2021 Pittsburgh Metropolitan Open

 

The Pittsburgh Chess Club is proud to host our 76th Pittsburgh Metropolitan Open tournament. This event will be OTB at a hotel venue and USCF Dual rated (Regular and Quick). We will also be enforcing additional rules in the registration section below to help  mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Please note there is limited space — enter early!

[fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Schedule” class=”” id=””]Schedule[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Format” class=”” id=””]Format[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Prizes” class=”” id=””]Prizes[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Eligibility” class=”” id=””]Eligibility[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Byes” class=”” id=””]Byes[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Rules” class=”” id=””]Rules[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Fair” class=”” id=””]Fair Play[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Contact” class=”” id=””]Contact[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Registration” class=”” id=””]Registration[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#COVID” class=”” id=””]COVID[/fusion_one_page_text_link]

[fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Entries” class=”” id=””]Registered Players[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Winners” class=”” id=””]Prize Winners[/fusion_one_page_text_link] | [fusion_one_page_text_link link=”#Standings” class=”” id=””]Standings[/fusion_one_page_text_link]

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Schedule” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Schedule and Location

Tournament Schedule: Round times are in Eastern Daylight Time.

• Saturday, May 22, 2021
  • Championship Section, G/45 d5, 9am | 10:45am | 2pm | 3:30pm
  • Reserve Section, G/45 d5, 9am | 10:45am | 2pm | 3:30pm

Location: Hampton Inn, Pittsburgh-Downtown. Registration, pairings, and games will be in the Allegheny and Monongahela Rooms starting at 8am.
Capacity: There is a maximum capacity of 19 players due social distancing rules in effect during the dates of the tournament. It is recommended to register early.
Parking: There is limited complimentary parking around the hotel for standard vehicles.
Restrooms: There are restrooms available in the hotel.
Food: The hotel offers a pantry-style options, but there is also dining in the Strip District (20-minute walk round-trip) and the Cultural District (20-minute walk round-trip). Please plan accordingly. Vehicle transportation, Uber Eats, DoorDash, or GrubHub are suggested means to getting food efficiently and observing round times.

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Format” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Tournament Format

Format: 4-round Swiss System, in two sections
Time Control: Game/45 delay 5 (Each player starts with 45 minutes on their clock with 5 second delay before subtracting time)
Sections: There will be two sections

• Championship: open to rated players 1800+ or unrated
• Reserve: open to rated players under 1800

Ratings: All players must be current USCF members to play in this tournament. Players can purchase or renew USCF memberships in conjunction with entering the tournament. To see membership options, details and dues or to purchase or renew memberships directly online, click here: https://new.uschess.org/become-member. Membership dues are non-refundable even if the tournament is cancelled or the player withdraws. All games will be USCF-rated. Official USCF ratings as of May 1, 2021 will apply as listed below in order of priority:

• USCF Regular
• USCF Quick
• USCF Online-Regular
• USCF Online-Quick

Pittsburgh Chess Club reserves the right to assign any player to a higher-rated section based on the player’s rating history. Any player who does not have any of the USCF ratings listed above will be entered as an unrated player.

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Prizes” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Prizes

• Prizes will be based on score according to the table below:
  

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  Score	Championship Section	Reserve Section
  4.0	$200	$160
  3.5	$100	$80
  3.0	$75	$60
  2.5	$40	$30

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• Largest upset win in both sections (if at least 200 points) gets free entry (up to $50) to any future 2021 PCC tournament!

• Prizes will  be distributed to winner either:

  • On site
  • Mailed to the Winner's physical mailing address, as indicated in their registration
  • Transferred to winner's designated PayPal account.
• Please allow 3-4 business days for transferring prize funds via PayPal.
• Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing mailed prize checks.
• Per IRS rules anyone with a cumulative $600+ prizes in any calendar year will need to fill out a W9 and The Pittsburgh Chess Club will be providing a 1099 form.

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Eligibility” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Eligibility

• Players must be current US Chess Federation members. Expiration date of membership must be later than the day of the tournament.
  • Not sure of the status of your US Chess membership? Visit: new.uschess.org/player-search
  • You can become a US Chess member (or renew your membership) here: new.uschess.org/join-us-chess
• Players do not need to be Pittsburgh Chess Club members, but there is a discount on entry fees for PCC members
  
  • Not sure of the status of your PCC membership? Visit: pittsburghchess.club/members
  • You can become a Pittsburgh Chess Club member here: pittsburghchess.club/membership

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Byes” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Byes

• Byes are available for players in any round in case they can't participate but would like to stay in the tournament.
• Maximum 1 half-point bye can be requested in this tournament.
• Round 1 bye must be requested 15 minutes prior to the round start time.
• Round 2-4 byes must be requested before the start of Round 2.
• Round 3-4 byes are irrevocable to prevent prize fund manipulations.

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Rules” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Tournament rules

• Standard US Chess rules apply

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Fair” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Fair Play

• Use of computer chess engines, databases, chess books, magazines, written notes and any other form of external assistance while playing is strictly prohibited. Assistance from other players is also prohibited.
• The electronic score keeping devices, ChessNoteR and eNotate, cannot be used at this tournament

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Contact” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Contact

Please email [email protected] if you have any questions. Or call (412) 421-1881.

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Registration” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Registration

• Advance entry is encouraged to be assured of a place in any section
• PCC Member Entry Fee: $50. Discounts for members who are Passed Pawn and Bishop Pair rewards status will be honored.
• Non-PCC Member Entry Fee: $60 until May 20th, $65 after May 20th
• Online advance registration closes at 11PM, Friday, May 21st
• On-site registration will be available starting at 8am, unless the number of advance entries has reached our 19-player capacity
• Late Entry: ​Late registrants arriving after 8:45am may have to take a Round 1 BYE
• Commitment to play paired rounds: All players who have not withdrawn prior to a round pairing will be paired and will be expected to play in that round -regardless of their results. A player will be forfeited if he or she does not arrive at his or her assigned board to play a scheduled game before the expiration of the default time, which is the lesser of the time control or 60 minutes. Once a forfeit occurs, the player is automatically withdrawn from the event, unless they pay the appropriate forfeit penalty fee.
• Forfeit penalty fee: $20
• Administrative Fee: $10 for all cancellations & refunds. Refund checks will be sent through mail.
• Bring set, board, and clock if possible – none supplied.
• Players must agree to our COVID-19 Safety Acknowledgement and Release

 

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”COVID” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]COVID

Pittsburgh Chess Club has designed the 76th Pittsburgh Metropolitan Open to be compliant with current covid-related requirements. Based on guidance from Responding to COVID-19: COVID Mitigation in Pennsylvania, PA Department of Health FAQ, and the CDC, we have listed the requirements most pertinent to the 2021 Pittsburgh Metropolitan Open tournament:

• Masks will be worn at all times within the tournament hall
• Food and drink will not be consumed within the tournament hall
• Players must allow for the Tournament Director to read their temperature using an infrared thermometer
• If any player shows symptoms of sickness or fever, their tournament entry will cancelled and fully refunded
• We will be providing hand sanitizer and asking players to use this before starting each round.
• We will also be providing latex gloves to anyone who wants them

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Winners” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Prize Winners

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Standings” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Standings

Players agreed to merge the Reserve section into the Championship.

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[fusion_menu_anchor name=”Entries” class=””][/fusion_menu_anchor]Entries

Registered Entries (last update 5/21/2021 1PM):
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