Category: Past Events

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AGCA – Adult Improver Meet Up

Chess Meet Up from 7-9pm on Wednesday, April 10th for adults only.  Step up your chess game! Register for a Grandmaster Simul (first 12 entries!), challenge AGCA Coaches, and level up your chess skills! No Entry Fee!

LOCATION:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy
7801 North Lamar Blvd
Suite A123
Austin, TX 78752
Free parking provided!

RSVP:
Please RSVP before attending.  We want to make sure there is space for everyone!

Please contact us at info@austin-chess.com for any additional questions or concerns. 

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Waco May 11th Swiss

Rated 4SS in 3 sections; G/45, d5. This event takes place on May 11, 2024. Limited to 60 players!

Location
Holy Spirit Episcopal Church
1624 Wooded Acres Dr
Waco, TX 76710
(free parking on site!)

The church is behind the Target shopping center. Enter through main doors and turn right. The tournament room is at the end the of hallway.

Sections

  • Championship
  • U1600
  • U1000

Rounds and Times
Four Rounds at a time control of G/45;d5

  • Registration & Check-in: 9:00 to 9:20 AM
  • Round One: 9:30 AM
  • Round Two: 11:15 AM
  • Round Three: 1:30 PM (after lunch)
  • Round Four: 3:15 PM
  • $20 – Cash only (exact change appreciated). Paid when you arrive to tournament. 
  • Cash Prizes– Based on the number of entries

Registration Link and tournament info

  • Onsite Registration is 9:00 – 9:20 AM.  If you show up onsite without preregistering, there’s a chance the tournament will already be full.
  • Pre-registered not checked in by 9:20am will not be paired in round 1, unless you notify us (via email or text) that you are on the way.
  • (For parents registering children, you may enter the parent email and phone number, but please enter the player’s name.)
  • Advance Entry List

Details

  • Please bring a clock if you have one! We will provide chess sets.
  • US Chess Membership is required. Please be responsible for your membership prior to the event to help the organizers and prevent delays.
  • Notation is required.  Notation sheets will be available if needed, but please bring a pencil or pen.

Questions

For questions or problems, please email:
Dan Shafer (daniel_m_shafer@baylor.edu)
Deborah Shafer (dshaferchess@yahoo.com)
Or visit our site (wacochess.org)

Read our ONLINE TLA!

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Luis Salinas Memorial 79th Annual Texas State and Amateur Championships

Description: Visit the event website. Organized by the Arlington Club, this is an Annual TCA State Championship tournament USCF and FIDE rated swiss chess tournament in two sections (Championship and Amateur) open to players from all states. There will be 7 rounds in total. 

Location:
DFW Airport Marriott South
4151 Centreport D
Fort Worth, TX 76155

Championship: 7 rounds, Swiss, G/90;+30. Must be rated 2000 or above (Regular rating) by either US Chess or FIDE to play in this section or have had a provable 2000 or higher regular rating in the past. The defending Texas Amateur Champion may also play in this section. Foreign unrated players may play in this section and, at TD/Organizer discretion, may be required to play in this section.

 Place Prizes: $1000/$500/$280
Other Prizes: 2200-2399 $720, U2200 $720. 
Texas State Champion: The highest scoring Texas player(s), including ties, will be named “Texas State Champion.”

Amateur: 7 rounds, Swiss, G/90;+30. Available to players with ratings under 2000 and unrated players.

Place Prizes: $800/$400/$200
Class prizes: (if any) depend on entries.
Texas Amateur Champion: The highest scoring Texas player(s), including ties, will be named “Texas Amateur Champion.”

Schedule (4-day or 3-day):
4-day Round 1 – Fri: 7:15 pm
3-day Round 1 – Sat: 9:30 am
Sections merge in round 2.
Round 2 – Sat: 2:45 pm
Round 3 – Sat: 7:30 pm
Round 4 – Sun: 11:30am
Round 5 – Sun: 5:15pm
Round 6 – Mon: 9:30am
Round 7 – Mon: 2:45pm

Byes: Up to two 1/2-point byes are available if requested before the end of round 2 and before receiving a full-point bye, but 1/2-point byes for both rounds 6 and 7 are NOT permitted.

