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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

    • 2022 CalChess Blitz & Rapid STATE Championship

      Postponed

    • 2022-23 CalChess State Scholastic Championships

      For everyone's safety, the State Scholastic Championships are "unpacked" over 5 weekends. Stay tuned for more details.
      Grade Levels (December 17-18, 2022) Age Levels (January 28, 2023) K-5 (March 11-12, 2023) K-8 (March 25-26, 2023) K-12 (April 15-16, 2023)

  • 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: Chess4Less Hexes6 5 G/12 d3 Groups of 4 to 6 16 22  + 
        New: Chess4Less Quads6 3 G/25 d5 Groups of 4 21 28  + 
        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 dN means each player gets M minutes/game and a delay of N seconds/move (before the clock starts ticking). A Time Control of G/M +N means each player gets M minutes/game and an additional (increment) N seconds for every move.
        2. We place players in groups or sections based on their USChess rating supplement.
        3. A group may have 3-7 players if the number of players is indivisible by 4 or 6.
        4. 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.
        5. 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).
        6. 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) at 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 quad (winner takes all)

            Sections of 4 players based on the current month's USChess rating supplement
            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: +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 the current USChess rating supplement: 1000-1399 | 1400-1799 | 1800+
        2. Any player may play up (aka level up) to the one higher section (except in the top section, the players must be within 200 points of the top section's rating range***).

        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
        1000-1400 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)

        Member * Non-member
        Regular 43 57
        Econ ** 32 43
        • Play-up Fee (Optional): +17
        • Onsite/late entry: +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 supplement: 1000-1500 | 1500-1999 | 2000+
        2. Any player may play up (aka level up) to the one higher section (except in the top section requires that the player's rating must be within 200 points of the rating range.***).

        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
        1000-1500 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
        Blitz Side Event = $100/Hexes (groups of 6): $60 for the top player, $40 to the top player in the bottom half.


        Fees
        (same as 2021)

        Member * Non-member
        All-Access Regular 112 149
        All-Access Econ ** 87 116
        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: +33

        Schedule

        5 round Swiss: 5SS x G/90 +30
        Rounds: Sat 9:30 1:50 6:10 | Sun 9:30 2
        Blitz Side Event: 6:30-8:30p

  • 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; fill in our form to report any errors, changes, cancellations/withdrawals****

      • 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 USCF Current Published Rating (Supplement) to determine players' ratings.
      2. We may merge small sections.
      3. Online registration closes at midnight the day before the tournament. Onsite registration is available 20-30 minutes before every round (subject to space availability). Please contact td@bayareachess.com before registering onsite.
      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. ***To play up in the top section, the player's official published rating must be within 200 points of the minimum of the section. To play up in the second-lowest section, the player's official published rating must be within the lowest section's range.
      4. ****Changes, Cancellations/withdrawals will incur fees:
        • $7 before 24 hours before the tournament
        • $20 within 24 hours of the tournament
        • no refunds after the tournament starts.
        • For special events, refer to that special event's webpage.
        Please Zelle payments to contact-atsign-bayareachess.com and email your receipt to events-atsign-bayareachess.com.
Terms and Conditions - Refund Policy