2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Cheynem »

I've heard talk of CANONEXPANSION happening on Sunday after the other events, but for anyone else sticking around on Sunday, I will have BUMPY II (film) and Look at this Photograph (visual trash), which seems like can easily be played in one room, especially for those not interested in CANONEXPANSION.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by ValenciaQBowl »

I'd be stoked to hear both of those!
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Cheynem »

Well, you don't "hear" them, you see them. HO HO HO HO.

Also, I'd love to hear those film questions you alluded to above.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by ValenciaQBowl »

Well, you don't hear Sean's film questions, you "smell" them!

I'm not sure what to do with those now. It's five rounds, so it might be worth offering the set at $5/head as a side thing for fall tournaments. But if there's some number of folks who'd like to play them, I imagine I could run the 100 toss-ups as a shootout in less than an hour. I'll have access regardless, so we can play it by "nose."
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by 1992 in spaceflight »

Here is the information for the schedule this weekend. We will be dividing all 20 teams into 2 brackets of 10 teams each. We'll be playing 10 rounds on 10 packets. Two teams will be on bye each round; those teams on bye will be from the same bracket. For example, teams in bracket A will be on bye in rounds 1-5, while no teams from bracket B will be. In round 6-10, the reverse will be true.


After the prelims, we will be doing a 4-4-2 split. The top 4 and middle 4 teams will be playing crossover games against teams from the opposite prelim pool (so the top 4 in prelim A will play the top 4 in prelim B). The bottom 2 teams in each prelim bracket will play a full round robin for the playoffs.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by ValenciaQBowl »

A question for local Evanston/Chicago folks: Friday night I'll be interested in hitting a local brewpub or two. It looks like Sketchbook is definitely interesting, and maybe Smylie Brothers and Temperance (the last of which looks to be further away?). Are those good calls, and if not, other suggestions?

And if anyone is bored and wants to read some packets and/or hear gestating toss-ups for Delta Burke 2019, you're welcome to join me and Jesse Gingold. I figure we'll be ready for beer by around 4 p.m. E-mail/message me for my phone # if you'd like to find us.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by gimmedatguudsuccrose »

The University of Chicago will be holding our customary pre-CO practice in the South Lounge of the Reynolds Club from 1-5pm this Friday, August 2. Anyone attending CO or just in the area is welcome to join us! The Reynolds club is located at the southwest corner of 57th and University, 5706 south University. The room is located on the second floor. Take a right from the staircase and walk past the bathrooms. If you require further assistance or have other questions, please email me at [email protected] or message me on Facebook.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Good Goblin Housekeeping »

ValenciaQBowl wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:29 am A question for local Evanston/Chicago folks: Friday night I'll be interested in hitting a local brewpub or two. It looks like Sketchbook is definitely interesting, and maybe Smylie Brothers and Temperance (the last of which looks to be further away?). Are those good calls, and if not, other suggestions?

And if anyone is bored and wants to read some packets and/or hear gestating toss-ups for Delta Burke 2019, you're welcome to join me and Jesse Gingold. I figure we'll be ready for beer by around 4 p.m. E-mail/message me for my phone # if you'd like to find us.
Dylan and I have had a pretty good experience with Smylie Brothers
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Mike Bentley »

Banned Tiny Toon Adventures Episode wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:44 pm
ValenciaQBowl wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:29 am A question for local Evanston/Chicago folks: Friday night I'll be interested in hitting a local brewpub or two. It looks like Sketchbook is definitely interesting, and maybe Smylie Brothers and Temperance (the last of which looks to be further away?). Are those good calls, and if not, other suggestions?

And if anyone is bored and wants to read some packets and/or hear gestating toss-ups for Delta Burke 2019, you're welcome to join me and Jesse Gingold. I figure we'll be ready for beer by around 4 p.m. E-mail/message me for my phone # if you'd like to find us.
Dylan and I have had a pretty good experience with Smylie Brothers
There's a possibility I might be there. May have my Seattle packet to read.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by adamsil »

Banned Tiny Toon Adventures Episode wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:44 pm
ValenciaQBowl wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:29 am A question for local Evanston/Chicago folks: Friday night I'll be interested in hitting a local brewpub or two. It looks like Sketchbook is definitely interesting, and maybe Smylie Brothers and Temperance (the last of which looks to be further away?). Are those good calls, and if not, other suggestions?

