Tournaments Take Too Long

This is really driving me nuts. I join a tournament and qualify for the next round. For one of my tournaments I've been waiting 3 months for the next round to start. I don't understand why people have to use vacation for an entire month and intentionally move once every 3 days even though they log on every day.

There is one game which still has only 2 moves recorded. Am I going to have to wait another 3 months before Round 2 begins? I can guarantee that several members who joined the tournament last December will still be going to chess.com regularly once Round 2 finally starts.

There should really some sort of cap or way to speed things up, like after 6 weeks time control is shortened to 1 move/day and you can no longer use vacation time.

There really needs to be additional time control features available. Such as capping the amount of vacation time people can use, etc.

Well I just joined my first tournament, you don't make it sound that exciting!

Possible "No vacation" tournament setting. Probably not a good idea for big tournaments.

Well, the tournaments are really fun, but you can't expect any 100+ player tournament to go fast, play you'r current tournament games, enjoy them. Them go play some other games for the next 3 months or so. You can still enjoy the game without playing tournament games all the time. Stop rushing.

With that said, they are looking into it, as TadDude showed.

 They are very exciting while you are playing. They are very boring while you are waiting 3 months for the next round to begin.

What about "varying" time settings?

After 6 weeks, there could be reduced time settings.

There is little that can be done to stop this.  Most of the remedies are worse than the problem.  Reducing vacation time, reducing the time limit will reduce the number of players.  Varible time limits confuse players, create programming headaches for the staff, penalize those who use their time more judiciously.  If there is a player who has only made two moves while everyone else has finished the tourney then perhaps the TD can take action.

I will admit there are people who take advantage of the TL and vacation.  They are hoping opponents tire of the game and resign (I've done this), let their membership lapse, get sick, die, whatever so they can log a win and score a few rating points.  But remember, some people have legitimate emergencies, the rationale for vacation time, and some like to take a couple days to make a move.  Sometimes it is hard to separate the wheat from the chaff.

At least, it should be so that as soon as all the people that qualified for the 2nd round are defined, it starts and at the same time other players can finish their first round games. Yeah, it will require some adjustment in the program, but it really worth the time spent.

Yes!! In my group the 2 winners have been decided, but we are waiting for a game to complete that has no effect on the overall rankings. This is a great way to speed up a tournament.

Great idea CarlMI....move the winners on....or an option to allow a "maximum" vacation time.   I did read in the forums that there are "official rules" for correspondance chess which allows for a TON of vacation time...with that said, I'm not sure that the site will change.

I'm not sure you can do much about people who move only once in 3 days.  Those rules are spelled out before the tourney and you know going in.  I'm fairly new to the tournaments and won't join a tourney with longer than 3 days per move just because of this fact.  I'm playing a few people that have exact opposite schedules than I do and we only play a move or two every couple of days.

Why is this so hard for so many to comprehend?  DO NOT join a tournament that has a 3 day time limit.

I like 3 day tourneys, it gives me the best balance of flexibility and speed.  With a 10 hour workday, business travel, wife, kids, etc I have more important things to do than sit on the board and wait for a move.  My average, according to chess.com, is 8:40 for moves but I'm sure that includes conditionals and thematics.  Its normally about 1 or 2 a day.  Weekends occasionally quicker but many a time I need the 3 days. 

I like the idea of moving winners on to the next round where possible but if you don't like delays then online/correspondence chess is not for you.  Even at 1 move/day a tourney will take a while.  Try live chess.

 All we are asking for is an option that the Tournament creator can choose to allow the winners of the round to advance.  Once all of the winners advance, then the next round will start.  I sucks waiting for 10 meaningless games to end for the next round to start.(and when I say meaningless, I mean meaningless to the outcome of the round).  Those meaningless games can go at their own pace while the next round starts.  Just make it an option. 

join small and quick tournaments.  it speeds things up a bit.  also, check to see if the players in the tournament have quick or slow average time per move.  also, check to see if they have a high time-out percantage rate.  best way to find quick tournies.  tournies are fun and worth the wait though.

That could unfairly burden a play who has clinched a spot in the next round, but still has at least one ongoing game from the current round.

If they allowed this as an option, then that player who is unfairly burdened would have theoretically known the risks going in...

That said, I don't really like the idea. If you want to play in more tournaments, upgrade your account! :-)

 Yeah, that might become a premium option...

1 day/move is too fast. 3 days/move and some poeple will take all 3 days every move. What I would like to see is 10 days/game + 1 day/move. If you go over 1 day for a move, you start using up your whole game credit. Perhaps you can earn it back later by moving quickly, or perhaps not.

 Yeah this is a great idea. I don't know why this isn't done already.