rchanen
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Re:U.S.A. Chess Statistics - part 2 - 2005/11/03 23:14
However, the reality is not so grim. In a completely unscientific study conducted by a non-statistician (me), it was determined that our attendance numbers at major Florida over-the-board chess events over the past couple of years are on a very positive upward trend. For example: (1) attendance at the Space Coast Open has increased from 123 in 2000 to 125 in 2001 to 217 in 2002, for a two year increase of 77%; (2) attendance at the Florida Class Championship has increased from 96 in 2000 to 117 in 2001 to 153 in 2002, for a two year increase of 60%; (3) attendance at the After Memorial Tournament has increased from 88 in 2000 to 105 in 2001 to 139 in 2002, for a two year increase of 58%; (4) attendance at the FCA State Championship (the "adult" championship) has increased from 191 in 1999 to 216 in 2001 (only 126 attended in 2000), for a two year increase of 13%, the smallest increase of any of our major annual tournaments; (5) attendance at the FCA Scholastic State Championship has increased from 381 in 2000 to 499 in 2001 to 650 in 2002, for a two year increase of 71%.
While my numbers may be a little off in some respects (hey I`m a lawyer, not a statistician), the significant upward trend is clear, due in large part to the increased attendance by top scholastic players at traditionally "adult" events.
I haven`t run the numbers, but I believe that attendance is also on the rise at smaller monthly events in West Florida at the St. Petersburg Chess Club ( http://www.hofferle.com.cob-web.org:8888/spcc/index.htm ), in Central Florida at the Central Florida Chess Club ( http://www.centralflchess.org ) and in South Florida at the Miami International Chess Academy ( http://www.miamichess.com.cob-web.org:8888/ ). Other smaller chess clubs are starting to have tounaments in smaller communities like Clermont ( http://www.geocities.com.cob-web.org:8888/clermontchessclub/ ). There are still some "dead zones" like Naples and Sarasota for adult tournaments, but that may change soon. A lot of interest is being generated from the older generation, under the leadership of Don Schultz and GM Arnold Denker who has been featured in simuls and match plays in Florida chess festivals such as the upcoming Fountain of Youth Chess Festival ( http://www.chessdon.com.cob-web.org:8888/fountain_of_youth_festival.htm ). Having the new U.S. Chess Hall of Fame in Miami doesn`t hurt either! ( http://www.excaliburelectronics.com.cob-web.org:8888/uschf.html ). A lot of interest is also being generated from the younger generation in Florida, especially on the Scholastics level. The Florida Chess Federation ( http://www.floridachess.org)is alive and well, having attracted 650 students to its latest official scholastics State Championship, and having hosted its largest "adult" championship ever this past September. While the Florida Scholastic Chess League has not been able to significantly expand to date from its limited base in West and Northwest Florida, it is also doing well and attracted 400 players to its unofficial "state" championship held in Gainesville this past year, and is featured on the cover of this months ChessMates magazine for its role in a Tallahassee Chess Festival. With very little overlap in students, the FCA and FSCL "state" tournaments in 2002 included approximately 1000 different students. While most of them will never play beyond the scholastics level, several of them have started attending the traditionally "adult" tournaments, and not just at the U1200 level. It is not unusual in Florida to see Junior players winning the majority of sections in an Open, U2000, U1800, U1600, U1400 and U1200 type tounament. Still more excitement is being generated by the successes of our very best Junior players including Cindi Tsai, Bruci Lopez, Danny Fernandez, Daniel Ludwig, and several others; and the successes of top scholastic programs at National events, including those of the University School of Nova (Ft. Lauderdale), and Berkeley Prep (Tampa). The Space Coast Open this past year was so well attended that the organizers actually PAID OUT MORE than the advertised prize fund. This is a welcome change from tournaments of the past (and present elsewhere) where you can usually count on only 60% of the projected prize fund being paid out. Still another factor is the increased use of the internet and e-mail for advertising, and organizers cross-promoting/advertising each other`s events on their websites including the Upcoming Events page at www.tampachessclub.com which is full of an ever growing schedule of chess events in West and Central Florida. This list is currently 7 pages long when printed on 8.5 x 11 paper, and does not even include several other events taking part in other parts of the State such as Miami and Jacksonville. In sum, there are a lot of reasons that chess is on the rise in Florida. An increasing elderly population certainly may play a limited role, but that would harely account for some of our 60% to 70% increases over the past two years.
Don Mihokovich Chairman, FCA Scholastics Committee Florida Chess Association Board Member President, Tampa Chess Club
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The great virtue in life is real courage that knows how to face facts and live beyond them.
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