My first impressions of chess tournaments were their size. Rows upon rows of long tables, filled with checkered boards and tall (or so they seemed to me at the time) people on either side of them; gigantic rooms and hallways dedicated entirely to chess. Gradually, though, as I played in more tournaments, the rooms took a backseat to the games.
When we at Puddletown started hosting quads in September, I felt the magnitude of chess tournaments again. The venue at Godfather’s Pizza, although smaller than the 200+ capacity rooms I played my first tournaments at, was the first place I had hosted a tournament, the result of our team’s efforts.
This Saturday at our Spring Chess Festival, we reached another milestone: an event just as big as the ones I had been so awed by as a child. We aimed to make this celebration of chess as good as we could, and our dedication paid off in the form of over 80 players! Shoutout to those who drove all the way from Bend, Corvallis, Salem, and more.
Part of improving the tournament experience involved great side events. We served free pizza and breakfast (bagels and coffee), held a simul (see my brother’s blog post for the footage), sold chess books and snacks at discounted prices, offered free game analysis, gave door prizes to every player, and hosted a raffle.
About the second two in the list above: this tournament would have been a lot less fun were it not for the numerous donors we had. It may seem daunting to initiate the conversation about potential donations; however, our friendly neighborhood businesses never disappoint! Thank you to Alex from Dave’s Hot Chicken, Chris from Chick-fil-A, Jessica from Jimmy John’s, Maddison from Trader Joe’s, Anybeth from Panda Express, Kasey from Jamba, Pete from American Chess Magazine, Josh from Starbucks, Xiu from JY Granite & Cabinet inc. and the managers of Crumbl Cookies, Siam Thai & Sunrise Bagels for donating gift cards, food, coupons, magazines, and more to this festival, making it so much more enjoyable! The joy in each winner’s face when they claimed a raffle prize or their door prizes made all the preparation from the month prior seem so much more worth it.
Also, thank you to our volunteers: parents, players, and siblings alike who helped set up boards, clocks, and pieces in the beginning, then later helped clean up at the end. In addition, thank you to our volunteers who helped with check-in and served pizza during lunchtime. Our festival couldn’t have finished on time without you guys!
Overall, the Spring Chess Festival was a great first Swiss/big tournament for Puddletown. Of course, we will incorporate the feedback and lessons learned from this event to improve our future ones. Comment below: out of our side events, which was your favorite? Any feedback about our future tournaments in general?
