GM Shankland Special Lecture & Blitz

Special Lecture by GM Sam Shankland

and

USCF- & FIDE-rated 3+2 BLITZ event with GM Shankland playing!

Open for everyone!
 

Final Results -- Prize Winners

Date & Location -- Tournament Format -- Byes -- Prize Fund

Registration -- Eligibility -- Tournament Rules -- FAQ
 

Tournament capacity: 80 players.
Masks are optional in the chess room.

Top 6 boards are on chess.com: https://www.chess.com/events/2024-mechanics-institute-gm-shankland-special-blitz

 

0. Pre-Blitz Lecture & Book signing

• Lecture: 5:30-6:30 pm
• Book signing: 6:30 - 7:00 pm
• GM Shankland will have his books for sale onsite. Please bring cash.

1. Date & Location

• Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 7:00 pm
• Location: Mechanics' Institute Chess Room
  57 Post Street, 4th Floor
  San Francisco, CA 94104 (click here to map)

2. Tournament Format:

• Tournament Format: Swiss System
• Total Rounds: 7 rounds of single games (7SS)
• First Round: 7:00 pm and consecutive rounds are on a rolling schedule. Estimated end-time: 9:00 pm.
• Time Control: G/3+2  (Game in 3 minutes with a 2-second increment with each move.)
• Games will be US Chess blitz rated and FIDE blitz rated. Tournament results will be submitted immediately after the last round is finished.
• Section: one Open section.
• Pairings are based on the higher of November 2024 OTB supplemental regular US Chess rating. 
   

3. Byes

• Byes are available for players in case they can't participate but would like to stay in the tournament.
• Byes can be requested for a maximum of 2 rounds, with receiving 0.5 points for each round.
• Late registrations will receive two half-point byes for any missed round, up to a total of 2 rounds.
   

4. Prize Fund --  $540 based on 60 paid entries  -- this will be updated for two sections.

	Open
1st Place	$200
2nd Place	$125
3rd Place	$90
Best Under 1800	$75
Best Under 1300	$50

• Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing prize checks.
• Per IRS rules anyone with a cumulative $600+ prizes in any calendar year will need to fill out a W9 and Mechanics' Institute will be providing a 1099 form. 

 

5. Registration:

• Mechanics' Institute Member: $30
• Non-Member: $40
• $5 admin fee for all cancellations & refunds.
• Click HERE to Register: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2024Tournaments/GMShanklandSpecialBlitz
   

6. Eligibility

• Players must have a current US Chess Federation membership. Expiration date of their US Chess membership must be later than the last day of the tournament.
• Not sure if you have a membership? Need to check the expiration date of your members? Visit: https://new.uschess.org/player-search
• Become a member or renew your membership: https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess
   

7. Tournament Rules

• FIDE blitz rules apply.
• Forfeit time is 3 minutes.

8. FAQ

• What do the time controls mean?
  Time controls tell you how much time you have for each game.
  G3+2 means game in 3 minutes with a 2 second increment with each move from move 1. This means you get 3 minutes, your opponent gets 3 minutes, and at each move the clock adds 2 seconds to the player's time. 
• How many games/rounds?
  The 7SS before the time control means it is a Swiss System tournament with seven rounds. The tournaments are never elimination, so win or lose, you can stay in the tournament. 

 

Mechanics' Institute Chess Club reserves the right to update any details of this event (including but not limited to sections, time control, round times, prize fund, etc.) as we get closer to the event date to ensure an excellent tournament experience for players.