Not that I don’t have a hard enough time finding time and money to play in chess tournaments locally, but Dad has been “encouraging” me to play in an overseas FIDE rated tournament the last couple years.
So… what tournaments exist that an US amateur player can play in and still enjoy a vacation somewhere relatively warm and fun?
Language as probably a barrier is okay, but getting to and around needs to be much less of one.
Other factors I may need to consider:
Female
I don’t adapt to the sleep anywhere on the cheap mode of travel
I don’t see age being an issue
Of course the country should be safe to travel to
Gibraltar is a nice place and a really good tournament. You do not have to play in the main tournament that takes 2 weeks. There are amatuer events that take place during the 2 weeks of the event. Each event [“Challengers” for FIDE U2200 or “Amateurs” for FIDE U1900] runs for 5 days with a game a day. Gibraltar is sunny (most days) and relatively warm at that time of year. You will probably need a light jacket, maybe slightly heavier for really late at night. Although it is a country unto itself Gibraltar is really just a somewhat small town. The bus system is pretty good, and if you are in good shape you can walk most places. Be warned that the Rock is just that, which means there are hilly climbs if you walk around a lot.
You could also try one of the Canadian tournaments during the summer. Canadian events are usually well run nice affairs. You will be required to pay either a 1 time fee or outright join the Canadian Chess Federation for many of these events.
There are also tournaments in England, and I have recently been looking into the tournament in Malta in November.
All of the above tournaments are in countries where English is the main language. The main concern in any overseas chess event will be the travel expenses [be sure to have your passport], getting on [i.e. possible language &/or food concerns] wherever you go, the time it will take for the event, travel to and from the US & within the country/city of the event, the tourist opportunities [I assume you don’t want to only do chess], and any side events [i.e. like the chess interviews done at Gibraltar] and/or chess extras.
Your best resource for the overseas chess events is the FIDE web site. Go to the Calendar Tab and go to “Other Events”. You can then change the month to get a listing of FIDE rated events that are planned. The further out you look the fewer events you may find. This does not mean the events are not happening, but that they may not as yet be listed. In January when I checked for the Malta event it was not yet listed. I googled for the previous years event, went to the web site related to that, and contacted the organizer(s) via e-mail to confirm the dates and venue. Contacting the organizer is often a good idea no matter what event you may be planning on attending. You may also find information via the country web site and/or the tournament web site, as well as reports from previous years events.
Best when traveling (even within the US) is to plan ahead in order to minimize expenses and better arrange for flights, hotels, and even rentals & activities. By planning ahead the Gibratlar tournament I played in 2 years ago included a day trip across the straights to Africa and 1 of the 2 spanish cities in Africa. It is also nice to not be traveling alone. In most of my previous foreign chess adventures I have gone with a chess budy to share the expenses and the experiences. Good traveling in the future.
Since it is a festival, there are several events you can participate: chess960, rapid (game 30), blitz, chess/tennis(!) and main events.
Switzerland is an extremly safe place, boringly safe to be precise. Pretty much all youung people speak reasonable English whenever you go. Hotels are very good and comfy. From transportation prospective, you likely to fly to Zurich and then take two hour train to Biel.
Switzerland is well-positioned in the middle of Europe, so many European capitals are within train ride.
If you’re looking for something a little closer to home, how about Puerto Rico? Although it is a US Territory, FIDE considers it a separate FIDE federation. There may be other possibilities in the Caribbean as well, such as the British Virgin Islands.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I don’t think I will be making anything this year. I work under the auspices of the Federal Government - about to lose a day of work a week soon. Silver lining - more time to study chess!
I will definitely look into the suggested tournaments to see what would be a great fit.
I really appreciate all the advice and look into the tournaments. I have looked at the FIDE calendar - just hard to tell what would be good from looking at the tournament structure.
I am glad Mike (nolan) mentioned Puerto Rico and Caribbean because it reminded me about famous Curacao tournament that historically is also being held in July. This is actually a place I always wanted to try.
It looks like a place to combine chess and beach vacation.
Last year, event was held at Hyatt Regency Curacao Golf Resort, Spa and Marina, which is as good hotel as you can possibly imagine.
Entry fees are very reasonably capped at $100.00 for all and they had a best-female prize last year.
On a somewhat separate note, Sara. You appear to have a single 4 game Fide norm that you earned in 2011.
This norm will expire this year (2013) unless you play another 5 Fide rated games (before November 2013) and get your Fide rating established.
If your norm expire, you will need to start over again.
Thanks! That’s good to know. I didn’t realize about the expiration issue. Luckily, my dad and I are trying to plan a family chess vacation to the World Open since it is closer this year. I was thinking of playing in the u2200 since it is a FIDE rated section.