Why are open sections more expensive to enter?

[MartinCarpenter]

Why have sections?

Because its much more fun to play people somewhere around your own playing strength than much weaker and/or stronger.

Also 5 rounds wouldn't be nearly enough to sort things out. It often isn't with the larger Open tournaments as things stand.

Fair enough. I was really thinking about nine-rounders, but I can see why five-rounders need to be in sections.

Fair enough too I guess even with 9 sections in a big swiss your section prizes will often end being handed out fairly randomly - they're pretty terrible at sorting out the middle placings of course. Doubt if many people really care about that though.

[IM Jack Rudd]

That's true if you award prizes in the middle based on score. A lot of events don't for that very reason, instead using TPR or W-We.