I played in the USCF National Open in Las Vegas June 6-7, 2009 at the South Pointe Casino.
The South Pointe was a new location for the National Open. I have played in this tournament in 2005, 2007 and 2008 when it was held at the Riveria at the Strip.
There were several things that I liked about the South Pointe -
- It was cheap. Although my buddy Francisco that I shared a room with found a cheaper deal on hotels.com, than the “Chess Rate”. This is pretty embarrassing for USCF that they were not able to negotiate a better rate, considering what a large group was in attendance.
- The rooms were very nice. Large screen TVs. Large bathroom area.
- Large variety of activities – Movie Theatre, 64 Lane Bowling Alley (open 24 hours a day!), Arcade, Gambling (of course), swimming pool, etc.
- Drinks were CHEAP. I ordered a Bud Light on Friday night which cost a DOLLAR. Very cool
- Gambling was cheap. They had 5 dollar blackjack tables. Try to find one of those on the Strip.
- Short walk to the games. The walk at the Riveria was at least 10 minutes from your room to the tournament hall.
- More modern than the Riveria, which just feels old and run down.
Things I didn’t like
- Location, Location, Location.
The location of the Hotel is not that great. It is fairly close to the airport, but a cab still cost around 25 dollars to get there. There is basically nothing around it at all. Most of the people at the casino tend to be “locals” than “tourists”. - The view from my room was terrible. Probably the worst view of any hotel I have ever stayed at (and I have stayed at a lot of hotels). And we were on the 7th floor.
- Internet access was pretty steep at 13 dollars a day.
- Some of the lines were really bad, and slow. The coffee shop, registration desk, etc. One tip – there is a snack bar by the bowling alley where you can get food quickly, like for breakfast (coffee, bagel, etc).
But overall the hotel is fine especially if you are with a family, on a budget, or have been to Vegas a bunch of times, and don’t care about seeing any sights or feeling like you are getting the Vegas experience.
Now for the tournament!
Things I liked
- Every year they give away 50 dollars in gift certificates to the book store for anyone with a plus score. That is very nice.
- The bookstore was great – very large selection
- Lots of side activities – chess camp (which I did one year), analysis, blitz and bughouse tournaments
- Lots of “famous” players playing, and boards you can watch
- Playing site was great – lots of room, quiet, well lit, temperature, tables well marked
- Prizes given away including a free trip to next years tournament – nice! Fun prizes like the prize for the oldest participant (93 years old) and youngest (7 years old). Very cool
- Rounds started on time for the most part
- Bathrooms located nearby (this can be a major problem if they aren’t!)
Things I didn’t like
- The pairings are all put together in a small area. So you have a herd of nerd all crowding around each other to see who they are playing. Why can’t they put the U1200 pairings in one location, the U1400 in another, etc. This is pretty common practice, and no excuse for this.
- The monroi broadcasting not working. Last year I had 5 of my 6 games broadcast on the internet. I had several friends watching, and commenting how cool it was. This year I had 0 games broadcast. It seems the interest was only in making sure that the Open section games were broadcast. I found this very annoying. Especially considering how expensive the monroi is.
- In the past the winner of the last round game got to keep the board. This year you had to buy it for 20 dollars, which seemed pretty steep.
Funny things
- The two day section was playing when the 3rd round of the 3 day section was to start. The director started making announcements when one guy yelled “Can you shut up??” The director said “No, I will not shut up”. Pretty funny.
Overall I had a really good tournament. I drew my first game, then won 4 in a row. I lost in the last round, to a player I suspect might be a sandbagger. I will probably do a seperate blog post on this issue. I picked up 110 rating points! But when it came to prize money, I felt like Ricky Bobby “If you ain’t first, you’re last”, since the difference between winning and losing that last game was $2900 vs $39. D’oh!!!
It is a great tournament, and I would highly recommend it.
