Continental Open 07, Report
The weekend has come and gone, and so is this tournament. I would estimate attendance at approximately two hundred with GM Shabalov taking first place in the Open Section (5/6), GMs Kudrin, Ivanov and IM Zlotnikov with (4.5/6).
The venue, Sturbridge Host Hotel at Cedar Lake, is a great place for a chess player to bring his family along. They've got miniature golf, paddle boats, a beach, free internet, swimming pool, and a lot of places to dine in the immediate area, all along Route 20. I recommend the Thai restaurant across from the hotel. The lake makes the time between rounds very pleasurable. You can just sit on a bench and admire the water. It was a great stress-reliever. It so happened that an antique car shop, all Jaguars, ran concurrently as the chess tournament. Parked on the lakeside, the cars took everybody's breath away. There is, of course, the famous Sturbridge Village ( colonial days in America ) a couple of miles away. One can spend several hours there easily. It's probably the area's greatest attraction.
The playing hall was a large conference room with very high ceilings. i thought that lighting could be better. It felt more like being in a warehouse than a conference room, to be frank. I reckon they spruce the place up for large celebrations or conventions. The TDs had their own little cubicle while the pairings were posted in a narrow hallway. Why is it always in a small area? Another twenty-five players and you'd have to elbow your way to the bulletin boards.
Altogether, it was a fun weekend. I would play there again next year. Thanks to Bill Goichberg and crew for running a smooth tournament.
The weekend has come and gone, and so is this tournament. I would estimate attendance at approximately two hundred with GM Shabalov taking first place in the Open Section (5/6), GMs Kudrin, Ivanov and IM Zlotnikov with (4.5/6).
The venue, Sturbridge Host Hotel at Cedar Lake, is a great place for a chess player to bring his family along. They've got miniature golf, paddle boats, a beach, free internet, swimming pool, and a lot of places to dine in the immediate area, all along Route 20. I recommend the Thai restaurant across from the hotel. The lake makes the time between rounds very pleasurable. You can just sit on a bench and admire the water. It was a great stress-reliever. It so happened that an antique car shop, all Jaguars, ran concurrently as the chess tournament. Parked on the lakeside, the cars took everybody's breath away. There is, of course, the famous Sturbridge Village ( colonial days in America ) a couple of miles away. One can spend several hours there easily. It's probably the area's greatest attraction.
The playing hall was a large conference room with very high ceilings. i thought that lighting could be better. It felt more like being in a warehouse than a conference room, to be frank. I reckon they spruce the place up for large celebrations or conventions. The TDs had their own little cubicle while the pairings were posted in a narrow hallway. Why is it always in a small area? Another twenty-five players and you'd have to elbow your way to the bulletin boards.
Altogether, it was a fun weekend. I would play there again next year. Thanks to Bill Goichberg and crew for running a smooth tournament.
posted by Ted Teodoro at 8:35 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home