Announcement!!!  This event will be ONE open section with accelerated pairings for rounds 1 and 2.
FIDE Laws of Chess Rules will be applicable in governing the play over the board as this event is FIDE rated.
​However US chess rules will apply for pairing and prize distribution purposes.

Entry Fees

Early registration entry fee is $39 if paid BEFORE 10pm CST Thurs 4/10/2025
EF (entry fee) increases to $45 if paid AFTER 10pm CST Thurs 4/10/2025
EF increases to $55 if paid AFTER 10pm CST Wednesday 4/16/25

Sections & Time Controls & Rating Details*

Players will be placed into one OPEN section or possibly divided into multiple sections IF there are over 40 players registered.
If a player rated FIDE 2400 or higher is competing, games played against those players will ONLY be US Chess rated, not FIDE rated as FIDE rules dictate those games must have a longer time control to be FIDE rated. All other games will be both US Chess and FIDE rated as per current US Chess and FIDE regulations. Each round will last approx. 3 hours if 60 moves are played.

You must have a current US chess membership to compete in this event. You must also have a FIDE ID (there is not a FIDE paid membership required). To get a FIDE ID click here. Playing in a FIDE rated event does NOT guarantee you will receive a FIDE rating. Lots of requirements apply to achieve one. See handbook for info.

# of Rounds

Each player will play all 3 rounds regardless if the player loses his/her first round. This is NOT a knock-out tournament. However, It is possible a player may not play all rounds in the event of forfeits, byes due to odd numbered of players, etc.

Round Times*

Saturday Rd 1 9:15am - approx 12:15pm (assuming a 60 move game)
​​​​​​​Saturday Lunch - leave when finished with round 1 and come back for rd2
​​​​​​​Saturday Rd 2 1:30pm - approx 4:30pm
​​​​​​​Saturday Rd 3 4:30pm - approx 7:30pm
*round times shown are approximate. Round 3 may start later than 4:30pm depending on how fast round 2 finishes.

Forfeit Time

If your opponent does not show up within 1 hour of the start of the round, please speak to a tournament director IN PERSON.
A TD (tournament director) must verify the forfeit win/loss.

Pairings Info

Pairings will be done via US chess rules and pairing system. Awards will also be issued via US chess rules.
Accelerated pairings may be used - depending on # of players and rating of players who are registered.

Prizes

Cash prizes to be awarded. % to be determined at a later date depending on # of attendees. Minimum 40% of entry fees returned as prizes.

Venue Information

Westin Houston Memorial is connected via a skywalk to Memorial City Mall
945 Gessner Rd, Houston, TX 77024
Google Maps Link

Parking Information

Westin GARAGE self-parking is $10 per day (ask for sticker voucher from one of the TDs) to affix to your parking ticket the day of the event. You will get the parking ticket when you pull into the garage. Then you pay for the parking AFTER you put the sticker onto the ticket and at a machine before you leave the garage for the day. No discounts for overnight parking stays available. One-day Valet is discounted to $15 (not valid for overnight stay). If using the skybridge from the mall, look for signs guiding you to the Starbucks which is inside the hotel. Mall security will tow your vehicle if it stays overnight. They will not tow you if are a mall visitor during operating hours. If parking mall security asks, tell them you will be visiting the mall food court and Westin hotel throughout the day.

What to Bring

Please bring a pencil for notation, your own scorebook if you have one and a digital chess clock.
​This basic single time control is a recommended clock.
We will be providing boards, sets and notation sheets for the tournament.

What to Do Before and Upon Arrival

​There is no check-in process. You do not have to check in with the TD. Plan to be early, not late.
If you register and cannot make the tournament or are running late, please email or text us.
Email:  [email protected]   Text:  281-698-0068
Find your pairings. They will be posted online and/or on a piece of paper posted on-site at the event.
​Pairings will be done late Friday evening or early Sat morning.
A link will also be posted on this website. Just check in the drop down menu at the very top.

70% Refund Policy

​Refunds/Withdrawals must be requested by 1pm central on Friday April 18th 2025 to receive a 70% refund.
Send a text to 281.698.0068. Include full player name, etc.
All subsequent withdrawals are not refunded regardless of when you registered.
All changes/requests will incur additional transaction fees due to processing charges.

Online Registration Only

There is not on-site registration for this event. We have spots for 88 players.  Please register as soon as possible.

