Evans On Chess. April 12, 1996. Copyright Chesstours. All rights
reserved.

                              FLIGHT OF THE PROS

National champion Patrick Wolff, 28, is the latest in a long line of pros
to "gradually leave chess." In an article blasting amateur policies of
America's governing body of chess known as the USCF, he explains:

     "I am very happy that I had the good fortune to win the last U.S.
     Championship. But the amount of money an average grandmaster can
     expect to earn from this event is so low it's unclear whether it's
     worth taking time away from our normal chess activities to play.

     "You don't believe me? This year's prize fund was $25,000 for
     a 14-person event. Suppose you think you have a chance of
     finishing in the middle of the pack. That means you expect to
     earn under $600 a week for three week's work. Take my word for
     it, we can do better giving lessons and playing in weekend Swisses.

     "I'm talking about our premier event, the championship of
     this great nation. Even when there is nothing special that
     conflicts with it, Gata Kamsky routinely turns down his
     invitation! Yasser Seirawan told me quite bluntly that he only
     plays when it's necessary to qualify for the Interzonal.

     "The root problem, I think, is the USCF treats its championship
     as a liability, whereas it should be one of its greatest assets.
     There is no long term plan for establishing it annually in the
     same place so that it might build local support. The USCF
     invests no substantial money or time into publicizing it.

     "People outside chess are always astonished at this mindset.
     'They don't invest in their own national championship? They
     don't hire a PR firm to publicize it? How do they expect to
     grow? Don't they need to establish chess celebrities and excite
     the public in the sport?'

     "All I can do is nod and agree. I know the people who run the
     USCF love chess and enjoy having the cream of America's players
     do battle for the title each year.

     "But they do not think their championship is a commodity to be
     sold. They see none of the potential, and do nothing to exploit
     it. Instead, they budget as little as possible for it. They cut
     every corner so it can be held as cheaply as possible. Would
     you believe that in real dollars the prize fund is actually
     going down?

     "All of this must change. I'm talking about a complete change
     of attitude, not some tinkering around the edges. I am not just
     talking about the prize fund, but also about publicity, staging it,
     getting a good site, etc. We have cheated ourselves for too long."

Wolff's lament once was echoed by Bobby Fischer and other stars. It's
tough to find sponsors, but what sport can flourish at the bottom unless
it thrives at the top?

Former Chess Life editor Burt Hochberg posed a similar question many
years ago: "How can we make progress if we alienate our best players?
There is enough money -- it's simply being spent on other things."

Hey, nobody ever said that making a living at chess was easy.
