Ridgefield 3/17 Sunday Swiss

Times (All sections may end earlier or later depending on gameplay)

1. U800 and U1200 Sections : Round 1 starts promptly at 1:35PM, subsequent rounds ASAP.  Award ceremony is expected to end at 5:30 PM.
2. U400 Section : Round 1 starts promptly at 1:35PM, subsequent rounds ASAP.  Award ceremony is expected to end at 4:30 PM.

Location: Way of the Sword Academy Fencing, Archery, Chess Clubs (Located in the Donnelly Plaza Shopping Center, 21 Governor Street, Ridgefield, CT)

Sections*:

1. U400, U800 and U1200 sections : 4SS, G/30.  Four rounds of USCF rated chess in Swiss System format. Each player has 30 minutes to make their moves in a game with no delay per move. Players will be grouped by live regular rating.  Note that players in the U400 section will be using the G/30 time control, but notation is optional.
2.  Players should already be familiar with how to move and capture pieces, castle, how to check/checkmate an opponent, and play to the end of each game without being distracted.  If unsure whether a player is ready, please email tournament director.
3. Beginner players in grades K-5 who do not yet have rated tournament experience are suggested to register for the U400 section, although parents are free to register players in higher rated sections.  Beginner players in grades 6-8 should register in the U800 section, although they may also register in the U1200 section.  Beginner players in grades 9-12 should register in the U1200 section, which is open to adults of all skill levels.  

Byes: Players may request a zero point bye for their first and fourth round when registering, if anticipating that a player will either arrive late or leave early.  Players not playing the first round should arrive by 1:50 PM latest for the U400 section, and 2:10 latest for the U800 and U1200 sections.  Players not playing in the fourth round should expect to stay until at least 3:30 PM for the U400 section, and 4:30 PM for the upper sections.

Entry deadline: Saturday 10 pm (day before tournament). No on-site registration.

Prizes:

1. Gold medals for player(s) in top half of pool for each section, (for example, 1 point for each game won, 0.5 points for each game drawn), with no computer calculated tie-breaks. Silver medals for all other players.
2. Trophies are awarded to top player in U400, U800 and U1200 sections.  (See note at bottom for tie break rules if there are 2+ players with a tie). 
   

Refunds/Cancellation Policy: If unable to participate, players may withdraw by contacting the tournament director. A request for a refund may be made no later than Tuesday midnight (Tuesday before tournament). Refunds subject to a $10 cancellation fee.

If a player is feeling unwell (coughing, has fever, sore throat, etc), they should not compete in consideration of the health of other players. Entry fee will be credited towards future tournaments at this club, minus a $5 administrative fee.

Additional Details:

* To encourage registration for the U1200 section, registration fee has been lowered to $15.

* This event takes place on Sunday afternoon, not Saturday afternoon.

* An active USCF membership is required prior to registering for this tournament - available at https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess. The fee for one child under 19 is $20/year, with other membership options available.

* Chess sets, clocks and scoresheets are provided. Players are welcome to use their own scoresheets/scorebooks and should bring their own pencils although a supply of pencils will also be available.

* When registering multiple players, order separately.

* Supervision: Tournament director and tournament assistant(s) will be coordinating this event.  Dropoff is possible, and parents can be contacted via cellphone as needed.  Parents with young players who require supervision should plan to attend the event for duration.  Parents who will be dropping off players should mention during sign-in to be sent a text message at the start of round 4.

* Safety: Masks are optional, and no food is allowed in the playing area although players may eat a snack in the chess room.   Planet Pizza and other restaurants on Main Street are a 5-minute walk away for parents who want to bring food to the club.  A water bottle for players is suggested.

* Parking: There are plenty of parking spaces in the club parking lot.

* Social media: Photos/videos will be taken at the event and may be posted to the club website or social media accounts for outreach and marketing purposes. Inform the tournament director before the day of the event to opt-out if desired.

* See tournament handout for event rules and tournament etiquette.  Taking notation is required for players in U800 and U1200 sections in grades 3 and above, although players may request an exemption with 5 minute penalty.  Notation is not required for players in the U400 section.

* Ridgefield has an excellent library nearby open on Sunday afternoons, and coffee shops, ice cream and candy shops, and the local bookstore a short walk away in downtown.  Limited seating provided for parents and family members, only one parent is suggested during gameplay.  Parents are welcome and encouraged to stay for the beginning and end of the tournament for the award ceremony.

* Tournament results and link to event photos will be posted to https://tournaments.wayoftheboard.org.

* Latest published ratings are used for tournament as opposed to unofficial ratings.  A player's official published rating will not be given to a player until 24+ games have been played and is updated 12 times a year.

* An Events4Chess account is not necessary to register a player for a tournament, only the player's USCF account ID.  It is only needed to auto-populate fields when registering, or to be notified when a new event is live.

* Payment: Paypal/credit card/debit card accepted for payment.  To use a payment method other than Paypal after checkout, select "Pay with Debit or Credit Card" as in screenshot.

* Tie Break Playoff Format. If there are 2 or more players tied with a perfect (4-0) score, a playoff will determine the section winner and will immediately follow Round 4. The playoff format will be G/5/4 d2 Armageddon game, blitz rules apply, with USCF tie breaks determining seeding and choice of color. Playoff pairings will be highest seed against lowest seed and so on. Each playoff round will result in elimination of the losing player(s). Final placement of eliminated players will be arranged in order of seeding based on round of playoff elimination. If the number of players in the initial playoff round is uneven, the highest seeded player(s) will advance without playing to the second playoff round. All other ties broken by US Chess standard tie break rules.

* To confirm if a player was successfully registered after submitting the registration fee, check the Participants list.  If the player is listed, registration was successful.

* Printable flyer: https://www.events4chess.com/dashboard/events/rds_generate_flyer.php?event_ID=2013