Entry Fee: $119, if received by 5/19, else $139, senior (over 65)/handicapped/additional family participant $79 if received by 5/19 else $99.  Scholastic event entry fee is $39 by 5/19, $49 after. After 5/23 all registration and changes are onsite only.

Changes/Refunds: All refunds and changes must be requested by email and sent to state@texaschess.org. No refunds after 5/20. After 5/23, all registration and changes are onsite only. Changes and withdrawals are subject to a $10 fee.

Side Events:  A K-12 Scholastic will be offered on Saturday, May 25th.  Visit the event website for more details.

Online TLA: https://new.uschess.org/luis-salinas-memorial-79th-annual-texas-state-and-amateur-championships

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7th AGCA Scholastic Tournament

We are hosting an In-Person USCF Rated Scholastic Tournament on May 11, 2024 from 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM.  USCF Membership required.   Capacity: 52 players! 

LOCATION:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy
7801 North Lamar Blvd
Suite A123
Austin, TX 78752
Free parking provided!

TOURNAMENT STYLE:
SECTION A: 1000 – 1400 USCF rating
SECTION B: 600 – 1000 USCF rating
SECTION C: Under 600 USCF rating and/or unrated.
*Note that no player will be allowed to play up or down*
*USCF MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED*

RATING INFORMATION:
● May 2024 official USCF ratings will be used.

4-Round Swiss System Schedule (G/30,d5)
●  1st round: 10:00 AM
●  2nd round: 11:00 AM
●  Lunch break: 12:00 PM
●  3rd round: 12:30 PM.
●  4th round: 1:30 PM.
●  Closing ceremony: After the last game finishes.
NOTE: Half-point byes are acceptable for all rounds, limit 1. Must commit before the 1st round.

PLAYERS MAY NOT POSSESS CELL PHONES DURING THE TOURNAMENT. Please leave your phone at home, in your car, or turned off (vibrate/silent not acceptable) on top of your table. 

ENTRY FEES:
●  Online: $50 at https://austin-chess.com/tournaments/school_tournament_may by May 10, 2024 at 11:59 pm.
●  Late: $60  via PayPal or cash (if space is available) May 11th
For additional questions, please contact us at info@austin-chess.com

PRIZES:
●  Trophies for 1st place (in each section)
● Medals for 2nd and 3rd place (in each section)

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you do not wish to participate in our tournament after paying the entry fee, please email us at info@austin-chess.com no later than 24 hours in advance for a refund. We reserve the right to charge a $15 service fee for cancellations. 

WITHDRAWAL POLICY: If you would like to withdraw from the tournament after it begins, please alert the tournament director and sign a withdrawal form in the lobby prior to leaving the premises. 
NO refunds will be issued after the tournament begins. 

NO-SHOW POLICY: There are NO refunds or credit for players who do not show up for their scheduled tournament matches.

Please contact us at info@austin-chess.com for any additional questions or concerns. 

See our Online TLA!

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Paragon Summer Camp: Chess For Enjoyment and Improvement

Description: A full-day, week-long chess camp, hosted by Paragon Prep on June 10-14, 2024.  Featuring Gary Gaiffe and local area instructors. All scholastic players are invited to register!

Grades K – 8th.  Chess Camp includes formal instruction and play, plus a camp-wide tournament at the end of the week! Beginners learn basic chess theory, game objectives, piece movement, game and tournament rules. Intermediates study chess analysis and decision-making, tactics, checkmate patterns and tournament strategies. Advanced students are taught more sophisticated chess techniques and decision-making, complex tactics, calculated and intuitive sacrifices, opening and endgame analysis.

Date and Time: 3rd camp session: June 10-14, 2024, 9am –4pm

Registration: To register, please register on Paragon Prep’s Summer Camp website. To find the camp listing, go to page 4. Paragon offers a 10% discount when you register 2 people.

