03-05-2015, 10:42 PM
Clement Sreeves Wrote:What I don't understand is why a 1499 regularly has chances to win a congress, while a 1950 ALWAYS has to play the Open and will very rarely win.
Great point. There is a mix of entries and motives why people enter a tournament. We all know some just enter an event that they see gives them the best chance of a prize, and thats fine and nothing wrong there. The more that enter, the better all round.
There is another category of entrant though. I always play up being a 1700 never entered anything other than an Open event which is a personal choice for my own reasons which won't get into to keep focus on the subject matter. It means zero chance of a prize. I feel I am investing in the congress and the overall experience that it brings.
I can think of several other players, in exactly the same situation as me who regularly or always do the same for their own reasons. Throw in some developing Juniors/teenagers and it shows there are a lot of players who play in a congress who are happy to invest in the experience, and are not in the slightest motivated by money.
If there was a vote today, should the Open receive a larger share of prize money than the other congresses, it would be an overwhelming yes from me.