Organization of 4th CFC tourney?

[Narz]

How should we structure our next forumwide tourney?

Continued from here --> http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=9333381#post9333381

Time Controls
Many people have expressed interest in faster time controls. 3-days per move for example (with vacation time available). I'd prefer slightly slower, maybe 5-days a move but could be convinced to do 3-days if it's an overwhelming consensus.

One tournament or two?
This is mostly a question mostly to the causal players who join our tourney just for fun. Would you rather play in an tournament with the likes of Col, DaveShack & Chamnix (and hopefully Sashie & Cribb, Mehmed has gone into an ultra-early retirement evidently ) or with other more casual players where you have more of a chance at the Gold?

Group Size
It would be fun to have very large group sizes, maybe 8 players per group. This would make for a faster tourney but might overwhelm some players with so many games (seven at once). This would also give players who don't advance to the semi-finals & final round to play more games.

Anything Else
If there's anything else you'd like to mention/suggest in regards to the tourney please mention it here. If anyone wants to try their hand @ creating custom trophies please feel free. There will be trophies for 1st, 2nd & 3rd for either one or two tournaments. 100x100 pixels.

 

[WhiteEagle22]

Count me out of this tournament. I think I'll follow Muhammad into chess retirement, as I fail at the game.

 

[bathsheba666]

I would vote for 5.

Don't mind / quite like the idea of large groups.....

... but lots of simultaneous games with short playing time would not suit me.

But, hey, majority rules....

 

[Narz]

Count me out of this tournament. I think I'll follow Muhammad into chess retirement, as I fail at the game.

Are you saying the profit of Islam sucked at chess?

j/k

I would vote for 5.

Don't mind / quite like the idea of large groups.....

... but lots of simultaneous games with short playing time would not suit me.

But, hey, majority rules....

So five days a move? What group size?

 

[bathsheba666]

Up to 8 is cool.

All my other games should have ended by the time this gets off the ground, and I won't start any others.

 

[Yeekim]

You know Narz, I was playing with you from maternity ward this last tourney and now my son is learning to speak already. Damn, the time has flown by!


But as I now know I have zero chance against the top dogs here, I vote for larger groups, but one tournament will be fine.... if bathsheba, col et al won't mind wasting their time thrashing me, that is.
5 days could be ok as well; this might actually mean the tournament will indeed last for about a year this time!

 

[Narz]

Yeah, my daughter was only a couple months old when I started that tourney too. Was kind of a nightmarish time, living with the mother-in-law, we didn't even have our own bedroom, I was mostly online in the bathroom there, I'd pull my office chair in there & my my laptop on the counter & my feet up on the toilet, only place I had any peace in that house. Praise Allah we're in a much better situation now!

Looks like Sashie's gone AWOL.

 

[Pacifist46]

5 days a move would be cool, some people want 3, some 7, its a compromise.
With regard to group size, 8 is a cool number. I'm up for it for sure.

 

[WhiteEagle22]

Yeah, at the start of the last tournament, I was still living with my parents and my job was pretty darn secure.

Now, I'm living on my own and about to lose my job and looking at maybe 2 years away from almost total blindness. Times change, and I have to change with them!

 

[col]

I'll go wityh the majority but I prefer 3 days a move. Actually I usually move inside a day. The reality is that folk tend to think about their moves for a relatively short time. Its a bit like when I set my students an assignment. It doesnt make much difference whether I give the one week or two - they do it in the last couple of days either way.

Larger groups are better too. I dont much like gong through several rounds. I'd prefer one group and allocate prizes from there.

Maybe you could have a prize for biggest upset - and other spot prizes just to add a bit more interest. Realistically there are only a handful of people likely to be in with a chance of winning the tournament but everyone can be in there for prizes like 'latest castling in game' , first to mate with a pawn move, shortest game, ...(more ideas please)

 

[Narz]

I'll go wityh the majority but I prefer 3 days a move. Actually I usually move inside a day. The reality is that folk tend to think about their moves for a relatively short time. Its a bit like when I set my students an assignment. It doesnt make much difference whether I give the one week or two - they do it in the last couple of days either way.

Alot of times I look at a game, realize I have no idea what's going on, close the game & come back later when my mind is a little fresher (or at the last minute, whichever comes first, usually the latter ).

Larger groups are better too. I dont much like gong through several rounds. I'd prefer one group and allocate prizes from there.

One big 20-player group would be fun but totally overwhelming. Maybe two groups of 10 or something. I'll create a final poll on group size before we start.

Maybe you could have a prize for biggest upset - and other spot prizes just to add a bit more interest. Realistically there are only a handful of people likely to be in with a chance of winning the tournament but everyone can be in there for prizes like 'latest castling in game' , first to mate with a pawn move, shortest game, ...(more ideas please)

These are good ideas. And yes, they would make things more fun.

(more ideas please)

Yes, agreed, lets come up with more.

1. Funniest comment during the game (vote for your opponent & others judge).
2. Biggest material defeciet to still win the game (or perhaps we could call it "Best come from behind victory")
3. Prettiest Queen Sacrifice
4. Brilliancy Prize (vote for opponent or self)
5. Most horrible blunder

 

[Narz]

Ok, so I'm thinking of 5-days per move, 1 tournament, group sizes of 8 (hopefully at least 3 groups/24 players), vacation time enabled (I'll have to play fast because I don't think I have more than a day or two left) and... yeah, that's about it. Anyone want to design custom trophies or shall I?

I figure the trophies'll be some variation on this :

 

[Narz]

If there are no objections I'll probably start this thing in the next few days.

 

[bathsheba666]

Are you going for a trawl in OT again for new players? Always good to see new faces.

 

[Narz]

Yeah, definitely.

 

[Kennigit]

I'll be in but on chess.com it only allows me to be up for 1 tournament at a time as I don't pay any money for a higher (non-free) account. That won't effect me but will it effect the other casual cfc players that you'll scrap up for this tourney?

FWIW, 3 days per move would be my vote.

 

[Narz]

It was an issue before but I don't think most of the players I invited are part of any other tournaments right now.

 

[DaveShack]

Darn, I need to check the forum more often.

Starting 7 games is a stretch (pushing 30 in progress already), but can't miss out on the CFC tourney. And col is right, longer time controls don't really increase think time -- but they do make the moves come slower which is how I'll be able to add these games without triggering auto vacation all the time.

 

[Narz]

Darn, I need to check the forum more often.

Starting 7 games is a stretch (pushing 30 in progress already)

I remember those days. I think I maxed out at about 35 & ended up resigning about 25 of them. Trying to climb back up again but it's harder than I remembered.

With your rating you'll be at the top of your section at least (though fellows like Tenna, Chamnix & I will be at your heels ).