Location:
Paragon Prep- new location!
7938 Great Northern Blvd
Austin, TX 78757

Questions:
Contact Paragon Prep Summer Programs (summer@paragonprep.com, 512-459-5040) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Gary gaiffe (ggaiffe@att.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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Joust 2024: A Casual Chess Event

The Santa Rita Knights Chess Club in Liberty Hill is organizing JOUST 2024! 
A casual chess event for players of all ages and levels to connect, compete for prizes and celebrate the game of chess! 
On Saturday, April 6, from 2 pm until 5 pm, there will be a continuous pyramid ladder tournament going on and lots of opportunity to hang out and play chess, together.
See our flyer and share it with your friends!
Location: 
Freestyle Community Center
75 Seward Junction Loop 
Liberty Hill, TX 78642
Free parking on the property 
Sections: 
It will be a casual, continuous pyramid ladder tournament. 
When registered, you’ll be placed in the pyramid. Throughout the event, you get to challenge a person from a rung above you. If you win that game, you switch places in the pyramid. 
Win your way to the top of the pyramid and compete for prizes! 
Time Control: 
We’ll play 10 minute games with a 5 second increment. 
No notation required. 
Schedule: 
The ladder tournament is continuous, you can play any time between 2 pm and 5 pm. 
If you leave early and get challenged, you’ll forfeit your position in the pyramid to the challenger. 
The event is set up as a casual event, we have fun and we are good sports. 
Entry fees:
$15 to register for the event. 
http://freestylesportstexas.as.me/registerforjoust2024

Prizes:
There will be trophies! Organizer is trying to work with local business to get fun prizes sponsored. 

Cancellation/withdrawal/no-show: 
No refunds. We insist on being great stewards of the game and create a safe, inviting environment for everyone. 

Questions:
Jasper Eden, jasper@freestylesportstexas.com
Santa Rita Knights on Facebook

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April Austin Monthly Scholastic – G/45 Sections

Rated 5SS in two sections (K-5 Championship and K-12 Elite) playing G/45, d5, offered by the Atlantic Chess Association on 4/20/2024. This event is limited to scholastic players. Limit 24 players pers section due to venue constraints. Read the description and register online: https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/4073  

Location
Bethany United Methodist Church
10010 Anderson Mill Rd
Austin, TX 78750

Sections

  • K-12 Elite
  • K-5 Championship 

Note: The Monthly Austin Scholastic Tournament is open to all players in elementary, middle, and high school. There is a separate tournament for K-12 participants with a faster time control (G/30; d5). Registration for the G/30 tournament is available at https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/4074

Schedule
FIVE Rounds at a time control of G/45, d5

  • Onsite registration : BEFORE 8 AM
    No check-in necessary if you have pre-registered.
  • Round One: 9:00 AM
  • Round Two: 10:45 AM
  • Round Three: 1:00 PM 
  • Round Three: 2:45 PM 
  • Round Four: 4:30 PM

An awards ceremony will be held immediately after all games in a section finish. Trophies and medals to top finishing individuals in each scholastic section; ribbons to all participants.

Limit two half-point byes. Byes must be committed 1 hr before Round 2.

Entry Fee
$40 by 3/31
$45 by 4/17
$50 on or after 4/18 (on-site registration closes 1 hour before Round 1).

Withdrawals requested via email before NOON on Friday 4/19/24 are eligible for a refund (minus a $10 processing fee). Full credit can be applied to any future tournament. No refunds for USCF memberships after purchased from USCF.

Registration link: https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/4073

Other Notes
This tournament is USCF-rated. Your USCF membership should not expire before 4/30/2024.

Boards and pieces will be provided, but please bring your chess clock. Each player should have a chess clock to play. If you do not have one, chess clocks will be available for purchase onsite.

If both players do not have a clock AND the game does not finish within one hour, TDs will put a clock with 5 mins time for each player.

Questions
Please contact director@atlanticchessassociation.com if you have any questions.

