November 21 – 22, 2020
at Internet Chess Club.
Walter Browne Memorial National Open Blitz – Friday November 20 5 p.m PST
5 Sections – 6 Round Swiss – Game/70 +10
$20,000 Guaranteed Prize Fund
Plus Score automatically wins a prize!
10 free entry prizes, and a few surprises.
| OPEN | U2200 | U1900 | U1600 | U1300 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 1,000 | 500 |
| 2nd | 1,000 | 500 | 500 | 500 | 350 |
| 3rd | 600 | 350 | 350 | 350 | 250 |
| 4th | 400 | 250 | 250 | 250 | 200 |
| 5th | 300 | 200 | 200 | 200 | 100 |
| Top U2300 800 400 | Top U2000/unr 600 300 | Top U1700/unr 600 300 | Top U1400/unr 600 300 | Top U1100 200 100 | |
| Top U800 125 75 | |||||
1st place in the Open Section is the 2020 National Open Champion and wins a mini replica of the Edmundson Cup.
Free entry to either 2021 or 2022 National Open for the winner of each section and each “top” prize.
Unrated players may not win more than $400 in any under section, $200 in U1300.
Entry Fees
Open Section: $99 by 11/9, $129 by 11/18, $159 later. $50 surcharge if not rated USCF 2100+ or FIDE 2000+.
Under 2200, 1900, 1600: $99 by 11/6, $129 by 11/18, $159 later.
Under 1300: $49 by 11/6, $69 by 11/18, $99 later.
$15 service charge for refunds.
Round Times (PST)
Saturday
Round 1: 9:30 a.m. PST
Round 2: 1:00 p.m. PST
Round 3: 4:30 p.m. PST
Sunday
Round 4: 9:30 a.m. PST
Round 5: 1:00 p.m. PST
Round 6: 4:30 p.m. PST
Log on at chess.vegas/play 30 minutes before each game.
You must log in and remain logged in before pairings are made at start of each round or you will not be paired.
You must be on Zoom with your real name (see chess.vegas/fair-play), side or rear view preferred. Zoom links will be posted at chess.vegas/zoom the night before the tournament starts.
Half Point Byes
are available in any round (limit 2) if requested with registration. Byes cannot be removed after the tournament starts.
US Chess Membership is Required
you may join or renew at new.uschess.org/join-us-chess.
Online Regular rated (will not affect OTB ratings). US Chess Online Regular rating used for section and prize eligibility, however, OTB Regular, FIDE, or other ratings may be used if higher.
Internet Chess Club Membership
If this is your first Vegas Chess Festivals Tournament on Internet Chess Club you will receive a coupon to extend your ICC membership for 2 months. If you are not already an ICC member you may use the coupon to join.
Hi I am Michael
Placed in the 2020 Las Vegas National Open under 2200.
How can we find out the result of the prize raffle? Is there a website to the all the results?
Many thanks.
Prizes and instructions for claiming them are posted at https://chess.vegas/2020/national-open-results/
I accidentally created a bye when registering for this tournament, for the first round I think. Can I still take it back?
You took it back on Thursday. It is removed.
Also, my and my brother’s usernames are not showing on the pre-advanced page. (Gabriel White=”Lowish-Monkey” and Adriel White=”Sandwich-monkey)
Thank you for your time.
You must use the coupon code sent with your receipt to show your username. See chess.vegas/online/instructions
Your usernames will be updated after you use the coupon code that was included in your email receipt. Each of you must use the coupon assigned to you at register.chessclub.com/lvc/login if you already have a username and register.chessclub.com/lvc/create if you need to create one.
The update is semi-manual so it won’t show up immediately.
Hi Alan,
When I signed my daughter up, she didn’t have an ICC account but i filled in “delenn kier” as her ID. Afterwards I signed her up on ICC and made her user ID “delennkier” because it didn’t allow a space. Do I need to notify anyone about the different user ID?
Thanks!
Judy
We use the coupon to associate the username with the tournament so you are OK.
Is there a way to change the color of the board and pieces at https://play.chessclub.com/lvc ?
Not at this time.
I just downloaded ICC so I am not familiar with it. Once I log onto it, how do I indicate to the software that I want to be playing the vegas national tournament?
The link https://play.chessclub.com/lvc doesn’t allow me to change the board color and piece settings, so I’d rather play on ICC if that’s an option. I’m a bit confused. To play, should one go to https://play.chessclub.com/lvc, or go to ICC, or are both ways valid options?
Thanks
As long as you are logged in you will be paired and the game starts automatically. You can use whichever interface is most comfortable for you.
I have a question regarding the zoom meeting tomorrow and Sunday, for the National Open. I have a camera that has a rear/side angle that shows myself and my screen, however, the screen does not show up well on the camera. (The screen looks mostly white and the chess board is hardly visible.) Should I share my screen on zoom just to be safe? (I want to be 100% transparent i.e. show that I am not cheating.)
Sharing your screen won’t work. As long as we can see you and the screen (however poorly) it should be fine. A large part of our fair play checking is done by the fair play algorithms.
Can I use my chrome book?
