STC Open 2006
by Robrecht Jacques (RoZa)
Brussels, Belgium, Europe
In March the annual STC Open started, one of the four tournaments STC
organizes each year. While you're reading this, the fifth round is underway.
250+ participants started in 8 different sections (Open and "Under 1700") on
the ICC, FICS and USCL servers. Also, a lot of people late-joined – which
gives them a half-point bye – but unfortunately at least as many were
withdrawn from the tournament due to various reasons... most notable for not
following the "rules" concerning reporting their results or being unable to
schedule a game in time.
For the second time I am assisting Tom as Tournament Director. After my
victory last year in the STC Gauntlet (August 2005), I liked the concept of
the STC Bunch tournaments and promised myself to help out where I could. This
resulted in some work in some obscure "Players committee", but when Tom
explicitly asked for some help managing the STC World Ch (October 2005), I
jumped – unknowingly of the dangers that lay ahead – aboard.
The job of assistant-TD is sometimes unrewarding (Tom gets all the
credit[*]), but at least thanks to the work of many volunteers, compared to
the World Ch, the job is at least getting easier – or maybe I'm just getting
more handy in avoiding possible pitfalls...
Still, it seems like everyday that Tom emails me, in the middle of his night,
to inform me that this or that bug on the TDS (Tournament Display System) has
been fixed. Without his handy bunch of volunteers, things would not go as
smoothly.
In theory the work of the assistant-TD is trivial, but I know that you all
are just checking the clock until the deadline passes to report a problem to
me, or that you all think that I can predict the results so you don't have to
report them, or that you all send stuff to the wrong email-address and think
the postman will deliver them anyway, or that you all late-join without
giving me a handle or server (my clairvoyance is notorious), or ...
It's the job I've signed up to do and to be honest: it's not as bad as I make
it sound... but remember: we all play for the fun of it... to learn
something... to better our life... So let's try to enjoy it!
And try to make me enjoy it too.
Robrecht
(RoZa @ FICS)
[*] Just kidding! I have my fair share of admirers too.
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