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2025 Chris Riley Memorial Tournament at Wooldridge Square

Chess outdoors at Wooldridge Square Park! Unrated 4 round G/20 tournament for all ages in 2 sections: one K-12 and one open section. Limited to the first 40 paid players. No elimination – play all rounds whether you win or lose! Please dress appropriately as this is an outdoor event with only some tree shading.

Please register online and view entries at: https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/7526

The late Chris Riley was a very dedicated and passionate supporter of introducing chess to the community. He volunteered on most Saturdays from 2003-2023 at Wooldridge Square Park, near his home in downtown Austin, to organize chess matches for all ages and abilities with a Giant Chess set kept at the park.  This project that he co-founded helped attract people to a beautiful park that is underutilized for many enjoyable moments for the players as well as interested spectators.

Date
November 9, 2025 (Sunday)

Location
Wooldridge Square Park
900 Guadalupe St
Austin, TX

The park is at the corner of 9th and Guadalupe.  Plenty of street parking is typically available.

Sections

  • Open
  • K-12

*Sections may be split if registrations are high.
*All sections are unrated.  NO USCF membership required.
*Restricted to the first 40 players.

Rounds and Times

Four Rounds at a time control of G/20+5.

  • We play approximately noon – 5pm.
  • Registration & Check-in required: 11:20am – 11:45am.
  • All pre-registered players must check in when they arrive, or they may be ineligible to play in the first round.

Entry fee and Prizes:

  • Online entries: $12 – by Friday, 11/7 (5pm) (online payment only).
  • Onsite entries: $20 – Sunday, 11/9 between 11:20 and 1:45am to receive a round 1 pairing. 
  • No refunds for withdrawals requested after online registration closes (5pm 11/7). Email to withdraw.
  • Onsite entries: $20 – Cash or Venmo only. May receive a round 1 bye and begin play in round 2. 
  • Prizes: Top finishers in K-12 section will receive a medal. Open section offers cash prizes.

Details

Space is available!  Register onsite between 11:20 and 11:45 to receive a 1st round pairing!

  • Boards and Sets supplied!
  • NO US Chess Membership necessary. 
  • NO Notation required. Feel free if you wish to bring pen and paper, but these are quick games.
  • Bring a water bottle and a folding chair, if you have one (for your players AND any spectators)!

Rain Location

If there is inclement weather predicted, the tournament will be held at the Dobie Mall food court – Guadalupe and 21st on the 2nd level.

Questions

For registration questions, please email
Sarah Brauner austinchesstournaments@gmail.com
For all other event questions, please email
Gary Gaiffe ggaiffe@att.net

Organized by Rocks & Rooks

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San Antonio Scholastic

Rated 5SS in four sections (K-3, K-5, K-8, K-12) playing G/30, d5, offered by the Atlantic Chess Association on  Sunday, 11/10/2024. This event is limited to scholastic players. Read the description and register online: https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/5249

Location
La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham
San Antonio Riverwalk
303 Blum St
San Antonio, TX 78205

Sections

  • K-12
  • K-8
  • K-5
  • K-3

We reserve the right to merge sections if there are too few partipants in a section.

Schedule
FIVE Rounds
 at a time control of G/30, d5

  • Onsite registration : BEFORE 7:00 AM
    No check-in necessary if you have pre-registered.
  • Round One: 8:00 AM
  • Round Two: 9:15 AM
  • Round Three: 10:30 AM 
  • Round Four: 11:45 AM 
  • Round Five: 1:00 PM

An awards ceremony will be held immediately after all games in a section finish. Trophies and medals to top finishing individuals in each scholastic section; ribbons to all participants.

Limit two half-point byes. Byes must be committed 1 hr before Round 2.

Entry Fee
$45 by 10/31
$50 by 11/06
$55 on or after 11/07 (on-site registration closes 1 hour before Round 1).

Withdrawals requested via email before NOON on Friday 11/08/24 are eligible for a refund (minus a $10 processing fee). Full credit can be applied to any future tournament. No refunds for USCF memberships after purchased from USCF.

Registration link: 
https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/5249

Other Notes
This tournament is USCF-rated. Your USCF membership should not expire before 11/30/2024.

Boards and pieces will be provided, but please bring your chess clock. Each player should have a chess clock to play. If you do not have one, chess clocks will be available for purchase onsite.

If both players do not have a clock AND the game does not finish within one hour, TDs will put a clock with 5 mins time for each player.

Questions
Please contact director@atlanticchessassociation.com if you have any questions.

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1st Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy In-Person USCF Rated Tournament

We are now hosting our 1st Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy In-Person USCF Rated Tournament on March 19, 2023 from 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM.  

TOURNAMENT STYLE:
All players will be divided into two sections:
SECTION A: 1,000+ USCF rated
SECTION B: Under 1,000 USCF rated and/or unrated.
**If there are not enough players in a given section, we reserve the right to merge them**

TIME CONTROL:
● G/35, d5.
● 35 minutes per player with a 5-second delay.

RATING INFORMATION:
● March official USCF ratings will be used.
● Unofficial USCF ratings will be used if unrated or to play in a
higher section.
● Players must reveal foreign, FIDE, and other over-the-board
ratings. These ratings will be adjusted, if necessary, and may be
used if they are higher than USCF ratings.

4-Round Swiss System Schedule
●  1st round: 9:00 AM
●  2nd round: 10:30 AM
●  Lunch break: 12:00 PM
●  3rd round: 1:00 PM.
●  4th round: 2:30 PM.
●  Closing ceremony: After the last game finishes.
NOTE: Half-point byes are acceptable for all rounds, limit 1. Must commit before the 1st round.

PLAYERS MAY NOT POSSESS CELL PHONES DURING THE TOURNAMENT. Any violators may be subject to disqualification and forfeiture.

ENTRY FEES:
●  Online: $30 at www.austin-chess.com by March 17, 2023
●  On-site: $40 via PayPal or cash (if space is available)
For additional questions, please contact us at info@austin-chess.com
 
Link for registration: https://austin-chess.com/events/
To learn more about us, visit our website at https://austin-chess.com/

Please contact us at info@austin-chess.com for any additional questions or concerns.