Would you enter a tournament with no money prizes? Poll

[Paul Cooksey]

It has come up in a few other threads. Personally I'd be happy to play for a small trophy.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

Of course. Most Club Championships have no cash prizes, in fact the winner is often obliged to buy a round of drinks at huge expense to himself (or herself, though when a woman won our Championship a couple of seasons ago I don't remember receiving a drink from her).

[IM Jack Rudd]

It depends a lot on the tournament. I frequently do so for title-norm all-play-alls; I probably wouldn't be interested in playing in no-prize-money weekenders.

[LozCooper]

20 players have just played in the 2nd Big Slick International which regretfully had no prizes although five of the players did receive fees as GMs. I also had three more players that would have played had there been space for them as well as some late enquiries after the rating event was cancelled.

The vast majority of players in the 4NCL are also playing without any financial incentives.

[Chris J Greatorix]

I think there is a market for both types. It's important to have financial prizes because it's important for the masters who play chess full time. Trophies do add to the event because they're something to keep the event memorable and you can show guests or your grandchildren what you achieved.

[BrianRobinson]

As someone who is trying to improve and so needs to play games then, yes. The prize money is not really an issue.

[David Grobler]

I think its nice to have a money prize to aim at....you can dream....you can play on the friday...and dream...even play 2 games on the saturday...and still maybe dream .
Sunday comes around ....and the dream may still be there , or maybe turned into a nightmare...but...thats what its all about !
I think if there wasnt a small financial reward at the end...weekend chess would die .
No one surely plays weekend chess to make a profit?...its not possible...you play for love . But the odd £100 ( to cover a £25 entry) helps the love flow more easy.....

[Christopher Kreuzer]

Yes, but it is nice to have some tournaments where you are competing for a monetary prize. Makes it more exciting!

[Geoff Chandler]

Yes.

Won a tournament in 2002 with 5 out of 5.
Got a trophy to keep for a year, no money.

Then told I had to follow the custom and buy a round for everyone
who stayed behind for the prize giving. Cost me £37.00.

10 minutes after buying the round the bar announced it was 'Happy Hour'
and ALL drinks were ½ price. Got my timing wrong that day.

[Paul Buswell]

Question is too vague: depends on the outlay. Local event with minimal costs other than entry fee, of course. Weekend tournament involving travel and accommodation, no: I don't actually expect to win any prize money, but I like the illusion that if I play at my best I might have a sniff of it - adds a certain frisson.

PB

[Phil Neatherway]

Yes. After all, I rarely win the prize-money anyway!

However I was pleased to share a grading prize at the Cotswold Congress recently - which didn't cover my entry fee. The kudos is worth more to me!

[Alan Walton]

I think you have to look at the definition of a prize

Tournaments which offer norm opportunities may not necessarily have prize funds, but the norm itself could be construded as a prize, with possibility of future monetary benefits

[Matthew Turner]

I suspect that most chess players would say that they would happily compete in a tournament with no prize money. However, in reality I suspect this would not be the case. There are two reasons for this

1. Chess players are conditioned to expect prize money and an event with none would seem strange (the exact opposite would be true in golf).

2. Prize money is a signalling device. The organisers make a commitment to get a certain number of entries otherwise they will lose money. Entrants to the tournament can infer that the organisers will have taken certain steps (playing conditions etc.) based on the level of prize money.

That said I expect there to be a division between professional and amateur chess over the next twenty years or so. Players at weekend events will not want to submit to drugs tests or go through metal detectors to prevent them taking in their pocket fritz (and rightly so). That could well lead to amateur events without monetary prizes.

[Sean Hewitt]

The Sunningdale International next month has no prize money and whilst the top sections do afford norm opportunities the rated sections do not. Yet people still play and I suspect that next months event will be the largest of its type that we have run with 80-100 players competing.

I have no doubt that these players have gotten wise to the fact that

a) even if they win, the prize barely covers their expenses and
b) they are better off in the long run with lower entry fees and lower prize money.

This is why so few GMs play in weekend events any more, even though they have a much higher probability of winning their section than anyone else.

[David Gilbert]

I’m with Chris Greatorix and Jack Rudd. It depends. I’m playing at Sunningdale in August 2011 where there’s no proze money. It’s a good hotel with a reasonable reduced rate and excellent playing conditions. I’ll probably stay four nights and drink copious amounts of coffee at £2.50 a day – I usually do! Total layout, including entry fee, is circa £250. Would I go to Blackpool and stay in a run-down B&B for two nights at £15 a night if there wasn’t the attraction of prize money – probably not.

I’m not bothered about trophies – they're not a substitute for prize money - I have a loft full old football and 10-pin bowling cups and shields. If I got them out today I probably wouldn’t be able to remember what most of them were for!