all right, kevin. not that i really have a snowball’s chance but i’m in! and i’m bringing some friends…
…scot…
Senior Open: Up to 42 entrants now, with 3 GMs so far, and a few more still possible.
I was giving serious consideration to playing this tournament until I was asked last week to teach two Summer semester college courses here in Vermont. That makes it impossible to attend.
What makes this event particularly appealing is the use of college dorm housing. This effectively cuts the hotel cost at least in half compared to many other multi-day tournaments. This is something US Chess might want to consider in future for events like the US Open and the staging of the delegates’ meeting.
I might have played, but I am not retired and did not want to have to take a bye in the first round. Some form of a 2 day option might not be a bad idea in the future for this event. Also, for an event of under 100 players it has a high entry fee.
Larry S. Cohen
When last at a College, in MN, it had 105 players. We expect it to have over 100 players here. It has an $8,000 prize fund --a 60% increase over the past few years with a much smaller increase in EF – less than 11% given that all the EF options from the past two years were/are available. Additionally, first place now receives an invitation to the U.S. Senior Invitational.
There was an early bird EF of $100 that was advertised beginning in October of last year that ran through 12/31, to provide players an opportunity to save on the EF. That is the same as the earliest EF over the past few years.
Many of our entrants, especially some of those who have played when this event was last at a college, simply took one day off from work, Larry. Another possibility is that a half point bye in round 1 is probably to your advantage in this event. But in any case, for at least the past 3 years, this has been the tournament format, and it’s probably been that format for longer.
There are some potential changes for the future, its not clear to me whether or not it will continue to follow this format. But given that the Midwest has produced some of the largest Senior Opens, with a great group of players, I think you might want to reconsider your reasons for not playing before you miss out on a great event.
With respect to College dorm pricing, players should also keep in mind that there are NO TAXES and NO TIPS for college dorms. In Chicago a $125 hotel room will easily cost over $150. Here a $55 dorm room costs $55.
Two years ago it was a huge success, my guess is this one will be just as nice if not better. I know I am one of the weaker players but I do not play a tournament for the money I play it for the fun. Only a hobby for me but I am enjoying it once again even if it is over 60 years after I first learned the moves.
I feel the schedule is perfect, especially for seniors over 65.
Had a blast when it was in Northfield, MN 2 years ago and stayed in the dorms. Had no complaints at all.
Thank you once again for making this a success.
In Northfield, there was a great restaurant, priced reasonable and had super service and food. Sorry at my age I can not remember the name but it was just down the street from the college. I am hoping I can find something that is similar to that. Would rather stay away from fast food but do not want to pay an outrageous price for dinner. Maybe you can recommend one or two places where the atmosphere is cheerful and the prices are moderate.
Hoping at the end we will get over the 105 mark. Great to see three GMs already signed up.
Hi,
I believe the restaurant in Northfield was called the Ole Store. (St. Olaf’s mascot is Ole). Naperville is well-known for a large number of restaurants, many are quite good and within walking distance. I am, however, uncertain of the balance between price and value…we are planning to do an emailing at least a week before the tournament of some of the nearby restaurants and other tournament information.
Yes, that was it, Ole Store, just was a great restaurant all around. Food was 9.5/10 and service was 10/10 and prices were 10/10 as well as atmosphere. Hard to find places to dine like this especially the closer you get to a large city. Am sure with all the food choices so close there will be a few excellent places for anyone’s pallet. Looking forward to it.
Including the mailed entries that we haven’t incorporated into the online system yet, we are around 55 Senior Open entries, with about a month to go.
Senior Open 61
Junior Open 91
How does this compare to two years ago in MN, the record setting event also held in a college setting.
What is the size of the playing facilities? How many seniors and juniors can it accommodate? Will everyone be playing in one room or are the Senior and Junior playing rooms separate from each other? There were concerns about crowding at a similar site. Will there be two or three boards on each table? Will sets and boards be provided? What provisions have been made to manage spectators? Will senior players have rules concerning mingling with juniors as coaches, parents, or spectators during the games? Are there going to be T-shirts or other tournament related merchandise available for purchase at the tournaments? A couple of chess moms peppered me with questions concerning most of the above.
For some of us, it is not possible to make a decision until the last minute about playing in a tournament like this because of work and family obligations. How many dorm rooms will be made available for use? Will the dorms accept walk-ins the day before or on the day of the event? A couple of juniors I know will not be able to make a decision about playing until after they come back from a STEM camp that finishes a couple days before the US Junior Open. We need to know if they will still have a chance to get a room regardless of the size of the events.
In terms of with a month to go, I am uncertain. With further entries today, we are getting close to 70 advance entries - at St. Olaf the total was 105.
Hi,
The total square footage available for playing rooms alone approaches 10,000 sq feet. The junior open and senior open are in two separate buildings, about 1.5 blocks apart. We have a significant number of TDs to manage the events. We anticipate a chess dealer to be available. Dorm rooms are sufficient - currently we could handle 350 overnight guests per night and won’t have that many. However, at some point rooms may go to other events. I would suggest that people email me directly close to the camp to check availability. It is LIKELY that rooms will be available, but at this point I cannot guarantee it.
There are also MANY hotels within 2.5 miles, some within a few blocks. However, that, of course, is more expensive.
Currently:
U.S. Senior: 71
U.S. Junior: 138 (not all yet input online)
We are currently tied for the 5th-7th largest U.S. Senior Opens; 7 more entries will put us at 3rd, 16 at 2nd and 31 to break the record from Northfield.
Encourage your friends to come out and play!
I do believe talking it up on here helps. Remember Northfield, MN. We were talking it up for almost 12 months before the event. Also, reasonable dorm rates come into play.
Great to see the MidWest support Senior Chess. I feel we have a good shot on surpassing 104. Thanks for spearheading this event.
There are over 20 players that participated in the Illinois Senior Championship in April that haven’t yet entered this event. A good turnout from that group would put us in striking distance of the record.
Kevin
I was at camp in Naperville last year, and the college is smack dab in the middle of downtown. Lots of places to eat within walking distance as well as good hotels.
There should be an asterisk next to the 2000 US Senior Open. It was not going to be held, but I stepped in and ran the event about 2 months prior to the date it was actually held. So, no advertising and I think only 1 TLA listing before the event was held. I felt lucky to even get 20 players to show up for the event.
Larry S. Cohen
As an added note I would point out that because I ran the event I received an application to join AARP. As far as I know this may be the first time anyone under 50 was sent an AARP application.