2026 Club Championship
The Pittsburgh Chess Club is proud to host our 86th Annual Club Championship.
Schedule and Location
Tournament Dates: Tuesdays, March 10 - April 14, 2026
Round Times: Rounds start at 6:30PM.
Location: The Pittsburgh Chess Club | 5869 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15217
Tournament Format
Format: 6 Round Swiss System, one game every Tuesday
Time Control: Game/90 with a 5 second delay from move 1 (Each player starts with 90 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.
- Pairings Published. Normally, pairings for the week will be posted online (pairings page) by Monday evening. These pairings should be considered official.
- All players who have not withdrawn or requested a BYE prior to officially posted pairings will be expected to play in that round regardless of their results.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:Â 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:Â 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: $445 Projected Prize Fund based on 20 players.
- Place Prizes:
- 1st place – $150, 2nd place – $100, 3rd place – $75, U1500 – $65, U1200 – $55
- Club Champion(s) will get a one year club membership extension.
- Cash prizes will be paid via PayPal
- 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.
Eligibility
- Players must be current US Chess Federation members.
- Expiration date of membership must be later than the last day of the tournament.
- Not sure of the status of your US Chess membership? Visit:Â new.uschess.org/player-search
- You can become a US Chess member (or renew your membership) here:Â new.uschess.org/join-us-chess
- Players MUST be Pittsburgh Chess Club members
- Not sure of the status of your PCC membership? Visit:Â members.pittsburghchessclub.org/portal
- Learn about becoming a Pittsburgh Chess Club member here:Â pittsburghchessclub.org/membership/
Byes
Bye Requests: A request for up to 2 ½-point byes will be accepted under the following conditions:
- Byes for rounds 1-3 must be requested no later than 5PM on the Monday immediately preceding the affected round. Byes for rounds 4-6 must be requested before the start of round 3.
- Once a bye is granted, it is irrevocable. A player electing to cancel a bye may not receive more than ½ point for the round.
Other Byes: Any bye requested by a player not in accordance with the above will be scored as 0 points.
The organizers reserve the right to grant additional ½-point byes to any player at the Tournament Director's discretion.
Tournament Rules
The tournament will be directed according to the US Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess.
Fair Play
External Assistance: The use of any device (including chess engines and databases, books, notes) for external assistance during play is strictly prohibited. Assistance from other players or persons in the playing hall is also strictly prohibited.
Electronic Score Keeping: The use of electronic score keeping devices requires pre-approval from the TD prior to play.
Contact
Please email [email protected] if you have any questions (email heavily preferred) or call (412) 421-1881. (Note: Voicemails do not always get passed along, so please email!).
Registration
Total Entrants: Registration for this tournament is limited to 28 players. You must login in to register. Please email if you have problems.
Entry Fee:
- PCC Member Advance Entry: $25
- On-Site Entry: $35
Titled Player Entry: FIDE or USCF titled players may receive free entry with promo code "TITLED-SWISS" at checkout.
Registration Period: Advance entry closes at 11:59pm on the day prior to the event. On-site registration begins 1 hour prior and ends 15 minutes prior to the start of the first round. Players registering on site may be required to take a ½-point in the first round.
Commitment to Play All Paired Rounds: All players paired in a given round are expected to play in that round. A player will be scored with forfeit loss if they do not arrive at the assigned board within the lesser of the time control or 60 minutes from the start of the round. A player who forfeits in this manner will be withdrawn from the remainder of the event.
Penalties: A $10 penalty fee will be charged to any player forfeiting the event, or to any player cancelling their entry after the start of the first round. The organizers reserve the right to refuse future entry to any player with outstanding penalty fees.