Tulsa Chess Series - 2010, Recap and Ideas for Next Year

Summary...

I think the consensus seems to be to convert the tournament to a 4-round format. This has the benfit of eliminating accelerated pairings and improves color allocation.

The concern however is that this may negatively affect the out-of-towners who might not be able to fit 4 rounds in a single day. An idea was suggested of making the 4th round a floater that an out of towner could either arrive late or leave early - taking a bye. This would make 3 out 4 rounds count towards the series total.

However doing this brings into question the relevance of the Best 7 out of 10 format we currently have - that you seem to like.

So a follow-up suggestion was to make the whole series based on 30 out of 40 games (replacing the 7 out of 10 rule) and allowing the individual player to manage his time as he sees fit.

Opinion...

The 7 of 10 rule is simple and easy to understand. The floater concept has some merits but makes me think it's bending over backwards to solve a small problem. If you're willing to travel a long distance to play chess, would you want to sacrifice a round for series eligibility? Or would you rather play and make it count?

My guess - the out of towner would rather play. Especially if they are doing well and might win an event prize.

We have alternatives. We can make the registration earlier, pre-register and adjust the time controls to keep the series in a single day format.

Yes, if we are going to do 4 rounds, it may be simpler to keep the system the same but just have faster time controls so that the event doesn't run too much later than it currently does. I'm not totally convinced 4 faster rounds is better than 3 slower ones.

Of course, all we are doing here is just "brainstorming" ideas, which I think is useful.
Mike is right that it should be kept simple. But I have to admit I'm intrigued about the idea of giving the final event bonus points of some sort... not because I don't understand Mike's objection, but because it would be an interesting experiment, and people might find it fun.

We can get together to discuss it before saturday's final event. I'll try to set that up. And we will hopefully have a meeting after the tournament which will include the OKC people to try to make plans for 2010.

:-)TOM

I like the idea of maybe Series 9 and 10 being of greater significance, so that those "knotted up" at the top, could decide the Series Champion for the year. The idea of the 4th game being BONUS is also a good one, as the pairings are probably more fair at that time, with that round holding the greatest pairing signicance. Of course you want the end results to be contested by the players that have earned their place there. I would just suggest not changing very much for next year, and tweaking it in small ways. After all, 2009 was a great year in OK Chess, with the Series being part of the reason it is so. Looking ahead to the New Year, Raymond

And of course we can expect that you will attend ever one - right !?

No excuses now.

If you need a place to stay I have a spare bedroom you can use! :-)

Thanks Mike, I'll keep that in mind. I really miss being more active in competitive chess, and look forward to a less-stressful schedule. As you know, "life happens", and our pastimes suffer most. I really miss the group, and especially the club nights, which I used to frequent about twice a week. And we had some good games at the Coffee Banc too, eh? If I have to pick one or two a year though, the Okie Fest is such a feast of Chess, and good times with friends.

Hope to see you guys soon, Raymond

Well, now that the Sooner Chess Series is underway, how does everyone like the new format? I for one think that this year's events will be even better than 2009 (and larger if the trend continues!) and I am looking forward to playing in as many events as the new baby will allow! :-)

Sincerely,

Bran.

Well, the turnout at the first one was incredible, and it looks like it will likely stay that way, which is much better than most one-day tournaments draw. Of course such a turnout obviously begs for that 4th round, but the end-of-year totals should iron it all out, and the cream will likely rise to the top. After all, chess results are often about consistency, in addition to those "magical" days.

hmmmm... to accelerate or not to accelerate? That is the question...

I think if we're going to accelerate, it should be every round, at least if we keep having turnouts over 30 plus players! :-)


Sincerely,

Bran.