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  • 2022 Bay Area Chess Tournament Series
    for All Ages and Levels with Free Parking!

    Add tournament calendar for event dates and start times.
    Quick Links to Navigate This Page:
    Special Events | Scholastic (for K-12) | Open (for adults & K-12 over 1000) | Global Registration Info.
    Welcome to the Chessiest Place on Earth!
    Are you an internationally rated chess player? Does your rating reflect your playing strength?
    Or, are you playing chess in caves?
    These events are the most efficient way to:
    + Get or improve the official rating from USChess Federation ("IRL" not online)!
    + Join your local chess community to enjoy and learn.
    + Overcome your FOMO
    Unless you prefer to play chess in caves!

  • Special Events for Everyone

    • Special Event
      2021-22 CalChess Scholastic State Championships
      K-5 (includes K-3 & K-5 Champ): March 19-20 • K-8 (includes K-6 & K-8 Champ): April 9-12
      K-12 (includes K-12 Champ): April 23-24 • Grade Levels: May 21-22
      @ Santa Clara Convention Center (map)

      Heads up: We plan to spread the Super States over three weekends to fight covid infection.
      More details to follow in late January.

  • Scholastic Tournaments with
    Leaderboards & Contactless Award
           

    Recommended since 2005 by chess parents and children for PK-12 players rated under 1400!

    • Awards

      Awards 6 BA€oins/point (min 3 BA€oins/tourney). BA€oins (BA€) are redeemable for prizes below:
      • Medals = 3 BA€
      • Trophies: 9 BA€ = M 1-Post | 18 BA€ = L 1-Post | 36 BA€ = XL 1-Post | 100 BA€ = XXL 2-Post | 200 BA€ = XXXL 3-Post | 300 BA€ = XXXXL 4-Post
      Check out current standings at BA€oin Leaderboard.

    • Schedule

      • Time Control: G/25 d5 (25 mins./game & delay of secs/move per players)
      • AzhLangareted Cadence: Each round (of games) starts 5 minutes after all games in the previous round end.
    • These tournaments come in three flavors, Rising Star, Quadsly, and Swissly, as you can see below.
      Kids who haven't played a tournament before should check out the Rising Star Event.

        • Quadsly
          Quick • Friendly • Fixed Seeds

          1. We place players in "Quads" (groups of 4) based on their USChess rating.
          2. Each player plays 3 games (with the other 3 players in their group).
          3. All players must check-in 20+ minutes before the start time with the onsite Tournament Director (TD) or no games!
          4. Note: A group may have 3-7 players if the total number of players is indivisible by 4.
          5. Fees: 26 (35 non-members)

        • Swissly
          Exciting • Fun • Reseeded

          1. We place players in 3 sections based on their USChess rating:
            1. unrated & under 500 (Booster)
            2. 500-799 (Premier)
            3. 800+ (Championship)
          2. Each player plays 4 games
          3. Each game is with someone with identical scores (or similar scores if necessary).
          4. Fees: 35 (47 non-members)

      • Rising Star (for kids first tournament only)
        Fun • Flexible • Free for Parents

        1. This event introduces in-person tournaments to players and their parents (who attend for free).
        2. A player may attend only one Rising Star Event during which they play 3 games.
        3. All players must check-in 20+ minutes before the start time with the onsite Tournament Director (TD) or no games!
        4. Fees: 29 (includes one kid and one parent)

  • GrandPrix Open Tournaments with
    Cash Prizes & Bragging Rights!
           

    Recommended since 2005 by players recommended for all chess lovers
    (including PK-12 players rated over 1399)

    • These tournaments come in two styles, Cash Day (1 day) & Championship (2 days), as you can see below:

      • Cash Day
        Fast • Exciting • One Day

        1. 3 sections based on USChess rating:
          under 1400 | 1400-1799 | 1800+
        2. Any player may play-up (aka level-up) to the next higher section. ***

        Prize Fund: $1,000 b/32 entries

        Section Eligibility 1st 2nd
        1800+ All $200 $80
        u 2000 $100
        1400-1799 All $150 $60
        u 1600 $100
        u1400 All $150 $60
        u 1200 $100
        Unrated: Max $100 (except in the top section)
        Econ entries: Win 50% of the calculated prize


        Fees
        (same as 2021)

        Regular Econ **
        Member * 43 32
        Non-member 57 43
        Chess4Less *
        Member *        		 37 28
        Chess4Less *
        Non-member        		 49 37
        • Play-up Fee (Optional): +17
        • Onsite/late entry (Optional): +22

        Schedule

        Time control varies as you can see below.
        1. G/45 +5: 4 or 5 rounds every 120 minutes
        2. G/45 +15: 4 rounds every 135 minutes
        3. G/60 +5: 4 rounds every 150 minutes
        4. G/75 +5: 3 rounds every 180 minutes
        5. G/90 +5: 3 rounds every 200 minutes


      • The Real Bay Area Chess Championship
        Therapeutic • FIDE-rated • Two Days

        1. 3 sections based on USChess rating: under 1500 | 1500-1999 | 2000+
        2. Any player may play-up (aka level-up) to the next higher section. ***

        Prize Fund: $10,000 b/117 entries

        Section Eligibility 1st 2nd 3rd
        2000+ (FIDE Rated) All $1,500 $700 $300
        u 2300 $1,000 $500 $200
        1500-1999 (FIDE Rated) All $1,000 $500 $200
        u 1700 $700 $300 $200
        under 1500 All $1,000 $500 $200
        u 1300 $700 $300 $200
        Unrated: Max $300 (except in the top section)
        Econ entries: Win 50% of the calculated prize


        Fees
        (same as 2021)

        Regular Econ **
        All-Access Member * 112 87
        All-Access Non-member 149 116
        Member * 99 74
        Non-member 132 99
        Blitz Member * 25 N/A
        Blitz Non-member 33 N/A
        • Buy more and save with All-Access Pass, which includes the main event and (1/2-price on) Blitz.
        • Play-up Fee (Optional): +25
        • Onsite/late entry (Optional): +33

        Schedule

        5 round Swiss: 5SS x G/90 +30
        Rounds: Sat 9:30 1:50 6:10 | Sun 10 2:30


  • General Information about All Tournaments

      • After Registering

        1. Add @bayareachess.com to safe senders to receive emails with orientation and other notifications.
        2. Check entries to confirm registration; Contact us to report any errors.
        3. Be nice to everyone!

      • Before You Come

        1. Confirm the tournament's location, date, and the start time.
        2. Read the orientation information.
        3. Arrive at least 20 mins. before start time.
        4. Be nice to everyone!

      • When You Come

        1. Check pairings before every round to find information about your next game.
        2. Check results after every round; report errors, if any, to the Tournament Director (TD) ASAP.
        3. Be nice to everyone!

    • General Information

      1. We use the current US Supplement Rating and TD discretion to determine players' ratings.
      2. We may merge small sections.
      3. Onsite registration available 20-30 minutes before every round (subject to space availability).
      4. US Chess membership is required for all tournaments (except Rising Star, which is not a rated tourney). You must renew/signup with your tournament registration so we can process and reconcile.
      5. Bay Area Chess membership is not required but can save you money if you play once or more in a month.
      6. CalChess membership is required for all State Championships.

    • Footnotes

      1. * Chess4Less and Member discounts are subsidized by the Azhar Family to promote chess for all! Note: Member discounts are available for online registrations only.
      2. ** Econ entries win 50% of the calculated prize.
      3. *** Players must be within 300 points of the rating cutoff to play-up in non-scholastic events.
Terms and Conditions - Refund Policy