2008 U.S. Women's Chess Championship

A few interesting things have come up: The Space Controversy! Susan Polgar commented the other day (5/15) at her blog that a few folks had complained about somewhat tight quarters in the playing venue. I was a little surprised myself when seeing Paul Truong's photos from Tulsa (posted at SP's blog) that the players in a prestigious event were seated at long tables next to each other; I guess I'd expected individual tables with room to circulate in-between; but I can't say that I thought things were unduly crowded. Still - I've never played in a tournament so I have no idea what might or might not be comfortable for a player in a national championship! The one and only tournament I visited was the 1999 FIDE Knock-Out World Championship in Las Vegas at Caesar's Palace and there was plenty of space for players and spectators - hardly any spectators for the quarter-finals, actually, and I thought that was a shame. For the quarter-finals we were in a large banquet room and, sitting in the front row with Isis and Michelle, I could practically reach out and touch Shirov who was playing right in front of me just beyond a red velvet rope! Khalifman and Polgar were just down the row. I could easily see the wrinkles in her linen suit. It was a sort of pastel peach color, and she had on light tan shoes. In the semi-finals the venue was set up differently - the four players (Adams and Akopian, Khalifman and Nisipeanu) were at tables elevated at the front of the playing room and the audience was seated below. In both venues large electronic screens were provided where you could watch the games in progress, and headsets were available for free if you provided a credit card or ID card, over which you could listen to commentary and analysis of the games. Tonight SP gave an update based on Tom Braunlich's report after Round 3. I sincerely hope that Onischuk does not leave the tournament. I don't know what the organizers can do about the space at this point in the events. Reserving a second room to move players into was probably not the best solution, and I think the women were right to complain that moving them into a separate room was tantamount to saying "you're second class citizens" - the equivalent of having to sit at the back of the bus. I'm equally certain that no insult was intended. Where on earth is the audience seated? I mean - the Championships were advertised as open to the public and if it was being held here I'd certainly be in eager attendance. So, where is the public being seated? Or are "the public" those folks standing against the walls? Oh my... For Round 3 the five lower boards were moved to the reserved second room, and they didn't like it. Here's an idea - select pairings to go to the second room by random draw after the end of each round. That way, there's no actual or perceived discrimination taking place, it's just the luck of the draw and unfortunate that a larger room could not be secured - although who knows, the Berry brothers have been doing this kind of thing for years, maybe they can convince the hotel to swap out a larger space (if the Radisson has one available). A Great Story! Braunlich reported on 81 years young Beth Cassidy, who visited the tournament. Ms. Cassidy was a member of the Ireland chess team and a journalist with British Chess Magazine. She knew many of the classic GMs from the 40s and 50s. While a manager of the Manhattan Chess Club in the 1960s she wrote extensive detailed articles on the great masters that hung out there, including Fischer, Lombardy, Kmoch, Steinmeyer, etc. She worked for Shell and when she retired chose to live in Tulsa. Wow! Someone who knew all those greats - someone who managed the Manhattan Chess Club! I'll bet she has some stories to tell... There's a photo of Ms. Cassidy and Susan Polgar in Braunlich's report. She sort of reminds me of my mom, who turns 81 later this month. Comments About the Prize Structure and Women's Championship Well of course some misogynists are complaining about the fact that the prizes for the Women's Championship are nearly as large as those for the putative Men's Championship. In fact, some male players will be sent home with $250 less than the women (prize structure). Gasp! Here's one comment from Chess Life Online: Post: #102048 by NiceLife on Fri May 16, 2008 2:12 pm I don’t think it is unreasonable for a top-100-in-the-world player to ask not to play within elbow-bumping distance of another player. The organizers of a national championship should ensure that there is enough space in the tournament hall. It is not a scholastic tournament. I am glad Onischuk stands up for some standards of respect in chess. By the way, I am pretty sure the last 5 boards of the overall championship (which are still mostly IMs and GMs) are used to being treated as second-class in chess. They might make their expenses back in this tournament, but they will watch while the female players with lower ratings win more in this one tournament than they are likely to make in tournaments all year. [Emphasis added]. See my tears, darling, boo hoo. There were several comments about the Women's Championship being a separate event and therefore it SHOULD be held in the other room: Post: #102049 by bradenbournival on Fri May 16, 2008 2:18 pm Well the most logical solution is definitely to have the women's championship in a separate room. I don't see how anyone can complain about this since they are 2 totally separate tournaments! I don't believe putting the top boards in a different room is a very good idea, other players involved in the same tournament have to walk to a totally separate room to view games that might be very relevant to them in a future game... [Emphasis added]. Anyways, I'm sure having the top games in a different room will also invoke some complaints from Mr. Cry Baby Onischuk... Perhaps the best solution of all is for everyone in the tournament to pitch in for a ticket back to Russia.. [Emphasis added]. Post: #102050 by artichoke on Fri May 16, 2008 2:19 pm Well the prize funds are what they are, but for this one event I'd treat everyone as first-class. It's reasonable to put the overall championship in one room, the women's in another. [Emphasis added]. Post: #102062 by nocab on Fri May 16, 2008 5:13 pm The answer is all too obvious, but certainly will be called "politically incorrect" these days. Someone needs to say it, so I will. The women are playing in a completely seperate event. They are not as strong as the men. They should play in the other room. Period! [Emphasis added]. Soooo, the women should be isolated because they're "not as strong" players - or - just because they're women. Are we living in Saudi Arabia??? What's next - the all-enveloping black robes with mesh over the eyes so a woman needs a seeing-eye dog (or a male holding her on a leash) to navigate around? You silly dudes. You should be supporting better playing conditions and better prize money for ALL players. Anything else is a losing proposition. DUH!