A real fight is on for the 2007-08 Australian Chess Championships. After weeks of laying low - Sydney businessman Peter Parr has fired off a shot that will surely generate some alarm among the only bidders so far, a Victorian-based team constituting mainly of middleweights from the Box Hill CC. I'm sure that these southern boys are getting worried: they're up against a real heavyweight now.
I'm not sure exactly what finally motivated this latest move by Peter. Just a couple of weeks ago I asked him, point blank, if he was interested in bidding considering the carrot offered by the ACF. He wasn't interested then. No matter, we're here now.
But the bid is still a tad uncertain, being tied to a decision by the NSW Bridge Association to have their premises made available to a chess tourney during the proposed dates, but it is at least a little more attractive than its Victorian rival. Better for me to just hop on a train in the country's number one city than go all the way to Melbourne. Peter also guarantees a minimum prize fund of $12,500. Not exactly a super class figure, but hey, I ain't complaining.
To complicate all this there are these "rumours" of a third bid based out of Parramatta. But details of that are tighter than a Harry Potter book release. Don't expect pictures of bid documents at your favourite file-sharing site any time soon. These guys, that's if there is a bid, are bloody good. Well - certainly not as talkative as as their Victorian rivals.
For the moment, I don't care who wins so long as it's Sydney based. Honestly, we're talking about Australia's most fashionable city and ranked by Monocle magazine in number 7 spot among its Top 20 Most Livable Cities in the world. A vote for the south will be a poorer decision indeed!
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6 comments:
Why are any of the bids secret? Why should they be secret? Aren't we all playing on the same side of the net?
The main concideration should be to make the best 2008AC that can be organised, regardless of who when or where. For this to happen the "heavy weights" of Australian chess need to be:
1. TALKING to each other.
2. MIXING their best sponsorship with the best place.
3. Not keeping SECRETS.
4. Not putting shit on eachothers bids.
5. Making phone calls.
6. Clarifying unknowns.
7. How ever many other behaviours required to COOPERATE.
The fact that the NSWCA President has dragged his feet at every turn with Peter Parr, says that the NSWCA Pres is playing favorites - and playing favorites is B-A-D bad for chess.
Top post TCG.
You have made your opinions visible which is a great improvement on pictures of fancy chess sets, and iChess releases.
The location favoured by you is tried and tested.
Interesting to see that Bill Gletsos is involved in the Parramatta bid...no wonder why he was quiet on Peter's bid...
C'mon the Eels!
So when exactly is D Day?
Given the delay in announcing the successful bid, the smart money is on the bid that has the delay in confirming it's venue.
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