Who do you go to opens with?

If a weekend or an open tournament isn't near your place, so you travel, then, it adds extra excitement to traveling.

There are several variations regarding your company.

1. old couple

Last time I saw it was when GM Yair Kraidman took part in Malta open. He and his wife were perfect example of almost extinguished feature from old robin tournaments. He is playing deadly serious, and his wife is trying to be invisible. From time to time she just take a peek, holding his old fashioned purse on her chest, dressed in also old fashioned tufted dress in old fashioned shoes, and she reminded me on Petrossian's and Smyslov's and Geller's wives from photos from SSSR vs Rest Of The World match in Belgrade in 1970. Her face is worried, she probably don't have a clue about chess, but she is rooting!
Probably the same is case of Grenpawn34.

2. odd couple

Middle-aged men with predilection for ripe cherry coloured trousers and pink scarfs and vanilla cigarillos. The uncompeting member of the pair never attends the tournament venue but takes sunbath and goes for long walks.

3. young couple

Very, very rear feature on such tournaments. Girls find chess most boring "sport" and when they show themselves in the venue, they look like half-naked Beatles groupie in the mosque.

4. lonesome weirdos

Suspicious chaps. Carries extensive equipment on every round: spare pencils, termos-holders with coffee, ear plugs, candy bars, bottled water. They go too frequently to the men's room...

5. retired (avid player amateurs)

Always happy no matter of result. They usually consume huge amount of pepermints and always are humming some song.

6. kids

Accompanied by ambitious parents who guard kids' table like watch dogs.

7. Tournament's favourites

GMs with professional look - that is with boredom in their eyes. They usually have a tetrapaque of orange juice on the floor next to their table. and they never change their cloths. They smell. Always absent-minded.

Originally posted by @vandervelde
If a weekend or an open tournament isn't near your place, so you travel, then, it adds extra excitement to traveling.

There are several variations regarding your company.

1. old couple

Last time I saw it was when GM Yair Kraidman took part in Malta open. He and his wife were perfect example of almost extinguished feature from old robin tourname ...[text shortened]... floor next to their table. and they never change their cloths. They smell. Always absent-minded.

I'm sure this happens in Europe. In America most chess players travel to tournaments alone because there are so few of them, that finding another chess player in your area is a rare thing. Only major tournaments such as the US Open will draw spectators, normally family members, a few photographers or corporate sponsors, most of whom leave after the opening ceremony. Regional or local tournaments normally consist of one over worked tournament director and an odd assortment of players in disheveled clothing (98% male) most of whom have no social life. An occasional spectator may wander by, spend 5 min. looking at the room full of introverts staring intently at chessboards, roll their eyes skyward and leave, happily driving off to watch a bunch of players with glandular disorders in air cushioned shoes ram a ball through a hoop, then hang on the rim like monkees.

The power of the mind is not a priority in America. 😞

Originally posted by @mchill
I'm sure this happens in Europe. In America most chess players travel to tournaments alone because there are so few of them, that finding another chess player in your area is a rare thing. Only major tournaments such as the US Open will draw spectators, normally family members, a few photographers or corporate sponsors, most of whom leave after the opening c ...[text shortened]... , then hang on the rim like monkees.

The power of the mind is not a priority in America. 😞

Did you just liken black men to monkeys?

Dude, Howard Cosell got fired for that in the 70's.

Originally posted by @mchill
I'm sure this happens in Europe. In America most chess players travel to tournaments alone because there are so few of them, that finding another chess player in your area is a rare thing. Only major tournaments such as the US Open will draw spectators, normally family members, a few photographers or corporate sponsors, most of whom leave after the opening c ...[text shortened]... , then hang on the rim like monkees.

The power of the mind is not a priority in America. 😞

This description of chess in America is very much at odds with my personal experience.

I play at a club weekly, my friends at the club go to the tournaments with me -we don't always drive together because last round games don't end at the same time. We definitely hang out together and kibbitz between rounds. Practically every town has a club of some sort, and in the greater Orlando Florida area (in the US) there are several. I could play in a different spot almost every day if I had the time.

I routinely get 40-50 rated games a year, playing in tournament with 4 or 5 rounds. In Florida there are times when I could play almost every weekend, but I don't have the time.

And while I have been called many things in my life, "Introvert" has never been one of them! The players I know who play come from all walks of life, so they are hard to generalize about, except that they like to play.

Originally posted by @eladar
Did you just liken black men to monkeys?

Dude, Howard Cosell got fired for that in the 70's.

Dude, Howard Cosell got fired for that in the 70's


Dude: I'm not Howard Cosell, this isn't the 70's, and my job isn't on the line.

I calls them as I sees them. 🙂

Originally posted by @paul-leggett
This description of chess in America is very much at odds with my personal experience.

I play at a club weekly, my friends at the club go to the tournaments with me -we don't always drive together because last round games don't end at the same time. We definitely hang out together and kibbitz between rounds. Practically every town has a club of s ...[text shortened]... ome from all walks of life, so they are hard to generalize about, except that they like to play.

Oh Well, maybe it's geography that makes the difference. The Seattle area is full of tech geeks, book readers, and coffee drinkers. These folks spend most of their time indoors glued to their kindle's or computer screens and because of this, perhaps have less developed social skills.

Your area is much sought after up here from November thru April since we have so few sunny days during that time. 6 months of mixed rain and snow tends each year to produce a higher percentage of introverts. OH...and by the way, I wasn't suggesting all chess players are introverts, but that is often how we are perceived. 🙂

Originally posted by @mchill
Dude, Howard Cosell got fired for that in the 70's


Dude: I'm not Howard Cosell, this isn't the 70's, and my job isn't on the line.

I calls them as I sees them. 🙂

Jeezz not another friggin liberal !!

Nobody. When I travel to an out-of state event, I always insist on a single room. I like my privacy.