View the ONLINE TLA!

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Oh Boy Records – Unrated Chess Tournament

Description:  Oh Boy Records is offering a Free chess tournament open to the public.  All abilities welcome – fun for all levels. Pre-Registration required. (Number of entries will affect time controls).  Door prizes awarded! See our event flyer!

Registration:
Please preregister so we know how many players to expect!

Location:
Hattie B’s
2529 S Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78704

Time:
Arrive by 9:45am
Expected play: 10am – approx 12 noon

More Details:
We’re a record label coming down to Austin for SXSW. I and a few of the artists on the label like to play chess, so we thought it would be fun to put on a little event 3/13. It’s free and open to the public, but you have to preregister.

We havea a legit tournament director (although our tournament will be unrated), who is also bringing a titled player that I’m hoping we can talk into doing a simultaneous exhibition. For prizes we’ll have stuff like gift cards to Hattie B’s, Waterloo Records etc.

We hope you will join us!

-Jody

Questions:
Contact Jody Whelan,chess@ohboy.com

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Open Section at the 2024 Spring Del Valle Scholastic Chess Tournament

USCF rated chess tournament on April 27, 2024 in SOUTH AUSTIN for adults and more advanced scholastic players. 4SS of G/45 +5.  Thank you for playing! Final Results and Awards are posted. The tournament has been rated by the USCF.

Verify your entry on the advance entry list.

Playing locations: Open section and K-12 Elite have been merged, and will play in room 137 (near the gym). Open plays for cash prizes and K-12 Elite plays for trophies.  Other U1000 scholastic sections will play in the gym.  Family/Friends wait in the cafeteria.

Concessions menu: Hot Dogs, Sausage Wraps, Frito Pie, Nachos, Chips, Sodas, Candy, Popcorn, Water, Powerade, and breakfast tacos.  You are also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks.) Only water bottles allowed at the chess board.

Read the Full Player Reminders!  You are responsible for this information!1

Basics

This is a Swiss-system tournament, so everyone plays all day—there is no “elimination.” Players must know how to play the game of chess! We follow USCF rules including: touch-move, mandatory clocks (bring your own if at all possible), and mandatory notation. If registrations exceed 32, we reserve the right to split into two sections.

Location

Del Valle High School
5201 Ross Road
Del Valle, TX 78617

Eligibility

All adults
Any youth who have reached at least 1300 by the April 2024 USCF supplement.
Ineligible entries will be moved to the appropriate scholastic section of the 2024 Spring Del Valle Scholastic Chess Tournament. 

This is a rated tournament. You must have a USCF ID and your membership (can be purchased/renewed at check out or online with the USCF in advance of registration) . You can verify your USCF membership ID and expiration by visiting the USCF’s Member Services Area. Anyone can become a USCF member. Players new to tournament chess are welcome to play. Your USCF membership cannot expire before April 30, 2024.  USCF memberships can be renewed/purchased at check-out.

Schedule

No check-in necessary for preregistrations. We will make every attempt to contact you in advance if we see a problem with your registration. Verify your entry ONLINE!
9:00 a.m. Open section begins. Open has 4 rounds, all rounds are are G/45, +5.

No changes for round 1 (bye or section) allowed after online registration closes. Requests for byes, withdrawals, player info edits be made onsite with your chief TD and go into effect as of round 2.

Approximate Round Times

Open Section:
rd 1 – 9:00am, rd2 – 11:00am, rd3 – 1:00pm, rd4 – 3:00pm

Notes

There will be some “down time” between rounds since many games will finish early. We will provide an area (outside the tournament room) for casual “skittles” chess and/or other indoor activities.

Concessions menu: Hot Dogs, Sausage Wraps, Frito Pie, Nachos, Chips, Sodas, Candy, Popcorn, Water, Powerade, and breakfast tacos.  You are also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks.)  Only water bottles allowed at the chess board.

Proper handwashing and adherence to COVID 19 exposure guidelines mandatory!

