90th Annual Southwest Open

+ 1-day Southwest Scholastic
(click for details)

+ Blitz Tournament
(scroll to bottom of page, event is on Sunday 9/1 at 9pm)

SW OPEN Announcement: Electronic Devices will NOT be allowed at all INSIDE THE PLAYING HALL for all FIDE rated section participants. Regardless if turned off or not. We will be randomly wanding people and inspecting belongings to ensure this rule is adhered to. Thus, leave phones in hotel room or car or you can opt to check in your devices with the organizer in the chess control room. Anyone caught with an electronic device on them or in use at any point during a round regardless of any section you are competing in will be immediately forfeited and rated as a loss.

Dates

International Section: 9SS, G90;inc30, norms possible: Thurs, 8/29 - Mon, 9/2/24

All other sections U2300, Reserve, Novice are 7SS, G90;inc30:
4-day schedule Fri 8/30 - Mon 9/2 or 3-day schedule Sat 8/31 - Mon 9/2

Venue

Held at the Doubletree by IAH
15747 John F Kennedy Blvd, Houston, TX 77032
Discounted group room rate is $92

Hotel booking link
(must book by 08/09/2024 for group rate)

Complimentary Hotel Self-Parking

Free Shuttle Service from Bush Int'l (IAH) Airport to/from Hotel - please call hotel for pick-up service (281-848-4000)

Entry Fees

International section
GMs, foreign IMs or FIDE 2500+	$25
FIDE 2000+ or US Chess 2200+	$200 if paid by 8/15/24 else $225
FIDE 1700+ or US Chess 1800+	$300 if paid by 8/15/24 else $350
All others	$425

U2300 & Reserve (U2000) sections		Novice section (U1500 and unrated*)
$99 if paid by 8/15/24 else $110 if by 8/23/24 8/26/24! else $125 after and on-site		$79 if paid by 8/15/24 else $90 if by 8/23/24 8/26/24! else $105 after and on-site
Senior citizens competing in U2300, Reserve or Novice section who are age 65+, EF is only $60 if paid by 8/15/24, else $75 afterwards. Contact us for a discount code prior to attempting registration.
*unrated players with a foreign rating must disclose and may be placed in a higher section after conversion; higher EF difference will be charged

Section & Prizes

***Unrated foreign players - please note, you are required to inform us of any existing FIDE/Canada/overseas rating for conversion purposes. Failure to do so could result in ineligibility for prize distribution.

International section

International section is FIDE Rated. Uses FIDE rules to govern play. FIDE pairing rules & FIDE ratings used. US Chess rules used for awarding prizes. Forfeit time is 1 hour. All players must have a FIDE ID. Players must compete in round 9 to be eligible for prizes. All prizes in this International section are GUARANTEED regardless of # of players registered to compete.

1st
$2400

2nd
$1200

3rd
$600

4th
$405

5th
$205

Top U2400 $800

Top U2200 $400

Collegiate/High/Middle/Elementary students only prizes below
(proof of current enrollment required)

1st place
$400 & plaque

2nd place
$250 & plaque

3rd place
$150 & plaque

These prizes in green here are “special prizes” and may be won in conjunction with normal place prizes.

U2300 section

**to claim prize $$, email Franc your zelle information**

U2300 section is FIDE rated. Uses FIDE rules to govern play. US Chess rules and ratings used for pairings and awarding prizes. Forfeit time is 1 hour. All players must have a FIDE ID. Prizes are based on a minimum 200 players combined in U2300, Reserve & Novice sections.

1st place
$800

2nd place
$405

3rd place
$205

Top U2100
$400 - $200

Top U1900
$300 - $150

Reserve section (U2000) to claim prize $$, email Franc your zelle information
Prizes based on minimum 200 players combined in U2300, Reserve & Novice sections. This section is US Chess rated only. Forfeit time is 1 hour.
1st place $800	2nd place $405		3rd place $205
Class B Prize (1600-1799 rating) $400 - $200		Top U1600 $300 - $150

Novice section (U1500) to claim prize $$, email Franc your zelle information
Prizes based on minimum 200 players combined in U2300, Reserve & Novice sections. This section is US chess rated only. Forfeit time is 1 hour.
1st place $500	2nd place $250		3rd place $125
Class E Prizes (1000-1199 rating) $300 - $150		Top U1000 prizes $300 - 150
Top Unrated $200

For details on the 1 day Southwest Scholastic
(5 rds G25;d5 on Sat 8/31/24)
.https://www.kingregistration.com/event/SW90Scho

ROUND TIMES

International Section

On-site registration available on Thurs 8/29 from 3:30pm - 4:30pm.
Pairings expected to be posted by 5pm.
Later registrations on Thurs are available but 1st round bye will be required.
No late registrations will be taken after Thursday evening round is over.

