a short memory for a clear conscience.
Ever notice how fast Windows runs? Neither did I.
When there's a will, I want to be in it.
Clap on! , Clap off! clap@#&$NO CARRIER
What is a free gift ? Aren't all gifts free?
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