Insanities were all the rage for a few years, with organizers vying with each other for the oddest ideas.
Some of the more interesting ones I remember:
One held in Minnesota where one of the ‘prizes’ was Igor Ivanov’s toothbrush (left behind after a simul, I believe), one where there was a REQUIRED pizza feed for losers (and ONLY losers) in one of the round, 4AM I think, and one held on Columbus Day where anyone with a published rating of 1492 got in for free.
We were calling our $5 entry fee tournaments “The Evanston Economy Open”, but now have changed the names to better reflect the three formats we run (regular, dual, quick).
I believe the Peoria group ran “The Sweetest Chess Tournament Ever” – a scholastic with prizes donated by Hershey’s. (Correct me if I’m wrong, fellow Illinoisians.) That was cute, and an excellent marketing pitch.
Somewhere years back I saw a notice for “The Tax Relief Open,” run on or after April 15. Seems I know many accountant/chess players, who apparently like to cut loose after four months or so of grinding away on tax returns.
At the first meeting after April 15th, we run a G/10:40. (G/11 for those who can’t or don’t care to set their clocks to the second).
Grant Neilley
Heh. On the Kiseido Go Server, I always set my time control to 13:37.
Our nascent group voted tonight on what to call itself, and I think I may hold onto some of our rejected names as titles for future events. One of those rejected names was “Kings & Queens.” Has anyone ever thought of running a tournament in which the same entry fee is charged for single players and couples?
Kings & Queens Open – Save the Date, and Bring Yours!
Jules Stein (now deceased) of the old Chicago Chess Center used to have tournament names like “The Joy of Sacs” and “No Sacs at All”. Later, he named his events after the questions most commonly asked by players: “What Time is the First Round?”, “What’s the Time Control?”, “How Many Rounds Are There?”, and “What’s the Name of this Tournament?”.
Bill Smythe
Years ago, in the era before iPods and MP3s, there was the “Pink Floyd Open”. Pink Floyd would be played during every round (I think it may have been held in a Bowling alley).
I would’ve entered, but it was hundreds of miles away.
Still going strong, in Lexington, KY. It’s usually Sept-Nov, I believe.
I did that once with Frankie Yankovic.
Bill Smythe
I think that was a team name one year at one of the amature events.
These tournaments, 109 in total, were named by Robert Singletary, after the University of Houston’s Phi Slamma Jamma basketball team. Ironically, they were held on the N.C. State University campus. NCSU of course defeated Houston for the 1983 NCAA basketball title. This wasn’t intentional on Robert’s part, but it is a cool coincidence.
I hosted the “Pawn Pickin’s” which were fully catered tournaments held at some local barbecue joints a few years ago. I also held a series of Game/30 tournaments at a bowling alley called the “Pin Action” series. And lastly I held one at a Chinese restaurant called “Kung Pao Checkin’”… I had WAAAAAYYYY too much time on my hands back then 
Franklin, Minnesota (west on Rt 19 from Northfield) has a summer tournament every year during Catfish Derby Days that allows time for fishing and I believe is called the Catfish Open.
Years ago I tried a tournament format where a player could pay a small entry fee and have no chance at prizes, or a large entry fee and have an opportunity at the prizes. It was called “The Play at Your Own Risk” Open
I once named a tournament after an ancestor on whose birthdate the event was held. Genealogy is one of my other hobbies.
Russell Miller Camas WA
Year’s ago in Vermont there was an organizer/director who wasn’t particularly ethical. He did a few questionable things including reneging on a guaranteed prize fund because of snow. (Sound familiar?) He was French, so we named our next tournament “The Air France Chance”
Back in the early 1970s there was a tournament held on Easter that was called “The Heathen Open”. The name was reused about 20-30 years later for a tournament run over Easter weekend.
-Larry Cohen
As I remember, you received some flak on that one, from a player who seemed to have absolutely no sense of humor.
Bill Smythe
Our January scholastic is named the “Brain Freeze”
Niiice.