Rd 1

Rd 2

Rd 3

Rd 4

Rd 5

Rd 6

Rd 7

Rd 8

Rd 9

Thu 8/29
7pm

Fri 8/30
1:30 pm

Fri 8/30
7pm

Sat 8/31
2pm

Sat 8/31
7pm

Sun 9/1
11am

Sun 9/1
4:15pm

Mon 9/2
9:15am

Mon 9/2
2:30pm

U2300, Reserve & Novice Sections 4-day or 3-day schedule available, schedules merge at round 2
Schedule	On-site Registration	Rd 1	Rd 2	Rd 3	Rd 4	Rd 5	Rd 6	Rd 7
4-day	Fri, 8/30 5:30p - 6:15p	Fri, 8/30 7:00pm	Sat 8/31 2p	Sat 8/31 7p	Sun 9/1 11a	Sun 9/1 4:15p	Mon 9/2 9:15a	Mon 9/2 2:30p
3-day	Sat, 8/31 8a - 8:30a	Sat, 8/31 9am

Tournament Regulations

Player requirements:

All players must have a current US chess membership (except foreign titled GM/IM/WGM/WIM). All players must have a current TCA membership or pay one-time administrative fee of $5 to become a TCA member. Check TCA memberships here. If you are competing in the International or U2300 sections you MUST have a FIDE ID tied to your US Chess ID. Click here for info on how to get a FIDE ID.

Playing Equipment:

Players you are expected to bring a standard 20” x 20” board with 3.75”King standard size pieces and digital chess clock. Please make sure to also bring a writing instrument i.e. pencil or pen to do notation. Equipment will NOT be provided by the organizers for this event. There will be a chess store on-site should you need to purchase items needed.

Eating & Drinking:

Do not eat at the board while in play. Please step away from the board if you need a quick bite. Resealable containers like bottled water, etc are allowed. Coffee with lids allowed. No alcoholic beverages allowed.

Playing Rules, Ratings, etc:

AUGUST 2024 supplement US Chess supplement ratings used for section placement. May use CCA rules for foreign ratings and minimum ratings. FIDE ratings used for International section. Unrated players with a foreign rating must disclose and may be placed in a higher section after conversion. FIDE rules used for governing play in FIDE rated sections. US Chess pairings used for all sections except International.

Electronic Device Policy:

None allowed in FIDE rated sections (International and U2300) unless provided by the organizer. Electronic scorekeeping device chessNoteR will be allowed in Reserve/Novice/Scholastic sections. All other electronic devices including cell phones, smart watches, music earbuds, etc are not allowed. ~~Any phones should be stored away and completely powered off, not silent, not vibrate, but turned off completely.~~ If you are caught using or viewing a phone near you or simply on your person during a round, it may result in immediate forfeiture of the current game and possible expulsion from the entire tournament.

SW OPEN Announcement: Electronic Devices will NOT be allowed at all INSIDE THE PLAYING HALL for all FIDE rated section participants. Regardless if turned off or not. We will be randomly wanding people and inspecting belongings to ensure this rule is adhered to. Thus, leave phones in hotel room or car or you can opt to check in your devices with the organizer in the chess control room. Anyone caught with an electronic device on them or in use at any point during a round regardless of any section you are competing in will be immediately forfeited and rated as a loss.

Byes:

If you did not already request any needed byes during your registration, please request them in person at the control room desk. Please make sure to confirm the bye by checking the registration/wall charts. Zero point byes are available at any point if requested at least 45 min before round time.

