Boyd,
If they did not plan to break even, why did they originally say they had to have 1500 entries by 3/31 to hold the event?
Mike
If I remember right, the language was something like “We reserve the right to cancel the tournament if there are not 1,500 entries by 3/31”
Mr. Johnson’s memory is correct.
To briefly address Mr. Regan’s question, organizers often advertise for the attendance they want, which may not be the attendance they’re expecting.
As of September 15, 567 entrants. Less than one month to go.
It looks like the best chance to win a prize is in the U1600 and U1400 sections. Virtually everyone in these sections will get a prize. You have to feel bad for the U2300 rated players in the top section who will get pounded and have less of a chance to win a prize than the other sections. They are going to be cannon fodder, just as they usually are in the large opens. Oh well, they will get a chance to throw good money after bad in the casinos.
To make chess “mainstream” in the US
If Caurana joins then he will win
As of October 1st, the number of registered players is down to 525.
525? Not a good sign for an organizer when the advance entries list is declining with this number of dropouts. Will be interested to see what the final number is. Question: Is it too early to run this type of event or has chess peaked and it is too late to organize this type of event in the US? Another question: Is it the wrong time of year for this tournament to be held? Finally, is the entry fee just too high? I ask the last question because I have been flipping through the tournament announcements for some of the big opens. The entry fees seem to be going up again. Is it good for the USCF if players start to feel they are being priced out of tournament play?
The two primary reasons for dropouts are: (1) players being moved to higher sections because their peak rating is actually higher than they thought, and (2) foreign players being denied visas. Neither of these were unexpected.
Is this going to be a yearly thing? If so then what would happen if someone like Magnus Carlsen enters?
That’s the hope.
This question is a non sequitur to the first. So, it’s not really an “if/then” proposition.
To address the question: If Carlsen enters, he’ll be paired, and have his results recorded, just like every other player. That said, it would probably take a pretty special set of circumstances (and a hefty appearance fee) to get Carlsen to play an open Swiss. So this isn’t a serious concern, IMO.
M.Ashley and the woman who is financing the Millionaire tournament are betting that the full completion and happy stories from the money winners will drive a major increase in registration and participation in the 2015 Millionaire tournament — and my guess is they are right.
The success and fulfillment of the 2014 Millionaire tournament made a real statement that cannot be ignored.
I expect a few more “name” grandmasters to compete in the 2015 Millionaire.
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As far I read from the newsletters and social media updates, its going to happen again (MC#2) in October 2015 at Las Vegas and then from 2016 onwards there will be at least twice a year Once around March/April and another around October or so.