Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

  

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Jimmy Huggins    (2011-08-10)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

I have been pretty busy lately, and have been thinking about a lot of different things chess related. Some of you know that I have talked about and planed for a freestyle chess tournament in the near future. Here is a few notes for it and I would like to pass on some ideas and get some opinions. I can safely say that we can have a freestyle event between Nov-Dec and the 2nd part of it is that it won't be around Christmas. Oh ok here is what I would like to get an opinion on. 2 questions

1) What tournament timeline sounds better? (a) A Saturday-Sunday tournament or (b) Saturday-Next Saturday. I would say that 5 or 6 rounds is what we would go with. That should be plenty for a 20-30 person first tournament. That is what I'm predicting I don't know for sure.

2nd Question- What is a reason time control?

Oh ok the leading time control idea for me is 60min+30sec per move. Anyone see a problem with this one? I like this because its not a huge time spent and there is still room for the human element in the freestyle game.

All comments are welcome thanks for any input! :)

Jimmy


Scott Nichols    (2011-08-10 03:51:08)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

#1. I vote for (b)
#2. (60 min+30sec) I would vote for.

#3. (my suggestion) NO anonymous players.


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-08-10 04:02:33)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

Thanks Scott, I didn't really throw all a lot of ideas for time controls. I'm open to hear other ideas.

Of course No anonymous players.


Garvin Gray    (2011-08-10 04:25:32)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

I vote for no anonymous players. Can I vote early and often on that one? :)

The time control needs to be long enough to make it a real centaur battle. Quite a few freestyles have been held where the time control has been short and it is just humans mainly putting in engine moves.

I think 60 mins plus 30 secs is fine, but would prefer 90 mins plus 30 secs.

If we did 60 plus 30, then running it over three days with 3 rounds per day would be better, in my opinion.

The biggest and number one issue is starting time.


Don Groves    (2011-08-10 04:47:14)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

Yes, how do you handle all FICGS time zones?


Alvin Alcala    (2011-08-10 05:23:24)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

60min+30sec per move is reasonable for me and two rounds per day. The time schedule will be critical as you know all of us are in different time zones.


Thibault de Vassal    (2011-08-10 11:00:24)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

Round 1 in the latest freestyle cup started at 1pm server time. Looked not so bad...

With 60 mins plus 30 secs, a few players will spend the whole night or almost but I agree this is best for freestyle.


Alvin Alcala    (2011-08-10 11:30:23)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

In free style cup section why not make an option of a freestyle tour so anyone online can immediately arrange a tour with entry fee of say 10 e-points or even bronze. Then the format would be minimum 2 players or even number of players. Money prizes will be broken down accordingly. I loved to play advance chess a lot but it will be more exciting if you will play more people.


Garvin Gray    (2011-08-10 11:40:07)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

Alvin, this is going to be hard enough to organise with only one concept and a few straight forward ideas to sort out.

It will not help if we start talking about a whole lot of different formats and other ideas.

I just do not want to see this thread branching off into tangets and variations and the few ideas that Jimmy has raised not being discussed much.


Alvin Alcala    (2011-08-10 14:30:59)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

Correct. sorry for the off-topic.


Gino Figlio    (2011-08-10 22:33:36)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

If it will be a 2-day event why not play the second day +12 hours start time compared to the first day?
This way players on different time zones may not have to wake up too early or stay up too late both days.


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-08-11 00:10:16)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

@Gino- That sounds like a decent idea. I kind of liked the thought of playing on back to back Saturdays. Maybe I'm wrong, I find it easier sometimes to give a few hours on one weekend day than to do it on a Saturday and Sunday. Of course if we agreed to Sat-Sun I could do it as well.


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-08-11 00:17:07)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

Here is around idea that could help some. Would anyone be in favor of closing the entry a week or so before the event to know what the 1st round pairings are and possibly give a little time to prepare for an opponent.

This has the advantage for the organizers to get everything ready. I know we will have something to discuss, before the event starts.


Garvin Gray    (2011-08-12 16:22:08)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

I think if you are going to close entries early and post pairings for round one, then there will need to be a decent entry fee.

If entry is free and pairings are posted early, it is extremely likely that one or more people will pull out through dis-interest, when in all likelihood they were not that interested in the first place and as soon as the pairings are posted, they realise the full magnitude of having entered the competition.

While an entry fee will reduce the total number of entries, it will certainly make your life easier in actually running the competition.

Another idea is to introduce a bond system. Everyone pays a set amount up front and then those who have played all rounds get their money back. Those who do not complete the competition for any reason do not get their money back.

Especially relevant with more than one night competitions.

Thinking more about time zones, for what I favour depends on number of days and number of rounds.

If just two days, then I favour Saturday/Saturday. If more than two days, I favour Friday/Saturday/Saturday.


Alvin Alcala    (2011-08-13 11:11:47)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

Also can we have a voting for the timing? We can make a survey of the best timing possible.


David Evans    (2011-08-13 15:12:03)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

I hate to play fridays hated the last freestyle that played fridays as i work it becomes a pain.

If played on a friday i would not enter simple really good luck with this....................


Garvin Gray    (2011-08-13 18:07:21)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

With so many competing interests and ideas, I think the best idea is for Jimmy to just set the format, time control and all other conditions way in advance and then let all players decide if they want to play.

If then quite a few players start flagging the same issue for non-participation, then that issue alone could be looked at.


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-08-13 23:38:58)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

Oh ok if I had to swing in right now. It would be a Sat-->Sat event. 5 or 6 rounds depending on how many want to play. The time control at the moment would be 60+30sec. It seemed to work for FICGS freestyle cup. I guess the question is how many hours are we willing to go for a day.


Jimmy Huggins    (2011-08-13 23:41:04)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

I guess the only real difference at the moment form my tournament to the FICGS freestyle cup is doing it on 2 Saturdays instead of Saturday and Sunday. I feel like this is a slight benefit that most seem to agree with.


Garvin Gray    (2011-08-14 03:11:54)
Ideas for a Freestyle tournament

6 rounds for me, more the better. Feel free to have three Saturdays for nine rounds if you wish :)