English Chess Forum

We want to relaunch what was called the Prixette, and we need a new name! Ideas please...

The format might be something like this;

1st £250
2nd £150
Best Girl U16 £100

Points might be allocated as follows:

- all graded events would get single points, congresses and rapidplays
- Women only events get double points
- National title events such as the British Championships and the English Women's Rapidplay get double points etc
- All e2e4 events might get points and a half in recognition of their continued support of women's chess

have I missed any other events?

what do you think of the idea?

I like the idea but it would be strange to do it on a basis other than how the other Grands Prix are calculated.

The winner of this should qualify for the British Championship as an additional prize.

Alex Holowczak wrote:The winner of this should qualify for the British Championship as an additional prize.

*Like*

Alex Holowczak wrote:I like the idea but it would be strange to do it on a basis other than how the other Grands Prix are calculated.

The winner of this should qualify for the British Championship as an additional prize.

With free entry?

LozCooper wrote:

Alex Holowczak wrote:I like the idea but it would be strange to do it on a basis other than how the other Grands Prix are calculated.

The winner of this should qualify for the British Championship as an additional prize.

With free entry?

Not on top of the prize money.

LozCooper wrote:

Alex Holowczak wrote:I like the idea but it would be strange to do it on a basis other than how the other Grands Prix are calculated.

The winner of this should qualify for the British Championship as an additional prize.

With free entry?

Why not? They're not entering at the moment, so the British wouldn't lose anything.

Alex Holowczak wrote:

LozCooper wrote:

Alex Holowczak wrote:I like the idea but it would be strange to do it on a basis other than how the other Grands Prix are calculated.

The winner of this should qualify for the British Championship as an additional prize.

With free entry?

Why not? They're not entering at the moment, so the British wouldn't lose anything.

To be fair, most of them need to qualify to play and even then have to pay £200 to enter so they'll only ever get a small number of women prepared to pay entry fee + accom etc just for the chance to play for the British women's title in addition to the pre-qualified ones who get free entry for being an IM or GM.

It would be nice if the main Grand Prix returned as well - it might make weekend tournaments worth playing again. Yes, I know, where would we find the money?

Thomas Rendle wrote:It would be nice if the main Grand Prix returned as well - it might make weekend tournaments worth playing again. Yes, I know, where would we find the money?

Definitely on my mind, and it wouldn't take a lot. If someone were to offer us about £2000 for prize money I think it would be perfect.

One idea I have been thinking about is that the Grand Prix might ask tournaments for a small contribution - say £10 per event - and that money would go directly into funding prizes. Would that work? I wouldn't object to paying something, as I know that it would attract some more entries - when Golders Green was part of a funded Open Prix we used to get Adams, Miles, and many other top GMs.

Is it worth just having the main Grand Prix anyway, even if the prize is something modest? Like a free copy of the ECF Yearbook?

Adam Raoof wrote:Is it worth just having the main Grand Prix anyway, even if the prize is something modest?

I never understood why it was scrapped in the first place. Why does there need to be a prize? People might not chase the prize, but it would have been nice to keep a continuous chain of winners. I can't imagine it costs much to run; I assume the numbers are just plucked when Richard Haddrell presses the right buttons?

Alex Holowczak wrote:

Adam Raoof wrote:Is it worth just having the main Grand Prix anyway, even if the prize is something modest?

I never understood why it was scrapped in the first place. Why does there need to be a prize? People might not chase the prize, but it would have been nice to keep a continuous chain of winners. I can't imagine it costs much to run; I assume the numbers are just plucked when Richard Haddrell presses the right buttons?

Please don't make assumptions. One day you might find yourself in the same position.

I agree that we should just have it - but I would prefer that it had some incentive for the players. A small donation of £10 per event (or say £10 per day of the event - so £10 for a one day tournament, £20 for a weekender etc) would cover it. Right now most tournaments don't even know they are in the Prix, and that can't be right. If we asked them for a donation and to put the ECF logo on their forms, it would be a good start.

Not greatly in favour of the idea (women's grand prix) - I am not sure it would encourage people to play any more than they do.

However maybe something could be set up that is a little more creative such as for example the top 12 in the grandprix getting a free training day with a suitable active professional player. The trainer could then get the £500 which would help support them and the winners the training.

Adam Raoof wrote: One idea I have been thinking about is that the Grand Prix might ask tournaments for a small contribution - say £10 per event - and that money would go directly into funding prizes. Would that work? I wouldn't object to paying something, as I know that it would attract some more entries - when Golders Green was part of a funded Open Prix we used to get Adams, Miles, and many other top GMs.

Sounds like an excellent idea to me. I would think it would boost the number of titled players that chose to play in weekenders (and hopefully it would then have a knock-on effect and boost overall entries).

Since noone else has suggested the most important thing Adam asked for so far (i.e. a new name for this), what about one of the following (yes, I know they're most the most obvious and banal suggestions, but it's better than nothing at all):

Ladies Prix
Womens Prix
Femprix (this seems to work in Swiss French, at least)
Bellaprix

If you want to be a bit out there, maybe PriXX, though that perhaps demands that you change the name of the "mens" version to PriXY

ECF Women's Grand Prix seems fine to me.