Suppose you suddenly decided to attend and play all 11 days of the San Francisco NABC, forgoing any prior Thanksgiving plans. You could make the trip, including travel and lodging, for about $1600. Of course, playing 22 sessions would rack up another $400+ of card fees.
First, you would need to fly early on Thanksgiving Day to make the first session on 11/28 at 1PM – the Educational Fund Pairs or Swiss Teams, single session. If you happen to be 0-5 Masterpoints but crazy enough to go to NABC, entry fees are free on 11/29. I imagine this is strictly for spouses or locals who want to tiptoe into the game.
For lodging, SOMA and Union Square are notoriously expensive hotel districts. The Marriott host hotel will set you back $3000 for 10 nights. You can cut corners staying closer to the airport, but the daily commute among thousands of Silicon Valley tech workers won’t be fun.
You could take your chances with Airbnb – just make sure you read the fine print. Some of these are hostels with shared bathrooms, or even shared rooms! For what it’s worth, most Airbnb guests are nice and leave 5-star reviews; anything under 4.00 is a huge red flag.
And for those who want a piece of the NABC action without any travel, consider the Online Robot Individual. For only $50, you play 72 boards over 3 days, with a field of over one thousand players. It is stratified, you are placed into your own section with section awards, and you could win an NABC title!
Nice research. I hope to see a lot of New Yorkers in SF.
I literally don’t know anyone who would stay at either of those “hotels.”
Planning ahead can save money – we are staying at the host hotel for $1700 all in on the tournament rate of $170.