Jim and all,
Thanks for a very well-said message and I wholeheartedly agree. My
wife, Amy, and I talked things over and we're going to take in the
U.S. Blind Players Championship in Pittsburgh before driving onto a
few days in Philadelphia.
To add a couple things to what Jim mentioned about the Swiss system of
tournament play, the first round is, for lower rated players, perhaps
the most daunting. Then, things usually get more evenly matched from
there since winners from the previous games go against each other and
then losers match-up.
The other thing to keep in mind about this tournament is that we're
all on the same footing. We'll announce our moves to each other. So,
the accommodations you may have experienced in Skype tournaments are
very similar. Since each person moves both sides on the board, your
hands can peruse the board at all times.
Like many smaller tournaments, blind or sighted, the accommodations
are very quaint. So, after you finish your rounds, you can chit-chat
with folks in the hotel foyer or head to your rooms or take in
whatever else the hotel has like the weightroom, pool, etc.
And if anyone coming is new to being on the clock, there will be a
bunch of us around who can help you get used to the rhythm of moving,
announcing, and pressing your time.
Over the board chess is fun, folks. You will get your money's worth
being part of the whole experience including manipulating those light
and dark armies in the sixty-four square jungle. Here's looking
forward to Pittsburgh!
David
David
On 9/21/18, JT <hazelnutt2001@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi All,
Two things can be learned from the message below: First, the USCF really
wants us to have a national tournament; we know this because they have
elected to sponsor it themselves! Second, the organizers are particularly
interested in attracting the less experienced players as well as the
veteran
players. We know this by looking at the prize fund. There are prizes even
for triple-digit and unrated players. The funding of the tournament means
that if you can cover the cost of getting there and home and the hotel, you
won't have to spend anything else. The prize fund means that there's at
least some chance of recovering a bit of whatever you do spend. The hotel
rate is, for these days, dirt cheap at 99 bucks a night. And there's always
the possibility of sharing a room with somebody if you're willing. I,
myself, may be looking for someone to share with if I can work out the
details of getting there.
If you've never played a tournament before, this is a pretty unbeatable
opportunity to get your feet wet, and you might just discover it's not as
terrifying or intimidating as you might think. You might also find that
it's
a great opportunity to meet some people face-to-face and maybe make some
new
friendships. It might sound odd, but a chess tournament really can be a
fun,
relaxing getaway.
I hope you will help me spread the word; I know there are a lot of people I
haven't included with this email, but that is only because I went with the
ones I could remember off the top of my head. My dinner is waiting, and I
have a chess game with our next Hadley graduate in about an hour and a
half.
I hope you will give serious thought to making the trip. I think you will
find it fun, and it might even help your game. I hope to see you there and
shake your hand live and in person!
All the best, and please read the following message,
Jim T
PS: To help interpret some of the jargon in the message for any who want
it,
4 SS or 4 RR means four-round Swiss or four-round Round Robin. Swiss,
generically, means you are paired according to rating in the first round,
then winners play winners and losers play losers. Round Robin means you
play
each of the other players in your group. G/135 means you have two hours and
15 minutes, (135 minutes) for each player to complete the game. D0 means
there is no delay factor, so you don't have to wonder about it in any
case.--JT
From: Joan DuBois [mailto:JDuBois@xxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2018 10:19 AM
To: Joan DuBois <JDuBois@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Just letting you know there will be a 2018 U.S. Blind Chess
Championship this year in Pittsburgh, PA Oct. 20-21, 2018
Sept. 20, 2018
We just received information that there will be a U.S. Blind Chess
Championship (A US Chess Federation National Championship) this year. Below
is the Tournament Life Announcement with the details:
US Chess Junior Grand Prix!
OCT. 20-21 2018 U.S. Blind Chess Championship
US Chess Trust is sponsoring this US Chess National Championship event. 4
SS
or 4 RR (depends on # of players), G/135 d0. Holiday Inn Express Hotel,
5311
Campbells Run Road (near airport), Pittsburgh, PA 15277, (412) 788-8400.
Free shuttle to/from airport. EF: Free. Reg.: Onsite - Sat. 20 Oct:
9-9:45am. Rds.: 10-4, 10-4. Prize Fund: $1,400 GTD: 1st: $400, 2nd: $300,
3rd: $200, 4th: $100, $100-Best player U1400, $100- Class E (1000-1199),
$100- Class F (800-999), $100-Upset Prize. NOTE: All players must be
classified as Legally Blind and bring proof. You must also be a current
member of US Chess for $18 a year. You can join US Chess at the event! HR:
$99 night + tax; mention US Blind Chess Championship. Contact: Nita Patel,
td@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx. Phone: 603-716-3040 or Joan DuBois, tla@xxxxxxxxxxx,
(c)
931-200-3412.
Joan DuBois
<http://www.uschess.org/>
Joan DuBois
Affiliate Relations Associate
<mailto:jdubois@xxxxxxxxxxx> jdubois@xxxxxxxxxxx / 931 787 1234 ext 123
Tournament Life Announcement (TLA) / Advertising
<mailto:tla@xxxxxxxxxxx> tla@xxxxxxxxxxx
US Chess - PO Box 3967, Crossville, TN 38557
<http://www.uschess.org/> www.uschess.org
<http://facebook.com/uschess> <https://twitter.com/uschess>
<https://www.youtube.com/user/USChessFederation>
