North Carolina Championship Ain't What It Used To Be   by NM Leland Fuerstman This Year's Top Prize May Equal a Bit More Than 3 Times the EF?! And, Again, the Out-of State Organizer is Guaranteed to Make a Bundle!  Twenty-four years ago, on August 31, the 1985 North Carolina State Championship was contested at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Charlotte. The 6 round, 2 section event was "closed" to NC players only and was organized and directed by volunteers of the NCCA. The entry fee was $25 and $30 at the site. The hotel rate was $50. The event offered a $2,500 unconditionally guaranteed prize fund with a guaranteed 1st Prize of $500! (that's 20 times greater than the EF and $100 more than this years prize?!). Ninety players participated. We even embellished the weekend with the appearance of GM Yasser Sierawan who played a 40 board simo. In addition, a side tournament, called the "Scholar's Cup," was held for scholastic players. The NCCA directly underwrote the entire event and broke about even. To my recollection, Organizers and Directors received little, if any compensation for their work. After all, we did "all of the work" because we were Officers of the NCCA. The tournament was a grand success! Now, twenty-four years later, on October 30, the 2009 North Carolina Open Championship will be contested at the Clarion Hotel in Greensboro. The 5 round, 6 section event is "open" to everyone and is organized by the Georgia based American Chess Promotions. The entry fee is $90 at the site. The hotel rate is $89. The event only guarantees half of the prize fund which would pay a 1st Prize in the Top Section of $400? (after subtracting the entry fee, that's slightly more than 3 times greater than the EF?). The only added attraction will be the usual sale of books and equipment by American Chess Promotions. Upon calculation, assuming that all 185 players were to pay the early EF of $83, that would generate a total amount received of $15,355. (Most players don't pay early and some re-enter allowing for even greater revenues). When the $10,000 prize fund is subtracted, that leaves $5,355 or 35% of the total revenues received for the organizer?! An even greater profit is guaranteed this same Organizer for the upcoming NC Class Championship in Charlotte? (When I was President in 1985, the standing rule for the payback for regular tournaments was 75%, and for the State Championship it was 100%!) Now, for those who insist that the normal expenses for the event will offset the guaranteed profit, I submit that the hotel has probably agreed to allow all of it's meeting space to be used for FREE based on an agreed number of "room nights" occupied by players. (You know; the same system that every business savvy tournament promoter has used for the past 30 years). Other expenses include a few trophies provided by American Chess Promotions, and the rating fees. In addition, some directors are compensated for a total of a few hundred dollars. This still provides a sizable profit to the organizer. Not to mention the thousands of dollars worth of books and equipment which he sells to North Carolina players and profits greatly. (One can only estimate the actual totals of expenses and profit since the NCCA does not require such information to EVER be published and continues to forbid anyone from observing the books?) Many months ago, I communicated my concerns to your allusive NCCA President who agreed that "the North Carolina Championship should be 'closed' and promoted by North Carolina organizers and directors" and that he would attempt to do just that this year! However, not only did he take no action in order to effect that change, but no mention of any right for NC organizers to democratically bid on the event was ever made on the NCCA website or otherwise. Instead, the event was again arbitrarily awarded to American Chess Promotions, who will again use North Carolina Directors, volunteers and administrators to conduct the event and keep all of the profits for himself. (If there is, in fact, a policy for the NCCA to receive a certain amount of money from each entry fee, it is neither published nor has it ever been publicly discussed). A decade ago, when the trend to allow an out-of-state promoter to take total control of our State Championship was enacted, the depleted NCCA treasury was still recovering from the malfeasance of a previous administrator. The idea that a promoter would take all the profit and accept all of the risk seemed to be a reasonable one at that time. Furthermore, in order to hedge against potential losses, the event became "open to all?!" However, now that the NCCA has amassed over $20,000! in the bank, (though most members have not seen a published treasurers report in years) it would seem that such a relationship would no longer be necessary. Regardless, there are plenty of qualified Organizers and Directors in North Carolina who are quite capable of running the event. (Probably, many of those same Directors will be assisting this year, while the out-of-state Organizer only makes arrangements with the hotel, monitors the sales of his books and equipment and sits back and counts the money...) As I have stated many times, the North Carolina Chess Championship was originally designed to be a "closed" event which would determine our annual State Champion. It was never meant to compete with the LPO or the Land of the Sky nor any other major event which takes place in North Carolina. I believe that American Chess Promotions does a great job conducting all of those events, but our State Championship is different. When the State Champion must pay an almost $100 entry fee and can only win 4 times that amount, while the promoter makes thousands, something is wrong? Again the NCCA has shirked it's responsibility by not requesting bids from the many competent North Carolina organizers and allowing an out-of-state Promoter to conduct our State Championship. Furthermore, allowing players from other states to compete completely undermines the purity of determining a true North Carolina champion. The entry fee is way too high and the payback is way too low?! Knowledge of the Organizer's excessive profit, coupled with high entry fee, gas, food and lodging expenses will only serve to cause the turnouts to continue to decrease. Many NC players are simply tired of getting ripped off... It seems to me that the Officers of the NCCA are doing little to look out for the concerns of the common member. The North Carolina State Championship should be "closed," organized by NC Directors, the entry fee should be $30, and 100% of the entry fee money received should be paid to the winners! If they want to allow American Chess Promotions to sell books and equipment, fine, just so they pay a fair commission. I continue to remain disappointed in the incompetency of the NCCA officers. Their abandonment of responsibility, poor decision making and lack of direction has surely stymied the progress of chess in North Carolina. (As for participating in the convoluted 2009 North Carolina Open, based on the high entry fee, poor payback and excessive profits guaranteed to the out-of-state organizer, I don't think it's a fair deal; and I wouldn't recommend it). NM Leland Fuerstman Charlotte Chess Club Independent