And if anyone is bored and wants to read some packets and/or hear gestating toss-ups for Delta Burke 2019, you're welcome to join me and Jesse Gingold. I figure we'll be ready for beer by around 4 p.m. E-mail/message me for my phone # if you'd like to find us.
Dylan and I have had a pretty good experience with Smylie Brothers
Counterpoint: Smylies' beer is overpriced and not particularly good (though their BBQ is); I much prefer Sketchbook (although it is a very small place) and Temperance.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Harpie's Feather Duster »

Can confirm that Smylie has excellent BBQ, but it's definitely a little expensive. I can't differentiate beer quality and haven't been to the other places.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Good Goblin Housekeeping »

adamsil wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2019 8:05 pm
Banned Tiny Toon Adventures Episode wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2019 3:44 pm
ValenciaQBowl wrote: Wed Jul 31, 2019 9:29 am A question for local Evanston/Chicago folks: Friday night I'll be interested in hitting a local brewpub or two. It looks like Sketchbook is definitely interesting, and maybe Smylie Brothers and Temperance (the last of which looks to be further away?). Are those good calls, and if not, other suggestions?

And if anyone is bored and wants to read some packets and/or hear gestating toss-ups for Delta Burke 2019, you're welcome to join me and Jesse Gingold. I figure we'll be ready for beer by around 4 p.m. E-mail/message me for my phone # if you'd like to find us.
Dylan and I have had a pretty good experience with Smylie Brothers
Counterpoint: Smylies' beer is overpriced and not particularly good (though their BBQ is); I much prefer Sketchbook (although it is a very small place) and Temperance.
I guess I should have pointed out that 90% of the reason I went was due to a poutine esque pork belly fry monstrosity
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by ValenciaQBowl »

Thanks for the critiques, y'all! It looks like Sketchbook lets you bring in food, so I think we'll start there and bring in some cheaper eats. Again, we'd be happy to have company. Allllllllll are wellllllllllcome.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Cheynem »

Will the info about where to meet/when be sent out or posted?
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by 1992 in spaceflight »

Cheynem wrote: Thu Aug 01, 2019 11:30 pm Will the info about where to meet/when be sent out or posted?
I did kind of bury it in that email, so sure. Check-in will be from 8 AM to 8:45 AM in Room 2343 in Kresge Hall. The plan is to start at 9 AM or earlier if teams are there before then.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by DumbJaques »

Hey everyone! The other editors and I are thrilled to have you at Chicago Open this year! We're extremely excited about the set, and for the great teams that are going to play it.

A full thank-you post will come later, but I want to say briefly how grateful I am for the work my fellow editors have done on this set. Jacob Reed, Jonathan Magin, WIll Holub-Moorman, and Alston Boyd have done fantastic jobs on this set, and were wonderful to work with. Jacob, in particular, did far more for this set than serving as a subject editor; he's been the best collaborator I've worked with, and without him, this set would not be happening. Heart-shape.

A few logistical things:
-As Jacob said above, he's sent out an email with the where's/when's/etc. that you should need for the weekend. Jacob (O'Rourke) is serving as our more than capable TD, so any questions about that side of things should probably be directed to him.
-Payment: You can pay for this tournament through Venmo - @Christopher-Ray-3. We'll have the full breakdown of what you owe at the tournament (factoring in quality discounts, buzzers, moderators, etc.). Please make every effort to pay me at some point tomorrow. I will not be accepting cash. If you absolutely need to pay with a check, talk to me and we'll figure it out.
-Here is the distribution for this tournament:

Literature 4/4
-1/1 American
-1/1 British
-1/1 Euro
-1/1 World/Other Lit

History 4/4
-1/1 American
-1/1 Euro
-1/1 Mediterranean+
-1/1 World

Science 4/4
-1/1 Bio
-1/1 Chem
-1/1 Physics
-1/1 Other Science

Fine Arts 3/3
-1/1 Visual Arts
-1/1 Auditory Arts
-1/1 Audiovisual and Other Arts