    Register here then click for payment options.
    All competing players MUST have a current US chess membership in order to play in this event. See details here.
    ​You must have a FIDE ID too (this is free to acquire)
    Need to skip a round? Total ONE half point byes allowed. Please indicate below if you need to miss a round of the tournament.
    Terms and conditions: I have read and understand the refund policy noted on this page. If it is my child competing I acknowledge tournament staff and volunteers are not responsible for the guardianship of my child and I will be present on site in case any issues arise.
Announcement! This event will be ONE section with accelerated pairings in rounds 1 and 2.

Registration List

Online Pairings Link

Notes RTG Member Name
egg hunt participant 1550 ABDULLAH, UMAR
  2180 ANANDH, VIJAY SRINIVAS
egg hunt participant 1720 BADRINARAYANAN, ASHWATH
  2188 BIST, ATHARVA
assigned rtg calc (FIDE +50) 1503 BURGOS, ALEJANDRO
  1322 CHARI, VYAS
egg hunt participant 1368 CHEN, GRACE
  1706 DELA BAJAN, VAUGHN DAEMIAN
egg hunt participant 1697 FU, ELAINE
egg hunt participant 1585 GANESH, KAIRA ANANYA
  1429 GARG, VARUN
  1456P HAWK, AARON DAVID
egg hunt participant 1221 HAYS, MALLOY B
egg hunt participant 1667 HE, JAYDEN
egg hunt participant 1754 HE, JULIAN
egg hunt participant 2211 HIWALE, RONAK
egg hunt participant 1691 ISKANDAROV, ELVIN
  1601 KANAMPALLI, SARVAGN
  1869 KRISHNAN, ANISH
  1595 KRISHNAN, MIHIKA
egg hunt participant 1723 LIU, CHLOE
  1488 LIU, JEFFREY YANG
egg hunt participant 2002 MANCHANDA, ADVIK
  1551 MAU, I-MIN MICHAEL
  1851 MCDEVITT, JACOB
  2218 MENG, JOSHUA
  1813 MOHSENIN, CYRUS
egg hunt participant 1603 NGUYEN, SIMON
egg hunt participant 1473 NI, ALAN
  1640 RAJAGOPALAN, SIDHARTH
  1988 REVELLON, LUCAS
  1800 RODENSTEIN, ALAN C
  1713 RUCKER, PETER A
  1691 SHENOY, DIVAKAR
egg hunt participant 1308 SHI, JIAHUI
egg hunt participant 1211 SRIVASTAVA, SIDDHARTH
egg hunt participant 1681 SUNAGATULLIN, MARK
  1964 SUSTENTO, BRANDON
  1743 SUSTENTO, BYJORN
  1722 SWAIN, HRIDARSH
egg hunt participant 1501 VADLAMANI, ARJUN
egg hunt participant 1686 VASHISTH, ARAV
  430P VERMA, VIVEK
egg hunt participant 1570 VIJAY, SAHASRA
  2104 WANG, ANDY Y
  1769 WANG, OLIVER
  1506 WARE, SKI-YAUN
  1801 WILDER, GREG
  1587 YANG, NINGXIU MATTHEW
egg hunt participant 1704 YAO, ANNIE
egg hunt participant 1353 ZAMARRIPA, SALMA
  1950 ZHANG, ALICIA S

about accelerated pairings:

In a Swiss-system chess tournament, accelerated pairings are a method used in the early rounds to avoid top players facing very weak opponents, which is a common issue in regular Swiss pairings. In a standard Swiss tournament, players are paired based on their current score. In the first round, this usually means the top half plays the bottom half. That results in:
  • Top players crushing much weaker ones in Round 1
  • A lack of competitive games early on
  • Slower rating performance for top players
  • Weaker players possibly getting discouraged
Accelerated pairings tweak the early rounds to make things more competitive. Here's how:
Top-rated players are given an artificial "extra point" (a "phantom point") in the early rounds. This means they’re paired as if they had scored more than they really have. It forces stronger players to face other strong players sooner. After a couple of rounds, the acceleration stops and normal Swiss rules resume.
Example: In 44 player accelerated Swiss, round 1 pairings may be player 1 vs 12, 2 vs 13  and 23 vs 34, 24 vs 35 and so forth. 
Proudly powered by Weebly