I’m organizing my first blitz tournament and also my first tournament outdoors. I was wondering what should be done and what people have done for rain or other forced interruptions.
For blitz, I don’t see any other option but to reset/abandon the round, which may be ok as long as people are aware of the risk and the policy. Is this legal though? I couldn’t find any references in the rule book or blitz section concerning interruptions except for 16Q (stopping the clock) and 23A2 (tournament cancellations).
With regular games where scoresheets are kept, the situation may not be as bad if the clocks can be paused, although the same complications may arise in time pressure.
Of course best may be not to get into this situation in the first place by checking the weather and postponing a round and/or canceling if the outlook is bad, but I’m interested in formulating a policy for the scenario. I’m planning to have go/no-go decisions posted the night before.
What makes matters simpler in this case is that, although rated, this is a free tournament with no prizes.
I certainly wouldn’t want my set, board or clock damaged by being out in the rain, so I’d probably want to bail on a round at the first sprinkle. (And yes, there are sets and boards that could be damaged by water.)
Well,Iapologize if I didn’t take it as seriously as you wanted. (Maybe it was the gung-hos.) It’s just not something I would have thought to ask about.
I’m not an outdoor person, so I worry more about who should get which color, how far to transpose, etc.
A free tournament with no prizes…Yet rated? I guess the rating is the prize? Anyway, I am of the opinion that as long as all the rules are known in advance to the participants, and these rules agree with what can be rated, go for it! I have seen players continue battle in a downpour, this is one of the few ways to wreck a chronos clock by the way, but you shouldn’t require this of your participants. Some things to consider are how long to make your tournament. The weather can rapidly change during the day. Also people who plan to compete in a speed tournament outdoors (or otherwise) would be ill-advised to use wooden sets. I learned the hard way about this by losing the nose off of a rosewood knight and getting more chipped pawns than I care to remember. Good luck with your event.
No prize rated events used to be quite common at clubs where not everyone felt compelled to play for money or trophies. We used to charge a small entry fee ($1-2) to cover costs, with the rest going into the club treasury. Most of the time the surplus amounted to less than $5.
When a new club president changed it to a $5 or higher entry fee, with most of the money going to first place, turnout in those events started to decline, and the contribution to the club treasury was virtually nothing.
I’m experimenting with a suggested donation of $3, see if enough people pitch in. It’s also in a public park, I don’t think I can charge/give out money without a huge hassle.