A CHESS VARIANTS SURVEY

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HOW MUCH INTEREST IS THERE FOR A VARIANTS WEEKEND TOURNAMENT?
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   Thousands of "weekend swiss" tournaments are held each year around North 
America for playing so-called "regular chess."  (Those events are listed in 
the "Tournament Life" section of the USCF's national magazine.)  Why not have 
a similar kind of event for chess variants?!?! 
 
   This survey is for the purpose of finding out how much interest there is 
in this idea among chess variants players in North America.  If you're a 
chess variants player, please return the survey by sending private e-mail to 
David Moeser, the survey circulator.  Instructions and address information 
are as follows: 
 
   Copy the survey form and edit it by inserting your answers, or simply list 
the question numbers and your answers in a separate text file.  Then send 
your answer-reply by private e-mail to: erasmus39 at yahoo dot com.
 
   Feel free to copy the survey (and these instructions) and forward it to 
other chess variants players you know who may not have seen it at other
online locations where it's been posted (such as the Yahoo chess variants 
club's message base or on the chess variants website).
 
   NOTE: The survey's circulator believes a "weekend swiss" for chess 
variants should involve *NO* formal playing of "regular chess." Some readers 
may ask:  How can that be done?  Answer: No problem!!  The survey's  
circulator was a chess tournament organizer for 25 years, ran many hundreds 
of events, and created many new formats along the way.  Remember how in 1968 
Nixon said he had a "secret plan"?  Well, so do we!!  For now, all we'll say 
is that we believe it *can* be done!
   
 
                              THE SURVEY
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(1) Do you play chess over-the-board ("OTB")?
    YES...... NO......
(Note: if you only play online and are interested only in online, answer 
'no')
 
(2) What chess variants do you play?
    ALL...... NONE...... SOME...... If some, please list up to five 
favorites:..................................................................
............................................................................
 
(3) Are you potentially interested in attending a 5-SS (weekend swiss) 
tournament in which all rounds (games) would be chess variants?
    YES...... NO...... MAYBE...... DON'T KNOW......
 
(4) What is your location? (This survey is intended mainly for readers in 
North America.)  
    CITY..................... STATE (province)........
 
(5) What kind of transportation would you use to travel to such an event?
    CAR...... BUS...... PLANE...... TRAIN...... DOG SLED (well, it's a 
variant!)...... OTHER...... 
 
(6) How far would you be willing to travel (especially if by car) to attend 
such an event?
    10 miles...... 25 miles...... 50 miles...... 100 miles......
200 miles...... 300 miles...... 400 or more miles...... (Check largest that 
applies.)  [Check here if answer is in kilometers:......]
 
(7) How large an entry fee would you be willing to pay for such an event? 
(Note: Travel and lodging costs are separate. "Entry fee" pays for meeting 
room rental, prizes, and other costs.)
    US $10......$20......$30......$40......$50...... (Check largest that 
applies.)
 
   (A short comment from the survey's circulator:  Over-the-board tournament 
chess in North America is very commercialized these days.  Entry fees (and 
prizes) are generally very high.  But we don't see the big operators holding 
any variants events.  It should be expected that any chess variants event 
will be not-for-profit.  The purpose of such an event would presumably be to 
promote social well-being and to have fun, not to make profits.) 
 
Other comments: ............................................................
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   Copy and edit this form with your answers (or write answers in a text 
file) and send by private e-mail to David Moeser, Censornati, Ohio, USA.
E-mail address: erasmus39 at yahoo dot com.