We're proud to host our 80th Annual Pittsburgh Metropolitan Open: 4R-SS, G/45 d5, Open Section, $295 Projected Prizes.

Schedule and Location

Tournament Rounds: Saturday, February 22, 2025

  • 9AM | 11AM | 2PM | 3:30PM

Location: The Pittsburgh Chess Club, 5869 Forbes Ave., 2nd Fl, Pittsburgh, PA 15217

Tournament Format

Format: 4 Round Swiss System
Time Control: Game/45 delay 5 (Each player starts with 45 minutes on their clock and there is a 5 second delay per move).
Sections: There is one Open section.
Pairings:

    • Pairings will be based on the US Chess rating supplement issued during the month of the tournament (see Ratings below). The highest rating will be used for pairing purposes.
    • All players who have not withdrawn or requested a BYE prior to officially posted pairings will be expected to play in that round regardless of their results.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. Please see Commitment to play all rounds, below.

Ratings: All players must be current USCF members to play in this tournament series. 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 from the latest supplement will apply as listed below in order of priority:

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

The 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.

Prizes

  • Prize Fund: $295 Projected Prize Fund based on 20 players.
  • Place prizes: 1st place – $125, 2nd place – $75, Top Under 1500 – $55, Top Under 1200 – $40.
  • GM/IM/FM/NM/CM/WGM/WIM/WFM/WCM entries count as 1/2.
  • Cash prizes will paid via PayPal.
  • No winner shall receive more than one cash award (Rule 32B1).
  • 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.

Byes

  • Byes are available for players in any round in case they can't participate but would like to stay in the tournament.
  • A request for up to one ½-point byes will be accepted under the following conditions:
    • Byes for rounds 1 & 2 must be requested at least 1-hour prior to the round start time.
    • Half-point byes for rounds 3 and 4 must be requested before the start of round 3.
    • Bye requests after the start of round 3 will be considered 0-point byes.
    • All byes are irrevocable
    • A player may cancel an irrevocable ½-point under the condition that if the player wins, the result will be treated as a draw for prize purposes.
  • Please see Commitment to play all rounds, below.

Tournament Rules

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 and will result in disqualification.
    • The electronic score keeping devices, ChessNoteR and eNotate, cannot be used at this tournament

Contact

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

Registration

    • Advance entry is encouraged to be assured of a place in the tournament.
    • PCC Member Advance Entry Fee: $25
    • Non-Member Advance Entry Fee: $31.25
    • On-Site Entry Fee: $35
    • There is no advanced entry fee for FIDE titled & USCF titled players, NM and higher. Please use promo code "TITLED-SWISS" at checkout.
    • On-site registration will be available before round 1, 8AM-8:45AM.
    • Late registrants who register after 8:45 AM may have to take a half point bye in the subsequent round.
    • Administrative Fee: $10 for all cancellations & refunds. Refunds must be requested before the start of your first paired round.
    • Commitment to play paired rounds: All players who have not withdrawn prior to the start of each round pairing will be paired and 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 and they will be charged a forfeit penalty fee.
    • Forfeit penalty fee: $10

Advance Entries

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