Sponsored by the Oregon Chess Federation (OCF)
FORMAT: The tournament is a 5-round Swiss paired event with three rounds on Saturday and two rounds on Sunday and is open to everyone, regardless of residency or age. Up to two half point byes are available if requested before round one.
SECTIONS: There are seven sections, Master/Expert (2000+), Class A (1800-1999), Class B (1600-1799), Class C (1400-1599), Class D (1200-1399), Class E (1000-1199), and Class F and below (U1000). Players may play up one section for a $35 play-up fee (can’t play up more than one section). The official November US Chess over-the-board regular ratings are generally used for section eligibility and pairings. An unofficial US Chess over-the-board regular rating based on at least four games, US Chess online regular rating, or converted foreign rating is used for players with no official US Chess over-the-board regular rating.
TIME CONTROL: G/90;+10 (ninety minutes per player with ten seconds added for each move). PLAYERS MUST SUPPLY THEIR OWN BOARD, SET, AND INCREMENT CAPABLE DIGITAL CLOCK FOR TOURNAMENT PLAY. A limited number of sets and boards will be available to purchase at the tournament. Players are responsible for knowing how to set their clock.
SCHEDULE: A players meeting is at 9:45am on Saturday (there is no need for registered players to “check-in” prior to round 1). The rounds start at 10am, 2:15pm, and 6:30pm on Saturday and 10am and 2:15pm on Sunday. Remember to set your clocks back an hour on Sunday morning for the end of daylight saving time.
RATED: All sections are US Chess regular rated.
ENTRY FEE: $80 if registered by Friday, October 13; $90 from October 14 until Friday, November 3 at noon. Free entry for GMs and IMs with up to $80 deducted from a prize won. US Chess membership is required for all players. Oregon Chess Federation membership is required for Oregon residents. See the OCF Membership page for instructions on obtaining an OCF membership.
PRIZES: $5600 total prize fund based on 100 players. The prize fund is adjusted proportionally if there are a different number of players except $2800 is guaranteed. Each section has the following overall prizes: 1ST-$400, 2ND-$250, 3rd-$150. Unrated players are eligible for all the prizes in their section. Prizes are combined and/or split if there is a tie. Prizes are paid via check or PayPal.
QUALIFIERS: The Master/Expert section is a qualifier for both the Championship and Challengers sections of the Oregon Closed. All sections are qualifiers for the Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation (OSCF) State Championship.
LOCATION: Lloyd Center DoubleTree Hotel, 1000 NE Multnomah St, Portland, OR 97232. The tournament this year is in the Sisters/Bachelor rooms in the upstairs ballroom, which is a different part of the hotel from where the tournament has taken place in previous years. There is free parking in the hotel parking garage (parking passes to be able to leave the parking garage for free will be available at the tournament). Hotel rooms for any of the nights of November 3-5 are available at a special chess rate of $149 for one queen bed or $159 for two queen beds per night, not including tax. The hotel chess rate is not guaranteed to be available after October 4, or even earlier if the rooms are sold out. Use this link or call 1-800-996-0510 to reserve a room.
REGISTRATION: Register online at onlineregistration.cc (no mailed or on-site entries are allowed). The deadline to register is Friday, November 3 at noon. Email [email protected] if you encounter any issues while trying to register online, need to modify or withdraw your registration, or are unable to pay the entry fee online via credit card, debit card, or PayPal.
TOURNAMENT RULES: US Chess rules are used. The following apply to all sections: 1) You must let the tournament staff know at least thirty minutes prior to the start time of the next round if you decide to withdraw from the tournament or skip that round. 2) Players are not allowed to have a phone or other electronic device capable of chess analysis or communication on their person during their games. Any such device a player has with them must be turned off and stored in the player’s bag (backpack, chess bag, etc.). The penalty for possessing such a device is at the discretion of the chief tournament director. 3) As a courtesy to your opponents, please show up on time for the rounds. A player will be forfeited for a no-show one hour after the round has started.
QUESTIONS: Email [email protected]. During the tournament, if you decide to withdraw or skip a round and are not on-site, send us an email via this address letting us know.