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Great event once again.111 players and some tough blitz chess by everyone.no easy matches but Anton's 10.5/11 in a tough field needs to be commended.The only concern was that the tournament went lot longer than expected! Hope we have many such great events in future.
Whilst I understand that Blitz events are an easy way for organizers to make some quick cash in attempt to cover the expected loss of running the main event.
I must say given volume of players and the money clearly collected it is disappointing that 2nd place prizes in each rating division were not offered.
Additionally it makes no sense why one rating group has 16 and 22 players whilst the others have 35 and 38 (31 excluding unrated) respectively, why not the cut these evenly.
On titled players, is it ACF mandated that WIM, IM, WGM & GM must receive free entry or do the organizers have the choice?
The NSWCA system of charging titled players works very well and has proven not to detract players, although I would be happy for GMs to continue to receive the free entry.
It is currently mandated for all official ACF title events.Quote:
Originally Posted by BlairMandla
Yes it started about 45 minutes late, which I understood was partly because of numerous issues with registering unknown players, but also because so many disorganised players showed up just before the scheduled starting time (and even in some cases a couple of minutes after) despite the advertised closing time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy009
Players need to understand that if they want events to start on time then either they have to arrive by the advertised starting time or else the organisers will have to start enforcing it strictly.
After the event started the organisers were using protocols (individual paper slips) to record the results but abandoned this after round 1 because of the time it was taking. I don't think there were major holdups past that point - it just does take time collating and entering all the results after each round.
Being the Australian Blitz Championship, almost all of your starting time issues are eliminated if you forbid on the day entries. Considering that this event was advertised weeks in advance and had over 100 entries, there was no genuine reason for on the day entries.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Bonham
All that does is collect some extra entries at the expense of delaying the start for, what 45 minutes. So all those who entered early, did the right thing and then had to sit around and wait for those who entered on the day and for the organisers to attempt to get the last minute entries in the field.
And even with an advertised cutoff of 3:30 on the day, there were still 72 already entered by just after 8:00 on the day as Peter's post above shows. So it is a minority entering late who are creating delays for everyone else.Quote:
Originally Posted by Garvinator
Fortunately this year there were no appeals which can slow down blitz events considerably (as I know from experience!)
It may be worth considering enforcing cutoffs and saying on the publicity details "This cutoff will be strictly enforced". Or surcharge all entries after that time by 100%.
I chopped the middle comment about appeals from KB's quote as it does not apply to my reply regarding starting times.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kevin Bonham
I am having a major case of deja vu here and almost like I am returning back to chess administration and tournament organisation here as I am making a lot of the same arguments or points as I used to.
Having anything other than a blanket ban on 'on the day' entries places pressure on the organisers, or the chief arbiter, or lone arbiter if at a smaller event, to accept entries until all potential entries are accepted to keep those players happy.
More time is lost arguing with those you have to reject, or tell them that they can not play in round one and give a zero point or half point bye in round one as per the tournament rules, than 'just' adding their name to entry list and sorting out their entry particulars as the event goes along.
And very few if any organisers, or arbiters, want to create arguments in these situations. Whilst it can seem like a good solution to have a cutoff time, what happens if a few players were in line to enter, the hammer comes down for the cutoff time and are then told bad luck, too late.
What will be remembered for most of the players, parents, spectators and any sponsors who are in attendance is a large argument between a group of players who were denied entry and a set of organisers or arbiters at the start of the event if there is a cut off time.
Having no entry on the day prevents all of this. The only possible requirement is that all players have to check in with the chief arbiter to get their name marked off so the arbiting team knows they are there before pairings are released. And that can be the purpose of a cutoff time.
I know organisers are scared of losing entries by not allowing on the day entries, but having events starting 45 minutes late is a terrible look for the organising team and does make people wonder whether to enter again if it is repeatedly regularly. Events start 45 minute late, I can't plan my day because I don't know when the event will finish, might give it a miss, is the thought pattern.Quote:
Entries close day before.
Check in for Round One closes 15 minutes before.
Play starts (for this event): 4pm
All done and simple, in my opinion.
I don't think it is really that much of a deterrent though. Big blitz tournaments usually fail to start on time but they continue attracting large fields. The number of players deterred by difficulty planning their day would probably be smaller than the number who didn't enter if entries closed before the day.Quote:
Originally Posted by Garvinator
A big blitz I was last-minute CA of ran ridiculously overtime because the original CA withdrew after the starting time but before the first round had started, then there were two appeals (both dismissed) that were difficult to coordinate and get addressed quickly, largely because the Chief Organiser wasn't even in the venue. We must have finished something like 3 hours later than intended. Players were extremely understanding and flexible. Only one had to go home.
I think this was a factor this time too - people in the queue but not at the front of it by the cutoff time.Quote:
And very few if any organisers, or arbiters, want to create arguments in these situations. Whilst it can seem like a good solution to have a cutoff time, what happens if a few players were in line to enter, the hammer comes down for the cutoff time and are then told bad luck, too late.
As an arbiter at the large blitz event mentioned i can confirm the players were very understanding and we had minimal complaints in regards to the timing of the event
I do also recall the appeals being quite time consuming, much more so then the extra players to add.
Other than a delayed start this was a very well run event - excellent arbiters (and decisions)
I was simply a NSW observer (with a little credibility as an organiser/arbiter myself!)
I think the large number of on the day entries (about 30% from my information) was the reason for the delayed start - which frustrated all of us present. (I always struggle with this myself)
However as a result 100+ players were able to participate. (personally I hate turning players away from an event - in fact I never have - so I applaud the decisions to accept everyone)
The initial result reporting system failed because there were so many players who had no experience at championship level tournaments. (and like all chess players didn't listen to the announcements before the games!)
The organisers adapted and changed - things improved round on round.
Amazing result from Anton!
Great work from the organisers and arbiters - I'm sure we all learned from this experience.
The way to go about this is just have registration close 15 or 30 minutes before (or preferably the day before). If you have players turn up late on the day they can enter and play, sure, but they will just need to understand that they would receive a half point bye for the first round. That means the players who turned up on time can start on time, and the late joiners can still play. You can still get the 100+ entries to the tournament, and hopefully it will encourage players to turn up early.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob1
A number of the group of players who walked in after the tournament was meant to start were IM's - they need to understand that they follow the same rules as everyone else in the event.
I think this also affects registration lists for tournaments - if a player has registered and paid for an event than assume they are coming and pair them, instead of waiting around for them to get their name ticket off a list.
On a side note, well done to the arbiters and Peter for running a very smooth Blitz once it got started :)
Considering it was new years day, many people would be feeling a little bit groggy, which would account for their late arrival. So there really is no solution, just an acceptance of the 'shit happens'.
In summary and conclusion, to those that took the time to write a wall of text complaining...harden the **** up��
For a tournament starting at 4 pm? Must have been one hell of a party!Quote:
Originally Posted by DanielHolland