2024 US Championships Regulations

Conduct: Participants are required to maintain a professional demeanor throughout this competition and adhere to the US Chess Code of Ethics, US Chess Safe Play Policy, and FIDE Laws and Regulations. Any violations of these policies or established decorum will prompt the Saint Louis Chess Club to take necessary actions. This may involve reporting the incident to FIDE and US Chess, potentially affecting the player's eligibility for future invitations.

Format: The Event shall be a 12-player tournament paired as a Round Robin.

Prompt Arrival: Players are expected to arrive promptly for their games. Players not at their board at the beginning of each round may receive a fine of $1000, to be deducted from their prize for each occurrence. Players more than 10 (ten) minutes late for a round shall forfeit that round. Players who withdraw or forfeit a game may not receive any prize money.

No Personal Items: No “unauthorized devices” or personal items are permitted in the tournament area. Violation of this policy will result in forfeit of the round and may lead to expulsion from the event.

No Draws: A “no draw” rule will be in effect throughout the Event, including any playoff games. No player may offer nor accept a draw. In the event of a claim for a draw under Article 9.2 of the FIDE Laws of Chess (three-fold repetition) or under Article 9.3 of the Laws (50-move rule), one of the Event Arbiters must be asked by the players to verify the claim.

Pairings & Scoring: Players will be randomly seeded and paired according to the standard FIDE Berger Tables. Games shall be worth one point for a win, half a point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.

Time Control: The time control shall be forty moves in 90 minutes, followed by the rest of the game in thirty minutes with a 30-second increment from move one (40/90; G/30; +30).

Playoffs: In the event of a tie for first place in the Event, there shall be a playoff amongst all the players involved in the tie.