Rated chess tournament for all adults and scholastic players rated 1200 and up who do not reside in TCA’s Region VI. (Players who reside and attend school in Region VI should register for the scholastic championships.)
Day-of reminders:
+Playing locations (campus map):
+Open Section – room TBA
+Your 1st round starts promptly at 9:15!
+Food will be offered for purchase. You may also bring lunch and snacks. Only water bottles allowed at the chess board.
+If you have kids playing – make sure they have someone to help them if you’re still occupied with your game.
+Watch for a player reminder email. If you have unsubscribed from AustinChessTournaments.com emails, you will not receive it. We will post a link just under the pairing link above.
Basics
This is a Swiss-system tournament, so everyone plays all day—there is no “elimination.” We follow US Chess rules including: touch-move, mandatory clocks, and mandatory notation. If registrations exceed 40, we will split into two sections.
Location
NYOS Charter School
12333 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78753
Open section chess play will take place in a classroom.
Review a map of campus.
Eligibility
All adults
Youth (high school or younger) who do NOT reside in TCA’s Region VI and have reached 1200 at some point in their ratings history.
Ineligible entries will be moved to the appropriate scholastic section of the 2027 Region VI Scholastic Chess Championships. This is a rated tournament. You must have a US Chess membership that expires on or after 2/28/2027. You can verify your membership ID and expiration by visiting the US Chess Ratings page. Anyone can become a USCF member. Players new to tournament chess are welcome to play.
Schedule
No check-in necessary for preregistrations. We will make every attempt to contact you in advance if we see a problem with your registration.
9:15am Open section begins. Open has 4 rounds, all rounds are are G/45,+5.
Approximate Round Times
Open Section:
rd 1 – 9:15am, rd2 – 11:10am, rd3 – 1:30pm, rd4 – 3:30pm
Notes
There will be some down time between rounds since many games will finish early. We will provide an area (outside the tournament room) for casual “skittles” chess and/or other indoor activities.
Concessions available for purchase. You may bring your own lunch and snacks. Only water bottles allowed at the chess board.
Awards
Cash prizes based on number of entries. Special trophies will be awarded to the highest scoring Family & Child teams (Uncles, Aunts, Adult siblings, Parents, or Grandparents paired with at least one scholastic aged player).
Registration Information
* Early entry $25 through Thursday 11/12/2026
* Regular entry $35 through Saturday 01/30/2027
* Late entry $45 through Thursday 02/18/2027
* Last chance entry $50 starting Friday 02/19/2027
Withdrawals requested via email before midnight on Wednesday 02/17/2027 are eligible for a refund (minus a $10 service fee).
Ineligible entries will be withdrawn and refunded (minus a service fee). PLEASE READ THE FULL TOURNAMENT DESCRIPTION. Email the registrar if you have questions about eligibility. **If you live in the Austin or San Antonio areas and are a youth – you DO NOT qualify to play in the this open event!**
Please request byes when you register if possible by adding a note. First bye receives 1/2-point. Further byes receive 0-points. Email the registrar to make changes to your requested byes. Deadline to add or remove a 1st round requested bye is 8:45am, Saturday morning. All 1/2-point byes must be requested/removed before the end of round 2.
Email Sarah Brauner at AustinChessTournaments@gmail.com with other questions.
Organized by Rocks & Rooks. Gary Gaiffe, tournament organizer.
View the ONLINE TLA!