On Saturday and Sunday, May 11 and 12, we're holding the Chicago Chess Center UNAM Invitational, an exclusive event open to masters, junior experts and Founders' Court members. This USCF-rated, two-day, four-round Swiss will have a time control of G/75 plus 30-second increment, with rounds beginning at 10 AM and 2:30 PM each day. Entry is $25, $15 for CCC members, and we're giving out a guaranteed $600 in prizes (five place prizes of $250, $150, $100, $60 and $40). Sets and duplicate scoresheets will be provided; someday we'll be able to provide clocks as well, but for now we ask you to bring your own.
UNAM Chicago is at 350 W. Erie St. in River North (map). Off-street parking will be available for $5 per day in the lot on the northeast corner of Erie and Orleans streets. UNAM Chicago is also an easy five-minute walk from the CTA's Chicago/Franklin Brown Line 'L' station.
If you're not a master or junior expert and would like to participate, it's not too late to join our Founders' Court! Any interested player may donate at the Founders' Court level ($250 or more) right up to the day of the event. Remember, we still need your help to open our doors and begin offering events to the Chicagoland chess-playing public in our own space. Please give generously and become a founding member of this new civic, educational and recreational institution.
P.S. As a bonus, we plan to hold a thank-you reception for our Founders' Court members around the time of the tournament; details coming soon. And for everyone else, be on the lookout for another Chicago Chess Center preview tournament -- open to all -- this June!
2 comments:
One of the Founders' Court members who is very active in the Industrial League pointed out to me that May 11 is the day of the CICL playoffs.
We hate the conflict too. We knew about it when we scheduled, but the consensus was that it was better to have a conflict in May than to wait one more month. As a CCC board member, I'd like to be there for CCC's first event, but I'll be playing for Rogue Squadron that day.
The good news is that we hope to have many more such events!
To answer some questions that have been asked:
- Sets will be provided, as will duplicate scoresheets. To be safe, we recommend that you bring your own clock; we will try to provide clocks for everyone but are not yet sure whether this will be possible.
- Players who wish to pay their entry fees in advance may mail them to Chicago Chess Center, c/o William Brock, 230 W. Monroe St., Suite 330, Chicago, IL 60606. Entry fees will also be collected the first day of the event.
- At this time, we don't have a secure way to process entries by credit card online. However, we do have secure online processing for donations (through Network for Good) and memberships (through Paypal).
- Thanks to UNAM, $5-per-day parking is available for all participants at the lot on the northeast corner of Erie and Orleans streets. There are more than enough spaces in this lot for all participants.
- Masters and junior experts are automatically eligible to play, whether or not they choose to make a donation to the Chicago Chess Center. As a donor premium, our Founders' Court members receive the benefit of getting to join this company of top players for the weekend.
- The cutoff for junior players was ultimately determined by projected turnout. We didn't want to risk greatly exceeding the capacity of the tournament room. We recognize the importance of high-quality playing conditions.
- The format of this tournament is one we are considering offering seasonally, four times per year. It will serve as a preview for you and a dry run for us!
Post a Comment