ReneDescartes wrote on 07/06/15 at 19:29:57:

dfan wrote on 07/07/15 at 00:16:40:


Ha!!  Burned with my own favorite brand. That is really excellent and does about five things at once.  

I guess that I just thought that if you play in a tournament, it was kind of given that your entry fee pays for the equipment that the organiser provide. Like, you do not go to a football tournament and have to buy own football and two goal nets, or buy your own tennis net and balls to play in tennis tournament. 

I think also there might be annoyance if everyone has a different set--especially those that like to bring weird sets with green squares instead of black or whatever.

Is USA only place that do this? Canada provide everything like other parts of the world? 

For me, actually I have a FIDE clock. But I do not use it in tournaments. I bought it at a tournament because they had a bookstore (but they provided all equipment!). I think that they sold clocks if you wanted to just have one at home. They did not sell sets though. Actually I do not own a set at home. Only one friend that I know has a set, that I used to play him in blitz OTB for fun. And even then, it is an expensive kind of set that is more suited to be in a house than in a tournament. And to be honest after more than a year I still do not know how to set the damn ting in a classical time control

Of course the arbiter can just pay for it themselv? Like I said before, if both countries that are not as rich as Norway or Germany can afford provide all equipment, like Bolivia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Georgia, or Mongolia provide equipment, surely their organisers can afford it. Why not North America?

I've played all my life in US tournaments. Having players bring their own sets isn't the end of the world, or even of civilization. Almost everyone owns a standard chess set, and far more than half of tournament players bring their own clocks. Nowadays, almost all clocks are digital. There are some that are far better than others, but it's not the end of the world to play on a slightly unusual clock. It's important before the start of a game to learn how it works of course. 

I've played in a few closed tournaments, but even those usually had us bring the clocks. The very elite GM closed tournaments are different. So, if you're in the US and you really want the site to provide a board and clock, become a GM!

The Americans put up with it--as they did with ever being at risk of losing their health insurance, until recently.

It's pretty bad. As I related elsewhere on this forum a few years ago, I once had an opponent beat me as I battled severe time pressure--from his faulty clock! During the game I somehow felt time was slipping away from me, but I only realized I had been cheated when I added up the elapsed chess-clock times and they added to a lot less than the elapsed times on my watch. His time had run normally, but mine disappeared faster than it should have...afterward he blithely commented "I usually win on time."

That was a very bad experience. Heisman tells new players "call the tournament director if anything strange seems to be going on." In the United States, that is doubly true. It's the Wild West.

Dont some tournaments 'rent' sets? rather than own them. This is an additional cost which US organisers might be avoiding and passing onto players in higher prizes?

dfan wrote on 07/03/15 at 19:56:36:


Adding to what DenVerdsligeRejsende said, an individual doesn't buy the chess sets and clocks. The local chess club owns and provides them, possibly borrowing from other nearby clubs when necessary.

DenVerdsligeRejsende wrote on 07/03/15 at 18:47:23:

When you say "North American countries can afford it", I assume you are not actually talking about the countries themselves (or are you saying that the government should provide the chess sets used in tournaments?). Do you mean that any individual who runs a tournament is probably wealthy enough to buy, transport, and provide a hundred (say) chess sets and clocks?

I agree that it would not be a big cost to bring your own chess equipment (either you own it, or it's a one-time investment), but it would be an inconvenience. While I can see the logic behind expecting players to bring their own sets (some good reasons have been mentioned in this thread), I can also see an inconvenience in bringing a chess set and clock when I am travelling. Especially if my accomodation is not in a walking distance from the tournament. I have played tournaments where I take the bus for an hour every day to play the rounds, which I don't mind. I would probably mind if I had to bring my own set.

But I guess it's mainly a question of what you are used to.