Yes
As soon as my third round finishes, can I log off?
It is best to remain logged in to ICC and zoom throughout. If you are not logged in at the beginning of a round you won’t be paired.
Alan.
When are we going to get the zoom link and tournament detail? Are we supposed to get an email if we signed up for the tournament?
chess.vegaas/zoom
Hi Alan ,
I cannot find zoom link at the indicated above site , please provide a link to get access
I think this question was answered several times: chess.vegas/zoom
Are we required to use the browser to play the games or can we use the ICC software? The browser tends to be a bit glitchy at times.
You can use whatever interface is most comfortable for you.
May I use the touchscreen feature on my laptop for the blitz tournament? I usually play chess on my phone, so I’m not very good with a mouse.
Yes that is fine. If you are using the play page you may need to change the setting for options/drag-and-drop to make the touch screen work.
I know we need to have zoom set up behind the player so that everything can be monitored. My son is only 9 and does not have a zoom account, he uses mine for his online chess classes. Do I need to get him his own zoom account? He has no idea how to even use most of this stuff, I set up all the electronics for him.
You don’t need a zoom account — you just need to follow the zoom link on chess.vegas/zoom. You will need to have the zoom app installed on the device you use.
If he’s using your zoom account that’s fine — you just need to change the name during the session (click on the 3 dots in your picture in the grid view). The change only affects the one session.
Zoom can be running on the computer he is using, a separate device (like a phone or tablet) to the side, or both.
Are we allowed to use physical boards in this tournament? If so, I’m assuming that we would have to make our moves first on the computer and then make the move on our board.
We prefer that you do not use an additional board. If you have a side/rear view zoom camera that CLEARLY shows you, your board, and the computer screen it would be acceptable.
It has to be clear to the section chief and your opponent that you are not using the side board for analysis. As you say, you must make the move first on the computer.
Hello Alan,
Will there be a link to the tournament or is there already once since I do not see it
Thanks,
Adrien
chessclub.com/grid/lvc
I will put a button or link at the top of this page once the tournament starts.
See my usa rating is 2169 and my online rating is 2161 my fide rating is 1593 which will be considered..
We use the higher of US Chess regular or regular online rating. We would not consider the FIDE rating unless it was higher still.
Thanks for replying back to me, Do you need two devices? If only one device, how would it work?
One device is acceptable but not optimal. All we would see is your face and the room behind you. Ideally you have a phone or tablet set up behind and to the side so we can see you, your screen and the area around it. If you run zoom on your computer or laptop it can be in the background.
If i’ll join this afternoon to US federation, i will have a USCF ratings (I have only fide ratings in this moment) to play the 20-21 Nov. Tournament as “rated” player?
We will use your FIDE rating, converted to US Chess rating.
ICC username is mandatory or any other option is available
When you enter the tournament you will receive a coupon that will allow you to create a new ICC username with a free 2 month membership. Leave it blank if you don’t have a username.
Hello. I received the receipt email after I paid for the tournament, but the coupon code, was just () empty brackets. There was not a coupon code that I could use. Any help is appreciated. Thank you.
We ran out of coupons!
I just added a hundred more, and should have received an email from online-td@chess.vegas with the correct code. If you did not get it check your spam folder. If you still can’t find it let us know by sending email to online-td@chess.vegas.
Alan
Hi! Quick question. I’m also wanting to participate in another USCF event on Chess.com this Saturday and my first game would start at 5pm eastern time. I noticed the 3rd round for this tourney will be at 4:30 PM so there may be some overlap. Am I allowed to play two games at once if it comes down to it? I will of course zoom call my monitor/room and do whatever it takes. Thanks!
You cannot play in two events at the same time. You could take a 1/2 point bye in the 4:30 round.
I requested a 1/2 point bye (for my son) at registration. When/how do I indicate which match he’ll be taking the bye?
Just send an email to online-td@chess.vegas. There are checkboxes on the entry form to select the round but you may have missed that.
If I don’t have an online rating but I have a USCF rating, I am not considered unrated, correct?
Correct. We use your regular rating if you have no online rating (or if the online rating is too few games to be meaningful).
Hi Alan, After our game is done, Do we still have to stay in the zoom or not? If no do we have to say in the chat that we are done and leave?
You can leave, but most players just turn off the video and stay logged in. If you do that, don’t forget to turn it back on at the start of the next round.
We strongly recommend that you stay logged in to ICC throughout the event.
Zoom on the same computer where the game is played or do you need a separate camera pointing to the player and screen? Asking as we don’t have an additional device to join zoom separately
A separate device is preferred (usually a phone or tablet) but using the same computer is acceptable.
Hi Dear VegasChess Club,
I was wondering how I will get my prize money if I win any?
I am about 1750 player in chess.com account, but I joined USCF very recently.
Prize winners will receive an email instructing them on how to receive the prize by PayPal or Zelle. There is a 2-3 week delay to allow for fair play analysis of all games.
Your chess.com rating is not used at all. If you have no USCF (or other national federation) rating you are considered “unrated”.
Hello sir , my daughter Aadya Ranganath is 71/2 years old , she is not a member of USCF neither has FIDE rating still , can she register for the tournament if she becomes a member of USCF .
