Another Adult Australian Chess Myth – Busted!

May 19, 2023 by Rohan Pyne

“If you stop rating prizes, players will not play”.

Total players in Qld events in 2022 = 489

Total players who played 4 events or more = 61.

Total players who played 6 events or more = 21.

source – CAQ Inc. website.

Events excluded – Qld inter-schools and Qld. Juniors. (no rating prizes)

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Events included:

Qld. Seniors

Women’s and Girls

Junior Blitz Championships

Qld Championships + U/1600

Nell Van der Graaf

Leo Wilkinson Memorial

Wendy Terry Memorial

Peninsula Open

GC Open – 3 Divisions

Darling Downs Open

Mackay Open

GC Gold Cup

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Remember that a sports season is usually about 20 to 28 fixtures per year.

NRL – 204 matches over 27 rounds – 17 clubs

AFL – 200+ matches over 23 rounds – 18 clubs

Remember to add the U/8 to U/18 competitions run concurrently.

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489 people played 1 or more chess events in Qld. in 2022

83 people played 2 events (that means 406 players DID NOT come back for a second event)

42 people played 3 events

24 people played 4 events

16 people played 5 events

11 people played 6 events

5 people played 7 events

3 people played 8 events

1 person played 9 events

1 person played 10 events

 

61 people played 4 events or more in 2022.

And it is these 61 players per state upon which the National event strategy is based –

“weekenders with rating prizes”

Remember 4 events per year is one every 3 months. NRL plays 27 rounds.

If we lose the 61, we might make the 428 more happy.

Why are the 428 playing 3 events or less – once every 4 months or more?

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Undeniable facts:

  • Adult chess is the smallest sport in Australia with the least resources – by whatever standard you apply. Bank balance, real estate holdings, paid admin., media presence, professional players (1) etc.
  • We have arrived here by design, not by accident.
  • We have no National inter-state competition.
  • We have no National inter-club competition.
  • We have no National Junior inter-state competition.
  • We have 2 unnamed Olympiad Teams that play for 2 weeks every 2 years and place accordingly –          I forget the name of their National Business Partner.
  • We have no Junior Olympiad Teams.
  • We have no National Trainer.
  • We have no State Trainers.
  • We have Arbiters who rule on their own student’s games.
  • We have a 5-year plan – wait for people to die and leave us money.

 

So, we bet the house on spending all our income on paying out cash rating prizes to 61 amateur players per state who, “might not come back” if we don’t.

Maybe if we invested the entry fees in building infra structure and admin. and media presence and training – maybe the 61 will come back and bring their friends.

Conclusion –

“We have to keep spending money like drunken sailors because our 61 amateur players will not play if we don’t keep giving them rating prizes.”

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21 people in Qld. played 6 events or more in 2022.

  • Kerry Corker.

 

 

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