Religion 1/1
Philosophy 1/1
Social Science 1/1
Modern World 1/1
Mythology, Other Academic, and Pop Culture 1/1



See you today/tomorrow!
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by vinteuil »

DumbJaques wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:37 am Jacob Reed, Jonathan Magin, WIll Holub-Moorman, and Alston Boyd have done fantastic jobs on this set, and were wonderful to work with.
(As have Wonyoung Jang and Sriram Pendyala—always a delight—and a few others.)
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by John Ketzkorn »

DumbJaques wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:37 am Please make every effort to pay me at some point tomorrow. I will not be accepting cash.
Given that this is the case, is there anyone willing to do cash -> venmo this year?
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by ryanrosenberg »

John Ketzkorn wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 10:55 am
DumbJaques wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:37 am Please make every effort to pay me at some point tomorrow. I will not be accepting cash.
Given that this is the case, is there anyone willing to do cash -> venmo this year?
Sure, I can.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Good Goblin Housekeeping »

John Ketzkorn wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 10:55 am
DumbJaques wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 9:37 am Please make every effort to pay me at some point tomorrow. I will not be accepting cash.
Given that this is the case, is there anyone willing to do cash -> venmo this year?
Willing to do this for a usurious transaction fee
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by vinteuil »

To clarify one point on the distribution: there will be some amount of science history in each science category of the set (it's not all taking up "other science" slots).
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Auroni »

EDIT: this has been resolved
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by 1992 in spaceflight »

Here is a copy of tomorrow's schedule. Thanks to Adam Silverman, we're planning on having a few physical copies of the schedule available as well.

Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by Deepika Goes From Ranbir To Ranveer »

Round 13 has B10 playing 2 games.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by 1992 in spaceflight »

Taper or die. Can you do any less? wrote: Fri Aug 02, 2019 11:46 pm Round 13 has B10 playing 2 games.
Thanks, this has been fixed.

In case the printed schedules are not fixed, A9 should play A10 in round 13.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by 1992 in spaceflight »

We started right around 9 AM. Stats will be live updated here.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by 1992 in spaceflight »

Playoff stats can be found here.

Congratulations to Zazu in the Petco (Auroni Gupta, Jakob Myers, Adam Fine and Clark Smith) for defeating Fianna Failsons (Mike Bentley, Matt Bollinger, Shan Kothari and Mike Cheyne) 295-275 in the first game of an advantage final. In order to get to the final, Fianna Failsons defeated Hackers and Slackers (Jordan Brownstein, Jaimie Carlson, Ophir Lifshitz and Eric Mukherjee) in a play-in game.

Thanks to everyone who played this year's CO! It was awesome to see all of you doing so well on the question set. And an extra special thanks go out to Chris Ray, Connor Mayers, Jonathan Magin, Harris Bunker, Alex Damisch, Thalia Noegroho, Niki Peters, Mitch Baron, Mike Laudermith, Jesse Gingold, Olivia Kiser, Morgan Venkus, Adam Silverman, John Petrovich, Marianna Zhang, Young Fenimore Lee, Iain Carpenter, Mahria Baker, Amy Tien, Jack Edmondson and Brad McLain. You all rocked it. Thank you very much, you all made this CO amazing to direct.
Last edited by 1992 in spaceflight on Sat Aug 10, 2019 3:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by DumbJaques »

First, thank you to the editors who made working on this set a wonderful experience. Jacob Reed not only did a great job editing his categories, but handled many of the logistical and organizational aspects of putting the set together, an area in which I am particularly deficient as a project manager. His backstage role on this project was temendous. Jonathan Magin did a superb job editing literature, and was very active in improving over areas of the set that needed second or third looks. Sriram Pendyala ably edited the entire science distribution for this tournament, including being asked to outside his comfort zone for some of the science history questions, doing an excellent job that assuredly none of the rest of us would have been able to do. Finally, Alston Boyd and Will Holub-Moorman took on the lofty goal of writing thought for this tournament that actively rewarded deep engagement with the most important contemporary work in those fields while still remaining accessible to the field. In my opinion, both succeeded - no small feat. Absolutely all of you were a delight to work with - I hope to have the opportunity to do so again.

