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

    Add the 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

  • Scholastic Tournaments with
    Leaderboards & Contactless Award
           

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

    • These tournaments come in four flavors: Chess4Less, Quads, Swiss, and Rising Star5, as you can see below.
      Kids who are yet to play in a tournament should start with the Rising Star Event, which is exclusively for them. The rest may choose any other event below.
      New: Introducing Chess4Less to make chess accessible with low low low entry fees.

      • Tournament Games Time
        Control1        		 Sections2 Fees Register
        Member Non-Member
        New: Chess4Less6 5 G/12 d3 Groups of 4 to 6 16 22  + 
        Quads 3 G/25 d5 Groups of 43 29 39  + 
        Swiss 4 G/25 d5 < 500 |
        500-799 | 800+4        		 35 47  + 
        Rising Star5 3 or 4 Flexible Flexible 33 33  + 
        Footnotes:
        1. A Time Control of G/M +N means each player gets M minutes/game and an additional (increment) N seconds for every move.
        2. A Time Control of G/M dN means each player gets M minutes/game and a delay of N seconds/move (before the clock starts ticking).
        3. We place players in groups or sections based on their USChess rating.
        4. A group may have 3-7 players if the number of players is indivisible by 4 or 6.
        5. Some Swiss sections may be merged because we organize more smaller tournaments during post-COVID times. Unrated players are placed in under 500 sections by default.
        6. Rising Stars event introduces in-person tournaments to new players and their parents (who attend for free). A player may attend only one Rising Star Event during which they play 3 games.
        7. Our answer to inflation is to have rock bottom 20th-century prices! The only thing is that we can't offer BA€oins (nor prizes) for this fee.
        Note: We use AzhLangareted Cadence in these tournaments to optimize the parents' (and players') time; each round (of games) starts about 5 minutes after all games in the previous round end.

      • 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
        Please check out the current standings at BA€oin Leaderboard.

  • GrandPrix Open Tournaments with
    Cash Prizes & Bragging Rights!
           

    Recommended since 2006 by players recommended for all chess lovers
    (including PK-12 players rated over 1399)

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

        • New: Cash Quads
          Intimate • Competitive • One Day

          • Prize Fund: $125 for every 4 players.

            Sections of 4 players based on USChess rating
            Unrated: Max $75 (except in the top section)
            Econ entries: Win 50% of the calculated prize

            Fees

            Member * Non-member
            Regular 43 57
            Econ ** 32 43
            Onsite/late entry (Optional): +22

          • Schedule

            Time Control Minutes between round
            G/45 +5 100
            G/45 +15 120
            G/60 +5 130
            G/75 +5 160
            G/90 +5 190
            Note: Please may request a minimum of 15 minutes between games.


      • 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 prizeUnrated: Max $100 (except in the top section)


        Fees
        (same as 2021)

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

        Schedule

        Schedule based on time control 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/133 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)

        Member * Non-member
        All-Access Regular 112 149
        All-Access Econ ** 116 87
        Championship 99 132
        Championship Econ ** 74 99
        Blitz 25 33
        • 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 start time.
        2. Read the orientation information.
        3. Arrive at least 20 minutes before the 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 any errors 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 is 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). Therefore, you must renew/signup with your tournament registration so we can process and reconcile it.
      5. Bay Area Chess membership is not required but can save you money if you play more than once a month.
      6. CalChess membership is required for all State Championship events.

    • Footnotes

      1. * Azcelerate, LLC subsidizes Chess4Less and BAC Member discounts 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