I am interested in running two closed tournaments. A “Vancouver Closed” and a “Vancouver Junior Closed”. They would both be invitational tournaments for players from the grater Vancouver Washington area.
Should provisionally rated players be invited or only those with established ratings?
Should there be an activity requirement to be invited?
A critical piece of information is missing from your description. Are there a limited number of slots in each? If so, how many?
There will likely be six player round robins. The Vancouver Closed might have a second six player round robin if there is enough interest.
The most important thing about running invitational round robin tournaments is ensuring that the players all complete their schedules. If the provisionally rated players are just starting out it may be difficult to get them to see a difficult tournament through. Local players crossing swords in an all play all could be a great learning experience and a lot of fun! I hope the beautiful weather does not compete too much with your planned event.
There is a difference between “closed” and “invitational”.
A “closed” tournament is generally open to all who satisfy the specific restrictions stated in the TLA.
For example: "Washington / Oregon Closed. Open only to residents of Washington or Oregon who have USCF ratings based on 26 games or more and who have played at least 4 rated games in events completed on or after July 1, 2014."
Your proposed event sounds more like an invitational: "Washington / Oregon Invitational. Limited to 10 players. Participants will be chosen from among those who are residents of Washington or Oregon and who have USCF ratings based on 26 games or more and who have played at least 4 rated games in events completed on or after July 1, 2014. To apply for an invitation, please contact Beelzebub@WashingtonOregonCompetitions.com."
Bill Smythe
And you might consider a plan “B.” Plan B would consist of a list of substitute players to replace any last minute withdrawals.
To “encourage” players to complete their round robin, one suggestion that I have seen used is to require the players to pay a returnable escrow fee of $40 to $50 or more. Anyone who drops out because he does not like his score loses his money. Complete the tournament and you get your escrow fee back.
This is what the Oregon State Championship does