Food, water and the logistics of a chess tournament

If you do only one thing from this list, make it water. It costs almost nothing, and its absence is noticed by everybody.

• A bottle on the table is allowed. That is the norm, not a concession: a player should not have to leave mid-game to find a drink.
• Small bottles beat a cooler. A cooler creates a queue and noise, and a queue in a room where games are running is bad.
• Place them on the floor or to the side, not beside the board. Water spilled over scoresheets and clocks is a classic mishap.
• Reckon on two glasses per person per three hours. In summer, double it.

For a long event, add tea or coffee - but in a separate area rather than in the playing hall. The smell and the sound matter less than the movement of people.

It depends on length, and the rule is simple: under three hours, no; longer, something is needed.

What not to order: anything greasy, sticky or messy. Pieces and scoresheets have to be replaced afterwards, and players do not always wash their hands - events for children, corporate events.

A separate advantage of partnering with a bar or café: the food question disappears entirely, and the venue gets the revenue that made it host you for free in the first place - club economics.

• At least ten minutes between rounds. Zero looks efficient on paper and falls apart in reality.
• A long break after round three. On any event over three hours: twenty to thirty minutes rescue the second half.
• Announce breaks with a return time. «Twenty-minute break, round four at 19:40» - and the same in the group chat.
• Never start early. Even if everyone is back: one latecomer who forfeits because of an early start ruins the evening for both of you.
• Build in slack. A real tournament almost always runs slower than the plan.

And the two things checked last but asked about first: where the toilets are and where smoking is allowed. Say it at the opening - otherwise you will be asked twenty times personally.

A set for twenty tables is real weight and volume, and the organizer usually carries it themselves. What helps:

• Plastic crates instead of bags. They stack, they do not tear, and two people can carry them.
• Pieces bagged by set. One bag, one set. Loose in a box, you will lose half your knights within a season.
• Clocks separately, with padding. Digital clocks break when shaken in a shared box.
• Count at loading and unloading. Twice, against a list. Otherwise the set will be short at the next event.
• Spare batteries. The most common minor failure at any tournament.
• Storage at the venue. If you can arrange to leave the crates on site, it saves more effort than it sounds.

A short list to walk through the room with before the players arrive:

1. 1Tables laid out, aisles clear, numbers visible
2. 2Boards and clocks in place, clocks tested and set to the right control
3. 3Water on the tables or in an accessible area
4. 4Registration desk at the entrance, not deep inside the room
5. 5Sockets and equipment checked, extension lead on site
6. 6You know where the toilets, the cloakroom and the break area are
7. 7A rubbish bin is out
8. 8The team has their briefing sheets and everyone knows who to ask

The full version covering every stage of preparation - the organizer's checklist; who is responsible for what - the event team.