Awards

Cash prizes (to winners in both sections, in the case of multiple sections), based on number of entries. Special trophies will be awarded to the highest scoring Family & Child teams  (Uncles, Aunts, Adult siblings, Parents, or Grandparents paired with at least one scholastic aged player.). 

Registration Information

Entry fee pricing is staggered and based on date of entry/payment. Registration is now closed.

*youth – $35/adult – $25 thru Saturday, 3/16/2024.
*youth – $40/adult – $30 thru Saturday, 4/13/2024
*Late entry youth-$50 / adult – $40 begins Sunday, 4/14/2024 and ENDS at 9am on Friday 4/26/24, at which time online entry closes.
*If space permits, onsite registration on Saturday, 4/27/24 will be permitted, $50 regardless of age. Cash or venmo only. First round play requires registration and payment before 8:45am.

Withdrawals requested via email before 9am on Friday 4/26/24 are eligible for a refund (minus a $10 service fee). No exceptions. No refunds for USCF memberships after purchased from the USCF. NO email/phone entries.

Please request byes when you register if possible. First bye receives 1/2-point. Further byes receive 0-points. Email the registrar to make changes to your requested byes. Deadline to add or remove a 1st round requested bye is 9am Friday 4/26/2024. All 1/2-point byes must be requested/removed before the end of round 2.

Email Lori Balkum, registrar (registrar@AustinChessTournaments.com) with other questions. No phone calls, please. Emails will be returned promptly.

Organized by Rocks & Rooks. Gary Gaiffe, tournament organizer (ggaiffe@att.net).

View the ONLINE TLA!

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2024 Spring Del Valle Scholastic Chess Tournament

Scholastic chess tournament in SOUTH AUSTIN in multiple sections to be held on April 27, 2024. G/25, +5 inc. Trophies and medals awarded. Linke here for Final Results and awards! The tournament has been rated by the USCF.

Verify your entry on the Advance Entry (Pre-registration) list. 

Playing locations, etc: K-12 U1000, K-5 U600, and K-3 U400 will all be playing in the gym. The K-12 Elite/Open section plays in room 137. The cafeteria has been reserved for waiting families, coaches, and friends.  No spectators allowed in the playing room during the tournament games.

Concessions menu: Hot Dogs, Sausage Wraps, Frito Pie, Nachos, Chips, Sodas, Candy, Popcorn, Water, Powerade, and breakfast tacos.  You are also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks.) Only water bottles allowed a the chess board.

Read the Full Player Reminders! You are responsible for this information!

Basics

USCF rated chess tournament on April 27th in multiple RATED scholastic sections: K-3 U400, K-5 U600,  K-12 U1000,  and K-12 Elite (for players rated 950-1399). Please note: all scholastic players rated 1400 and over must play in the Open section. View the Advance Entry List online. Please note, at the tournament basic pairings will be posted each round in print.  However, please review the ONLINE standings link for pairings, wall chart info and team standings.

This is a Swiss-system tournament, so everyone plays all day—there is no “elimination.” Players must know how to play the game of chess! We follow USCF rules including: touch-move, mandatory clocks if available, and notation. K-3 and younger sections are excused from taking notation. Please review the Parent/Coach Responsibilities before registering

Location

Del Valle High School
5201 Ross Road
Del Valle, TX 78617

Eligibility

This is a rated tournament. You must have a USCF ID and your membership (can be purchased/renewed at check out or online with the USCF in advance of registration) . You can verify your USCF membership ID and expiration by visiting the USCF’s Member Services Area. Anyone can become a USCF member. Players new to tournament chess are welcome to play. Your USCF membership cannot expire before April 30, 2024. USCF memberships can be renewed/purchased at check-out. (New players in 3rd grade and below may request a non-member ID as a part of USCF’s Junior Tournament Player program during registration. JTPs ok in K-3 sections only.)

“Under” sections are only for students meeting the rating criteria. All players who are new to tournaments are eligible for their age appropriate ‘under’ section. (Look up your player’s rating here. Please email the registrar or ask your chess coach for placement information.
If your 6th grader attends an Elementary School, please contact the registrar for options. With enough registrations, any section may be divided into two sections so we can offer more prizes. Sections with fewer than 20 entries may be merged into a similar section to provide optimal pairings and competition. (Sections in this event have changed from the original tournament listing.  Thank you for your patience.)

Please note: April 2024 ‘Regular’ OTB ratings will be used for pairing purposes. If no regular rating is available, then other USCF ratings (quick, blitz, online) can and will be considered for section placement.  Requests to play down will not be honored. FYI: Any event that is rated after March 20th will not affect your April supplement rating, as those events takes place after April ratings are calculated.

All players in this event must be in 12th grade (or lower).

Schedule

No check-in necessary for preregistrations. We will make every attempt to contact you in advance if we see a problem with your registration. Verify your entry ONLINE!
8:00 a.m. Chess Control opens for onsite registration.  Onsite registrations before 9:30am accepted, but must start play in round 2.
8:30 a.m Announcements begin in all scholastic playing rooms.
Players and coaches should be present.
9:00 a.m. Rd 1 begins. Scholastic sections have 5 rds, G/25, +5.
9:00 a.m. Open section (different event allowing adults) begins. Open has 4 rounds, all rounds are are G/45, +5.
9:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Chess control open for event issues. No changes for round 1 (bye or section) allowed after online registration closes. Requests for byes, withdrawals, and player or school information edits go in effect immediately if made via email before the close of online registration. Changes requested onsite go into effect as of round 2.

Approximate Round Times

Scholastic Sections (all in the gym):
round 1 – 9:00am
round 2 – 11:00am
free puzzle contest – 12:05pm
round 3 – 12:45 pm
round 4 – 2:30 pm
round 5 – 4:00 pm

Notes

There will be some “down time” between rounds since many games will finish early. We will provide an area (outside the tournament room) for casual “skittles” chess and/or other indoor activities. Parents and/or coaches, please provide age-appropriate activities during the time between rounds. The organizers cannot baby-sit. No child should be left unattended!

Concessions menu: Hot Dogs, Sausage Wraps, Frito Pie, Nachos, Chips, Sodas, Candy, Popcorn, Water, Powerade, and breakfast tacos.  You are also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks.) Only water bottles allowed a the chess board.

Proper handwashing, please!

Awards

Link here to Final Results and Awards!
Trophies & Medals to Top Contenders! Ribbons to all participants!

Trophies to the top individuals in each scholastic section. Trophies to the top teams in all sections. Number of individual and team trophies will depend on number of entries. Chess medals will go to all players (excluding Open section) that finish the tournament with a positive score. Trophies to top players in each section. No teams in Open section, but special trophies will be awarded to the highest scoring Family & Child teams (Uncles, Aunts, Adult siblings, Parents, Grandparents, or coach paired with at least one scholastic aged player.)

Registration Information

Registration is now closed.

*$35 thru Saturday, 3/16/2024.
*$40 thru Saturday, 4/13/2024.
*Late entry $50 begins Sunday, 4/14/2024 and ENDS at 9am on Friday, 4/26/2024, at which time online entry closes.
*$60 Onsite entry, if space is available . Receives 1/2pt bye in round 1, and begins play in round 2.

Withdrawals requested via email before 9am on Friday 4/26/24 are eligible for a refund (minus a $10 service fee). No exceptions. No refunds for USCF memberships after purchased from the USCF. NO email/phone entries.

Please request byes when you register if possible. First bye receives 1/2-point. Further byes receive 0-points. Email the registrar to make changes to your requested byes. Deadline to add or remove a 1st round requested bye is 9am Friday 4/26/2024. All 1/2-point byes must be requested/removed before the end of round 2.

Email Lori Balkum, registrar (registrar@AustinChessTournaments.com) with other questions. No phone calls, please. Emails will be returned promptly.

Organized by Rocks & Rooks. Gary Gaiffe, tournament organizer (ggaiffe@att.net).