MasterMinds 2nd Saturday Monthly Chess Tournament

at Tech Freire Charter School in Philadelphia, PA

Held the second Saturday on each month

MasterMinds Chess Club (MMCC) tournaments are public events. By registering to the tournaments, participants (and their caregivers, if applicable) grant full permission to MasterMinds Chess Club to use photographs, video- and/or audio-recordings of them, and/or their children, taken during MMCC events in publications, news releases, online, and in other communications related to the mission of MasterMinds Chess Club. No registrants and/or participants are entitled to compensation for their appearance in such materials. All registrants and participants release and discharge MMCC from all liability, losses, and damages for libel, slander, invasion of privacy or any other claim arising out of or relating to the use of videotapes, recordings and/or photographs.

Who: Players from Pre-K through adult

What: A one-day tournament to help you prepare for other tournaments like the Liberty Bell, World Open, and PA State Championships.

When: Second Saturday monthly with Quad Round 1 at 9:30 AM, and Scholastic Swiss 10 AM.

Where: Tech Freire Charter School, 2221 N Broad St., Philadelphia, PA 19132

Registration and Fees: Quads registration is $30 cash onsite only, no advanced registration.

Scholastic Swiss registration is $10 online at Chessroster.com by the Friday before the event. Registration increases to $25 after 9 PM Friday, then onsite only at the tournament. Onsite Registration is from 8-9 AM, players registering after 9 AM may not be paired for Round 1.

Format: A quad chess tournament is a mini, three-round tournament where four players of similar skill level are grouped into a "quad," playing a round-robin format (each plays the other three once) for a balanced competition. Our Quads are open to all players who want to play a longer time control. No byes are allowed.

The Scholastic Swiss is a Swiss-system chess tournament, a non-elimination format where players compete in a set number of rounds, playing opponents with similar scores, ensuring everyone plays in every round (if possible) and strong players eventually meet, with the winner having the most points at the end. It balances fairness by pairing winners with winners and losers with losers, avoiding repeat opponents and keeping the competition balanced without knocking players out after a loss, allowing for comebacks. Each player is allowed one requested half point bye.

Sections: Quad players are grouped in fours and compete in a round-robin. Scholastic players can compete in one of four sections: K-3 U500, K-6 U800, K-8 U1200, or K-12 Open. All players must be members of US Chess.

Who can Play: All players are welcomed from Pre-K through adult. This tournament is open to out-of-state players. FIRST-TIME PLAYERS ARE ALSO WELCOME!!!

Quad Prize Fund: The winner of each Quad will receive $100 cash. If we have to run a HEX, a six player Swiss-System, First place receives $100 and Second place $50 cash.

Awards: For our Scholastic Summer League there are individual awards for the Scholastic Swiss.

Individual: 1st through 5th place in all 4 sections.

Teams: 1st thru 3rd place Teams across all 4 sections will be awarded in September. Teams can be made up of either a school or club.

School Teams - students on a single campus under one principal.

Club Teams - must meet for at least 8 months per year and players must have attended 6 regularly scheduled meetings of the club in the previous 3 months. (A club officer should be able to provide verification that players are eligible to compete for their club.)

Players on a team can compete across all sections of the tournament for the team trophies.

Tournament Schedule:

Quad rounds are 9:30 AM, 1 PM, and 4 PM. The Scholastic Swiss first round is 10 AM, the following rounds are as soon as possible. Pairing of the proceeding rounds will take place after all the games of the existing round are completed.

Time Control: For the Quads the time control for each player will be Game in 85 minutes with a 5 second delay (G/85;d5) for the entirety of the game. The time control being implemented for each player in the Scholastic Swiss is Game in 40 minutes with a 5 second delay (G/40;d5) for the entirety of the game

Chess Equipment: Quad players provide their own equipment. We will provide chess sets and chess clocks for the Scholastic Swiss. Scoresheets and pencils are provided for all players.

Chess Notation:

All players competing must take chess notation. Players are permitted to bring and use their own Scorebooks and pencils if they own them.

Players are encouraged to learn and practice chess notation before entering an Over-The-Board chess tournament. Here is an instructional YouTube video on How To Use Chess Notation.

Notes:

Membership in the US Chess Federation is required for ALL players in this tournament.

A membership can be purchased for one or two-years at US Chess. A current US Chess membership allows a player to participate in any US Chess rated chess tournament in the U.S.A. A US Chess membership is not a fee that must be paid for every tournament.

Need More Information?

Email info@mastermindschess.org with your questions.