American Open Sponsor

The American Open is coming up, and there’s no way I can play without a sponsor. The EF itself is $200 now. The days are gone where IMs could play for “free” with EFs taken out of prize (at least in SCCF events—the club championship in La Palma where I’m playing now is a happy exception). Add to this that the tournament is in Orange County, about 40 miles away, so it’s a bit of a trek to drive back and forth, not to mention the hefty gas expenses! And just think of driving back at midnight after a long game, then getting up early to drive another forty miles to the tournament in the morning—for four days!

Clearly the best way to ensure a good result in this event would be to stay in the hotel, have no tiring commute, and just concentrate on chess. However, the “chess rate” of $89 is probably gone—so the rate is probably over $100. And I wouldn’t be alone: everybody who knows me knows I wouldn’t go to an event like without Liz and the boys. So four nights in the hotel for four people is going to really add up (unless you are a one percenter!) and I couldn’t dream of paying that on a chess professional’s income. The funny thing is, though, if I were able to stay in the hotel, I would have a much better chance of winning!

If anyone is interested in sponsoring me to the tournament, please contact me and we can go over the numbers. I would love to play—but was resigned that it was not possible—when I thought, let’s put the word out there and see what happens.

All I can give you in return is my gratitude—a nice mention in this blog if you want it!—and my promise to play interesting chess, going for the win in every game.

A good example is the game I played last week: