Hello all,
I know there are senior tourney and scholastic tourneys but do we have the power to create our own age restrictions, such as 30+?
I ask because I am planning a tourney in a nice venue that I think only adults would appreciate. Camaraderie might be easier too for players if they are close together in age.
I don’t see why not.
Alex Relyea
Neither do I, but I suspect if you’re not doing a senior event, an “adult” tournament (ie 18 and up) might be more common than, say, an age 30+ event and still accomplish what you want.
I know of at least one multi-section tournament where the lowest-rated section was actually split into two separate sections with one for youth and the other for adults.
A local annual quick rated tournament with a large prize fund is restricted to 25+ and a rating of 1700+. Part of the reason for the age restriction is that the organizer serves alcohol. He chose 25 instead of 21, presumably because college kids lack the maturity he desires in his players. A consequence was that the reigning club quick and blitz champion, also the highest rated local player, could not play last year since he was just 24. As they say, there’s always next year.
Michael Aigner
For many years, the Wisconsin Chess Association has held its Junior/Veterans tournament in early November. Players under 18 can only play in the Junior sections; players over 21 can only play in the Veterans section. Players between 18 and 21 can go either way. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that this is always by far WCA’s best-attended tournament. Both juniors and “veterans” appreciate not having to play each other.
I think the bottom line is, you can do anything you want as long as you advertise it. People will show up if they like it, or won’t if they don’t, and you can adjust the next time or not accordingly.