It's only 4-5 hours drive away but I wasn't tempted to play. $1,000 entry fee, plus hotel costs, gas and food, I figured I would be lucky to get out of Vegas spending under $2K. Besides, the class sections probably had a bunch of sandbaggers. They always come out of the woodwork for the big money open tournaments.
Having said that, it was exciting to watch the live stream and the event did gain national attention, which can only be good for chess. I think if they halved the entry fee and halved the prize fund, the event would still attract a lot of attention and far more players. We'll see what they do next year.
Comments
Matthew Hayes
15 October, 2014 - 17:33
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It's only 4-5 hours drive
It's only 4-5 hours drive away but I wasn't tempted to play. $1,000 entry fee, plus hotel costs, gas and food, I figured I would be lucky to get out of Vegas spending under $2K. Besides, the class sections probably had a bunch of sandbaggers. They always come out of the woodwork for the big money open tournaments.
Having said that, it was exciting to watch the live stream and the event did gain national attention, which can only be good for chess. I think if they halved the entry fee and halved the prize fund, the event would still attract a lot of attention and far more players. We'll see what they do next year.