petershive
Sep 09 2003, 10:56 PM
I am a senior grand master, but I usually play �down�, either because the older divisions are not available or because I want to compete against better players. This year I played seven times as a master, three as a grandmaster, and only once (Worlds) as a senior grand master.
As a professional player, my preference would be to attend tournaments where I am treated like a professional. This means tournaments in which (for starters):
1) I play with pros rather than amateurs.
2) I play �masters-quality� or even �open-quality� courses and course configurations.
3) My entry fee is the same as for the other pro divisions.
4) My division shares added cash equally (on a per-capita basis) with other divisions.
5) The final scores in my division are posted at the same time as the scores of other pro players.
I have noticed, from my own experience and the tournament descriptions of others, that one or more of these factors are often missing for grandmaster players, particularly in larger tournaments. Now I understand clearly why some tournament directors would prefer to highlight the younger divisions, and I have no desire to try to make them change. At the same time, there are other tournament directors that seem anxious to encourage grandmasters to attend, and I certainly would prefer to patronize those tournaments.
If you have similar feelings, we can help each other. First, I need two kinds of information from you.
1) I would like to know what factors (other than the ones I listed above) might be important in making you feel like a professional player.
2) I would like to know which (if any) 2003 tournaments you played as a grandmaster made you feel like a professional, and which did not.
I am willing to serve as a �compiler and communicator� of this information. That is, I will analyze your responses, and sometime before the end of this year I will send everyone who responds a report, by e-mail. The main purpose of the report will be to provide information that ranks tournaments in terms of their level of �grandmaster friendliness�. You would be able to use this information to help you plan your tournament schedule for 2004.
Please do not respond to this DISCussion group. Send your responses directly to me ([email protected]). Similarly, I will send my report directly to your e-mail address.
As a professional player, my preference would be to attend tournaments where I am treated like a professional. This means tournaments in which (for starters):
1) I play with pros rather than amateurs.
2) I play �masters-quality� or even �open-quality� courses and course configurations.
3) My entry fee is the same as for the other pro divisions.
4) My division shares added cash equally (on a per-capita basis) with other divisions.
5) The final scores in my division are posted at the same time as the scores of other pro players.
I have noticed, from my own experience and the tournament descriptions of others, that one or more of these factors are often missing for grandmaster players, particularly in larger tournaments. Now I understand clearly why some tournament directors would prefer to highlight the younger divisions, and I have no desire to try to make them change. At the same time, there are other tournament directors that seem anxious to encourage grandmasters to attend, and I certainly would prefer to patronize those tournaments.
If you have similar feelings, we can help each other. First, I need two kinds of information from you.
1) I would like to know what factors (other than the ones I listed above) might be important in making you feel like a professional player.
2) I would like to know which (if any) 2003 tournaments you played as a grandmaster made you feel like a professional, and which did not.
I am willing to serve as a �compiler and communicator� of this information. That is, I will analyze your responses, and sometime before the end of this year I will send everyone who responds a report, by e-mail. The main purpose of the report will be to provide information that ranks tournaments in terms of their level of �grandmaster friendliness�. You would be able to use this information to help you plan your tournament schedule for 2004.
Please do not respond to this DISCussion group. Send your responses directly to me ([email protected]). Similarly, I will send my report directly to your e-mail address.