International section: 1st round ½-pt bye must be requested by 6pm on Thursday 8/29. Any other byes must be requested at least 1 hour before round time and no later than 1pm on Saturday 8/31. All further byes must be requested by 8:30am on 8/31/24. Total two ½-pt byes allowed but not both in rounds 8 & 9. Last round byes are irrevocable once requested. Round 9 byes are considered a withdrawal and will result in the player being ineligible for any prizes.

U2300/Reserve/Novice sections: 1st round 0.5-pt bye must be requested by 6pm Friday 8/30 for 4-day schedule (by 8am on Sat 8/31 for 3-day sched). Any other byes must be requested at least 1 hour before round time and no later than 1pm on Saturday 8/31. Total two ½-pt byes allowed but not both in rounds 6 & 7. Last round byes are irrevocable once requested.

Re-entries:

$55 for Reserve and Novice sections only. No re-entry available for International or U2300 sections.

Default Time:

Forfeit default time is 1 hour. Player must arrive within 60 minutes of actual round time start. Arbiters will start clocks for white regardless if black is present or not in the FIDE rated sections. All elapsed time comes off of white’s time in FIDE rated sections and is NOT split between white/black as in US chess rules regardless if both players are late to the board.

Spectator Policy:

Competing players are allowed to briefly watch other games once their game is finished. Please do so in a quiet, reserved manner. It is at any TD’s discretion to permanently remove any players who are crowding or causing any disturbance in the playing hall. Players who repeatedly run in and out or open doors without good reason may be strictly penalized. Non-competing bystanders such as parents or just visitors are not allowed in the playing hall while rounds are in progress.

Registration

Advance Online registration is the best method.
Find the “Register Button” at the bottom or top of this page.
Online registration will close at 5:00pm CST on Thursday, 8/29 (for International section)
Online registration will close at 5:00pm CST on Friday, 8/30 (for 4-Day Schedule), and at 7:00am Saturday, 8/31 (for 3-Day Schedule).
(Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express)

On-site Registration
(as long as spots are still available)

Friday, 8/30/24:	5:30pm - 6:15pm (4-day schedule)
Saturday, 8/31/24:	8am - 8:30am (3-day schedule)

No checks accepted at site (cash or credit cards only).

Registration via USPS Mail*

By Mail: You may send a check, payable to "Francisco Guadalupe," with registration info (Name, US Chess ID, Section, Schedule, Byes if any, Address, Email Address, and Telephone Number) to:

Francisco Guadalupe

305 Willow Pointe Dr.

League City, TX 77573

**All mailed entries must be received by August 16th 2024. Please check the registration list to ensure your entry was indeed received as mail can get lost! Online registration is the preferred and best method possible. **

Refund Policy for Withdrawals

An 80% refund is available for those who request the withdrawal refund by the following dates:

International Section players (must withdraw by Tues 8/27/24)
All other sections (must withdraw by Wed 8/28/24)
Any withdrawals after these dates do not receive any refunds.

Chess Store

There will be a chess store on-site to sell chess playing equipment, books, etc.

TCA Membership Meeting

*** 8:30am, Sunday, September 1, 2024, in the Arizona Ballroom ***

Questions?

Text messaging is preferred - calls will likely not be answered right away.

Please identify yourself and the player’s name for reference.
Voicemails are welcome!
Chess Control will be in the DALLAS room to address any tournament related inquiries.

Southwest Open Blitz

9pm, Sunday 9/1/24
$20 EF cash or credit card payment only
Register in person anytime before 8:15pm on Sunday 9/1.
Sign up at the DALLAS room. Event is UNRATED and will last approx 2.5 hours.

# of rounds and # of sections to be determined the day of the event depending on the total number of entries. Time control G/5;d0. Likely will be a total of 7 rounds.

This is NOT a knockout tournament. All players compete in all rounds regardless of any losses.

Prizes
70% of entry fees will be returned as cash prizes

Tournament Regulations

Playing equipment:

In order to ensure rounds go efficiently & smoothly we request that players leave their sets/boards on the table starting from round 1. Take your clock with you though after each round. Keep track of your equipment. Organizer is not responsible for any missing equipment.

US Chess rules modification for this event:

Do not capture Kings. If your opponent makes an illegal move AND hits their clock, then simply pause the clock and claim the win without touching any pieces.

90th Annual Southwest Open

Aug 29, 2024 - Sep, 02, 2024