Regards
Dr Ranganath
Yes of course. New members are always welcome. Join US Chess at new.uschess.org/become-member and use the USCF ID assigned when you enter our tournament at chess.vegas/enter
Do I need a Coupon code to register.
No, you receive the coupon after you register. The coupon lets you register for Internet Chess Club or extend your existing membership for 2 months free.
hi,
is it 70 minutes game?
Each player gets 70 minutes and 10 seconds is added after each move. If both players use all their time, a 60 move game would take 160 minutes, but most games finish quicker than that.
Hi. Are USCF ratings used or the ICC ratings?
Online Regular rated (will not affect OTB ratings). US Chess Online Regular rating used for section and prize eligibility, however, OTB Regular, FIDE, or other ratings may be used if higher.
Is there not an entry fee for U800?
See my reply to Shripad.
There is no under 800 section, there is just an prize in the under 1300 section for the top scoring player in the under 1300 section. The entry fee for a player under 800 is the same as the under 1300 section entry fee.
There are only 5 sections: Open, Under 2200, Under 1900, Under 1600 and Under 1300. There are “class” prizes for top scoring players at the low end of each category.
Ok, thank you!
Hello, I’m an italian Player.
I don’t have a USFC membership yet, but I have the rating fide.
Can I join to US CHESS and play the tournament “National Open Championship” with a USFC rating or there are not enough time now?
Yes, you can join. If you put your FIDE ID into the entry form it will look you up and convert your FIDE rating to the equivalent US Chess rating. You will need to join the US Chess Federation. There is a discounted online membership for foreign players, but I’m not sure if you can join on the website — you may need to email membership@uschess.org.
If you can’t get your membership by the time of the tournament we will be able to handle it for you. The cost is around $20.
Alan
Hello, I’m not able to see registration for U1100, how do I register for U1100?
Hello Shripad,
There is no U1100 section. There is an under 1100 prize in the U1300 section. If you enter the U1300 section you will be eligible for the top under 1100 prize as well as the top prizes in that section.
Sorry if this wasn’t as clear as it might be.
Zoom side rear view is preferred
Does that mean not required so can just use laptop used for playing. —meaning Zoom will use front view only from laptop camera?
You CAN use a single laptop with zoom running in the background. This would show your face while you are playing and the room behind you. It is better however, to have a second device (phone or laptop) set up to the side and a little behind you so we can see your computer and you as you play.
Best is to have both, however Zoom is a CPU hog so it may interfere with your ICC connection. I haven’t had any problem on my 3 year old computer but my 5 year old laptop can’t handle it.
Hi Allen
I need to renew my US Chess membership . Do I need to be a paid member of ICC as well ?
Also I play online chess on my phone . Can I do this during the tournament on Zoom ?
Much respect
David S
Hi David,
Every player gets a 2 month ICC membership as part of the entry.
Be sure to renew your USCF membership early, there is sometimes a delay in posting it.
We require that you play on a computer — not a phone or tablet. If you have a second phone or tablet and can show a rear view of you playing that clearly shows you and the device you are using this would be acceptable (but non-optimal) in the lower sections.
Is there a place to see the roster ? and to change my group to U1400?
The a link to the roster is shown on the ENTER NOW page. To request changes send an email to online-td@chess.vegas.
Hello, I registered under the name David James Mohn VI. The application auto-filled my ICC username. Could you change my registration information to reflect this? Thank you.
We will be double checking everyone’s username. If you use the coupon code that was either emailed or appeared on your receipt after you entered it will be done (sort of) automatically.
This is my 1st time register for Vegas Chess Festival tournament. When do I get the coupon to extent my ICC membership? And how to use the coupon to extend the membership?
The coupons were sent with the return address of online-td@chess.vegas.
Thank you Alan. I got the email. Thanks for the reply.
I am in the U1600 section. I see so many days on the schedule so I am kinda confused to which one applies to me.
Hi Adrien,
There is only one schedule of 6 rounds — 3 on Saturday, November 21 and 3 on Sunday, November 22. Is it possible you were looking at the schedules for the OTB event in June?
Oh that makes more sense. I must have did that.
Thank you Alan
May I play without ZOOM if I will not be eligible for prizes?
We require all players to be visible on a Zoom camera. We do not allow players who are ineligible for prizes because this raises the possibility of collusion.
Interesting to see the U1000 prize is higher than the U1300 1st to 5th places. Is this correct or a typo?
It was a typo: fixed now. Thanks for pointing that out.
John signed up for the U1300 section. Did not get any email notification with the next steps. Do I expect any email notification with sign up details?
Thanks for your entry.
You will receive an email soon from me soon. The automated email that is supposed to come with your receipt is not working yet.
Is there a way and/or fee to observe any games? Thanks
You can observe at https://www.chessclub.com/grid/lvc.
There is no fee.
Hello
Can I sign up for a tournament being from Mexico?
Yes, you can play from anywhere in the world!
You will need to join the US Chess Federation if you are not already a member. A 2 month membership in Internet Chess Club is included in the entry fee.