Letter to All NCCA Officers
From Kevin Hyde, NCCA Webmaster

I was comparing the 1999 to the 2000 NC Open in terms of attendance and participation in sections. Here are some observations:

The larger prize fund with Grand Prix points and guarantee of 25% prizes didn't seem to attract more players. Players that might have played up from U2000 to Open did not do so in 2000, even with better prizes in the Open; I don't know why only one unrated player did so. Total Tournament: 127 Players in 1999, 123 Players in 2000  Open Section 1999 28 players 1 out of state 8 playing up 2000 17 players 4 out of state 1 playing up U2000 Section 1999 26 players 5 out of state 5 playing up 2000 42 players 5 out of state 7 playing up U1600 Section 1999 42 players 7 out of state 11 playing up 2000 38 players 3 out of state 10 playing up U1200 Section 1999 31 players 1 out of state 2000 26 players 2 out of state. Does anyone have any insites to share? Are tournaments too expensive? Are lower rated players more "price-elastic"?

There are 58 NC players with ratings at or above 2000. We got 13. There are 186 NC players with ratings between 1600 and 1999 inclusive. We got 31. There are 342 NC players with ratings between 1200 and 1599 inclusive. We got 32. played up and 3 unrated players played for money.

Here's an idea:

2001 NC Open, version 1

Larry Tapper Open Section (b/28)
EF: $40 Prizes: 400-320-160-80 U2200: 80-40 U2000: 40

Michael McHale U2000 Section (b/40)
EF: $30 Prizes: 300-240-120-60-30 U1800: 60-30 U1600: 30

Igor Akushevich U1600 Section (b/44)
EF: $20 Prizes: 200-160-80-40-30-20 U1400: 40-20 U1200: 20

Dane Berry U1200 Section (trophy only)
EF: $10 Prizes: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, U1000, U800, Unrated
 

The idea here is that lower-rated players might be more inclined to play if the entry fee were lower. The Open Section has a 100% payout and is based on 28 players (1999
entries). The U2000 Section has a 73% payout and is based on 40 players (2000 estimate). The U1600 Section has a 70% payout and is based on 44 players (reasonable guess).
If the estimates come exactly true, the top 3 sections will get $3200 in entry fees and pay $2600 in prizes which is an overall payout of 81%. With lower entry fees, I hope that more U1600 players will show up and their entry fee will subsidize a probable shortage in the Open Section. The U1200 also will subsidize if we get good participation. I expect to be able to pay the full prize fund but would advertise it "based-on" just to cover an unexpectedly low turn-out.
Without the Grand Prix next year, there's no incentive to guarantee a portion of the prize fund or have a minimum prize fund to get the Grand Prix points but I think it be reassuring to some players who might be traveling a long distance.

What do y'all think?

-Kevin