Sam SLoan destroys US Open and post to "dead" newsgroup ,alt.chess
On May 6, 10:45 am, samsloan wrote:
The following is the letter from Joel Benjamin in which he sets forth
his objections to the US Championship.
It was copied by me into BINFO 200700775.
In reading this, please note that Joel Benjamin was the only
Grandmaster who expressed a willingness to play the US Championship
online, provided that the prizes were substantial:
At 11:38 PM 3/6/2007 -0500, Joel Benjamin wrote:
Dear USCF officials:
I am extremely distressed by the recent announcements for the 2007
U.S. Championship. Let me start by thanking Frank Berry for his
generosity. He and others in Stillwater are doing their best to make
something out of nothing. But the USCF is not doing its part.
The $65,000 prize fund (with players paying expenses) is grossly
inadequate. With 32 players (and possibly more) the average prize
will be around $2,000. This is in contrast to that figure serving as
the minimum figure last year!
The proposed $15,000 contribution from the USCF is embarrassing. The
"buy-in" plan makes a mockery of the tournament (though I expect very
few takers anyway). The disbursement of any extra funds generated by
this plan is completely unacceptable. It has to go directly to the
players! The line about "replacement of the $10,000 sanctioning fee"
is fooling no one. You have already announced that Anderson is
contributing $25,000. Does the USCF actually have the audacity to
pocket that money and try to turn a profit on this tournament? I
sincerely hope you reconsider this plan. You will only embarrass
yourselves and enrage the players.
I find it especially galling that some Board members were openly
hostile to Erik Anderson's attempts to organize the Championship,
likely sabotaging a $100,000 prize fund. If any of you thought you
could do better, the fiction is surely put to that notion.
I have played in 23 U.S. Championships, every one since 1981. I have
never declined an invitation, nor even considered not playing. But
this proposed tournament is so outrageous that I don't think I could
participate. Please go back to the drawing board and reconsider.
Don't make me fight you.
Sincerely,
Joel Benjamin
Sam should be very proud of destroying the US open
|