Quads in the Park

The Pittsburgh Chess Club is proud to host our Quads in the Park tournament. This event will be OTB and USCF rated at an outdoor venue. 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 Play” 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=”#Entrees” 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 15, 2021
  
  • Open Section, G/45 d5, 11am | 2pm | 4pm

Location: Schenley Park, at Westinghouse Shelter (W Circuit Rd Pittsburgh, PA 15217) and at Prospect Shelter (Prospect Dr, Pittsburgh, PA 15217). One quad for each 8-foot picnic table. Shelters are roofed but not enclosed. Players should be aware that this is a public venue and people not associated with the chess tournament will be using park facilities adjacent to and near the playing area. PCC has no control over or responsibility for the activities of these people or any attendant noise or distraction.

NO on-site registration: Please pre-register online as the TD will have limited resources available to register on-site. Online registration closes at 11PM, Friday, May 14th.  Shortly after registration closes, quad assignments and locations will be posted online, as well as emailed to all players who have entered.  The quad assignments will also be posted at both shelters starting at 10:30am.

Capacity:There is a maximum capacity of 32 players due to shelter availability and social distancing rules in effect during the dates of the tournament. It is recommended to register early.

Parking: There is limited free parking that is in the middle of the road directly in front of the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.

Restrooms: There will be a portable toilet on-site. In addition, there are also restrooms available at the Visitor Center and Phipps Conservatory, 5-min walk from Westinghouse Shelter, and at the soccer field, 5-min walk from Prospect Shelter.

Park Map: Schenley Park Map

Food: It looks like a 20-minute walk downtown (40-minute roundtrip). Please plan accordingly. Vehicle transportation, Uber Eats, DoorDash, or GrubHub are suggested means to getting food efficiently and observing round times. There is also a Café Phipps next to the park.

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

Format: Quadrangular (aka. Quads), a four-player chess tournament. Each player plays one or more games against the other three players.

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 one Open section. Within the Open section there will be as many quads as possible, formed from players entered. Quads will be defined and paired in accordance with USCF Rule 30G. All entered players in the Open section will be listed in order by rating, highest to lowest. Working from the top of the list down, each group of four players will be designated as a quad. Within each quad, the four players will be assigned pairing numbers 1 through 4 in order by rating from highest to lowest. If a group of 5, 6 or 7 players is left over after defining all other quads for a section, that group will be paired as a three-round Swiss. If fewer than 4 players enter any section, that section will be eliminated, and affected players will have a choice of playing in a different section or having their entry fee refunded.

Pairings: Pairings for each quad will be as follows: round 1: 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3; round 2: 3 vs 1, 4 vs 2; round 3: 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4. For round 3 only, colors will be assigned randomly in each pairing (by a coin toss or hidden pawn choice), except that in the event of a forfeit or withdrawal, colors should be assigned so as to maximize color equalization.

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

A player with none of these USCF ratings may substitute a comparable online rating by providing his or her username, URL of the platform on which the rating was earned, type of rating (e.g., Rapid, Quick), and current rating. Online ratings will be used only for the purpose of seeding players into appropriate quads; for USCF rating purposes, these players will be unrated. Any online rating provided will be subject to verification and customary checks for sandbagging. Pittsburgh Chess Club reserves the right to assign any player to a higher-rated quad within the same section based on the player’s rating history. Any player who does not have any of the USCF ratings listed above and does not provide a comparable online rating will be entered as an unrated player.

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

• There will be one prize in each quad, for the highest score, equal to $80; if the highest score is 3-0, then the prize will be $100. In any group of 5, 6 or 7 players, a 2nd place $80 prize will be added. Prizes will be split between tied players.
• 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

• No half-point BYEs available

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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 Play” 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.

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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 required to be assured of a place in any section
• PCC Member Entry Fee: $40. Discounts for members who are Passed Pawn and Bishop Pair rewards status will be honored.
• Non-PCC Member Entry Fee: $50 until May 13th, $55 after May 13th
• Administrative Fee: $15 for all cancellations & refunds. Refund checks will be sent through mail.
• Online registration closes at 11PM, Friday, May 14th.
• There will be NO on-site registration available.
• Commitment to play all rounds: All players who have not withdrawn prior to the entry deadline (11:00 pm, Friday, May 14) will be assigned to a quad and will be expected to play all three rounds 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: $15
• 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 Quads in the Park 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 Quads in the Park tournament:

• Masks will be worn at all times within and around the Westinghouse & Prospect shelters when players are not able to remain physically distant (at least 6 feet away) from other players
  
• Food and drink will not be consumed within the shelters
• 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

Quad #1
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Miniswiss

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

Registered Entries (last update 5/14/2021 11PM):
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