Additionally, sincere thanks to several writers who chipped in on the set and provided valuable feedback: Michael Kearney, who helped develop the tournament's classics distribution; Wonyoung Jang, who wrote in several categories and also helped us finalize the set into finished packets; and Jon Suh, who contributed a couple clutch questions right at the end to get us over the final hill at a time when the editors were battling fatigue. Your efforts were sincerely appreciated. Similarly, a hearty thank you to our playtesters - Jarret Greene, Seth Teitler, Geoffrey Chen, Eric Douglass, Natan Holtzman, Naveed Chowdhury, and assuredly others who I'm neglecting to mention right now.

A tremendous thanks to Jacob O'Rourke and all the staffers: Olivia Kiser Iaain Carpenter, Alex Damisch, Morgan Venkus, Thalia Noegroho, Bradley McClain, John Petrovich, Mike Laudermith, Connor Mayers, Harris Bunker, Adam Silverman, Young Lee, Marinna Zhang, Mahria Baker, Amy Tien, Jack Edmondson, Jesse Gingold, Mithc Baron. This tournament not only could not have happened with out you, but was made far more expedient and enjoyable because of your competence. Thank you.


Finally, thank you to all the folks who came out and played CO. This was a thrilling tournament; it featured 5 or 6 teams that really could have legitimately contended for the title, and it made for a tremendous atmosphere and some truly exhilarating matches. I also particularly want to celebrate the younger folks who made the trip, especially those who played their first CO. We were happy to have you, and I look forward to seeing how your careers unfold.

We'll have the set up within the next few days, I think, and a discussion thread will go up presently. Thank you, once again, to everyone in the community - editing CO is an honor, and I'm grateful to have been a part of it.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by vinteuil »

DumbJaques wrote: Tue Aug 06, 2019 11:19 am Similarly, a hearty thank you to our playtesters - Jarret Greene, Seth Teitler, Geoffrey Chen, Eric Douglass, Natan Holtzman, Naveed Chowdhury, and assuredly others who I'm neglecting to mention right now.
Aside from extensive feedback from Wonyoung in particular and the other editors in general (Chris and Jonathan gave tons of useful feedback, and Alston's comments massively improved the religion), I should also thank Sameer Apte, Alex Damisch, Hasna Karim, Hilda, and (as usual) my family for playtesting and giving lots of good feedback. Probably others too.

Yet again, Raynor Kuang chipped in a much-needed compsci tossup in a crucial moment; major thanks to him. Matt Jackson also chipped in one of the best team names, although you can thank Chris for the delights of Lil Nas the Tenth, Zazu in the Petco, and others.

Anyway, this was an awesome team to work with, and it was truly amazing to see the classic Chris Ray whimsy take form. More thank-yous to follow.
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Re: 2019 Chicago Open (8/3/2019) at Northwestern University

Post by naan/steak-holding toll »

This was easily the most fun I've ever had playing CO. The competition was extremely strong at the top and featured a lot of new faces, which I personally really enjoyed, and the joy the writers had putting together the tournament clearly shone through. The tournament was also a welcome step back from the difficulty escalation of recent COs - not to say there weren't some very hard tossups and bonuses, because there were, but that's how it goes and frankly it's part of what makes CO fun. The engaging clues, hilarious leadins, and general difficulty control made the set feel far less like a death march and far more like a series of All Star Games where everyone was having a good time.

As for the tournament itself, it felt like an awesome "blast from the past" in that it felt more like a tournament from the 2013-14 era, albeit with a lot of innovations in modern humanities writing, i.e. art tossups without purely visual clues, a strong mix of scholarship throughout the academic categories, etc. In particular, I enjoyed that Chris didn't ignore military history in the way many modern writers are wont to do, though perhaps that subdistribution did get a bit excessive in the playoff packets, and that he included a lot of engaging and clearly important "modern world" topics, a trend that I keenly hope continues after this event and ACF Nationals. There were a few questions here and there that were iffy and a few swingy bonuses, but overall it was a great fun set.
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