BARCELO BLITZ FRIDAY

[Mike Truran]

Date: 13 January 2012 (i.e. the Friday evening before the next 4NCL weekend).
Venue: Barcelo Hinckley Island.
Start time: 7 pm.
Free entry.
Free bottle of wine for all entrants who book a bedroom on the Friday night on a B&B or DB&B basis.
First prize: Two night stay for two in a Barcelo hotel in Europe (incl. £75/person to help with flights) plus trophy.
Second prize: Two night stay for two in a UK Barcelo hotel plus trophy.
Third prize: Stay the 4NCL weekend for free (Friday and Saturday night) plus trophy.
4th-10th prize: Two bottles of wine plus medal.

To enter, please contact me (including Friday night bedroom booking reference if you would like the free bottle of wine).

[Mike Truran]

Unfortunately demand for this event has been insufficient to generate the Friday night bedroom bookings that would have made it financially viable from Barcelo Hinckley Island's point of view, and so with great regret we have had to cancel it. Those chessplayers who have booked Friday night accommodation in anticipation of the event taking place will of course be able to cancel their rooms at no cost.

[Jonathan Rogers]

That's a shame: a lot of effort went into this and the prize fund was quite generous. Such events deserve support!

But I can see why there was a low take up: many would-be takers work on Fridays and simply would arrive too late and/or tired. Also, many participants in a 4NCL weekend are non-drivers, and the venues are not so accessible by public transport; and such players may value getting a lift so highly that they would forego the Friday blitz if they had to make their own way there.

Unfortunately I cannot think of alternative ways of putting on such an event.