Special Events for Everyone

Scholastic Tournaments with
Leaderboards & Contactless Award

• 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	37	49
    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 Published Official 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. Players may play-up one section. Play-up fee: +11
    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 (3-24 BA€oins/tourney; Bye Rounds + Extra-Rated Games may not award Coins). 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.
  Register Change Check Entries
  Sonesta Silicon Valley Sonesta San Jose

GrandPrix Open Tournaments with
Cash Prizes & Bragging Rights!

• These tournaments come in three styles: Cash Day Quads (1 day), Cash Day Swiss (1 day) & Championship (2 days).
  
  

  • Cash Day: Quads & Swiss
    Exciting • Competitive • One Day

    Cash Day Quads Prize Fund:
    Winner takes all!

    $125/quad (quad = 4 players)

    1. Each quad is 4 players based on the month's USChess Published Official rating supplement
    2. Unrated: Max $75 (except in the top section)
    3. Econ entries: Win 50% of the calculated prize

    Cash Day Swiss Prize Fund:
    $1,000 b/32 entries

    Section	Eligibility	1st	2nd
    1800+	All	$200	$60
    	u 2000	$100
    1400-1799	All	$100	$60
    	u 1600	$100
    1000-1399	All	$100	$60
    	u 1200	$60
    under 1000	All	$100	$60

    1. Players will be placed into 4 sections based on the month's USChess Published Official rating supplement
    2. A player may play up (aka level up) one higher section (Minimum rating to play up to 1800+ section: 1600)
    3. Unrated: Max $60 (except in the top section)
    4. Econ entries: Win 50% of the calculated prize
    5. ½-point Byes are available for any round (maximum 2 for 4 rounds, 1 for 3 rounds; byes must be requested at least 1 hour before that round's start except last round byes; last round bye must be requested latest before Round 3 for 4 round games or Round 2 for 3 round games)
    6. 0-point Byes are available for any round (player must play at least half the rounds to be eligible for prizes)
    7. If sections are combined, prizes for the sections will be combined and play-up fee for the higher section will be refunded
    8. A player who withdraws during the tournament is not eligible for prize money
    Register Change

    Fees
    

    	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 d5: 4 rounds every 120 minutes
    2. G/50 d5: 4 rounds every 130 minutes
    3. G/60 d5: 4 rounds every 150 minutes
    4. G/75 d5: 3 rounds every 180 minutes
    Register Change

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

    1. 3 sections: under 1500 | 1500-1999 | 2000+
       1. A player may play/level up one higher section. (Minimum rating to play up: 1500-1999 section = 1200 | 2000+ section = 1800)
       2. We will refund play-up fees if your section is merged with a lower section.
       3. Ratings based on the month's USCF Published Official rating supplement
    2. ½-point Byes are available for any round
       1. Maximum 2; must be finalized at least 1 hour before that round's start
       2. Changes to the last 2 Rounds byes after Round 3 starts or playing in less than 3 rounds implies any earned prize money will be donated to BAC
    3. 0-point Byes are available for any round
    4. A player who withdraws during the tournament is ineligible for prize money

    
    

    Prize Fund:
    $$ 4,000 GUARANTEED

    Section	Eligibility	1st	2nd	3rd
    2000+ (FIDE Rated)	All	$700	$300	$150
    	u 2300	$300	$110
    1500-1999 (FIDE Rated)	All	$500	$200	$110
    	u 1800	$300	$110
    under 1500	All	$500	$200	$110
    	u 1200	$300	$110

    Unrated: Max $200 (except in the top section)
    Econ entries: Win 50% of the calculated prize

    Blitz Side Event = $100/Hex (groups of 6): $60 for 1st place, $40 to second place.

    Register Change

    
    

    Fees

    	Member*	Non-member
    All-Access Regular	103	137
    All-Access Econ	80	107
    Championship Regular	90	120
    Championship Econ	68	90
    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): +28
    • 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

    
    

    Register Change

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 Official 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. ****Changes, Cancellations, and 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 page.
     Payments can be made through Zelle (bayareachess.com/zellepay) or Paypal (bayareachess.com/payhere), and the receipt should be emailed to events@bayareachess.com.