CONTINENTAL CHESS ASSOCIATION  

Chess tournament information

Welcome to Continental Chess! We have organized chess tournaments from coast to coast since the 1960s, open to players of all ages, from beginners to Grandmasters.  Most include sections in which less experienced players face only each other.

We are not a membership organization, but are affiliated with the US Chess Federation .  Our events award USCF ratings and require USCF membership, available through us at special rates. We presently plan events in California, Connecticut, DC, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont and Virginia.  For tournaments in other states, see uschess.org.  If you're not ready to enter, please visit any of our tournaments; there is no fee for spectators.  

CLICK HERE FOR OUR SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS

For results, see CROSSTABLES.  For your latest USCF rating, click here.  Note that only "official ratings" are used at our events, unless you would otherwise be unrated.  "Unofficial ratings" are NOT used if you have an official rating.

Click here for our new shopping cart at chessaction.com. 

To view up to date online advance entries for any tournament, go to chessaction.com, find the tournament on the chronological list, and click "advance entries," This will show all online entries received (even online late entries) and  some, but not all, mailed and phoned entries. Often there will be a delay of a week or two in posting the mailed and phoned entries. When viewing advance entries, please remember that for most tournaments, the majority of entries are received during the last five days before the tournament and at the door.

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CHANGE OF DATES: NORTHEAST OPEN
The dates of the Northeast Open in Stamford, Connecticut have been
changed from June 21-23 or 22-23 to August 16-18 or 17-18.

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Corrales Jimenez wins 2013 Philadelphia Open on tiebreak; GM norm for Naroditsky

Gareev wins big in 2012 North American Open; Bryant makes GM norm

Shabalov first in Bahamas

Sokolov wins 2012 World Open; Arnold, Bryant, and Karavade earn GM norms

Sargissian wins 2012 Chicago Open; GM norm for Ludwig 

Panchanathan wins 2012 Philadelphia Open

Victor Shen Rings the 2012 Liberty Bell Open with record turnout In Philadelphia

Sarkar visits the "other" coast to win 2012 Golden State Open

Pons wins 2011 North American Open

U.S. Champion Gata Kamsky wins 2011 World Open

Laznicka wins 2010 World Open (37 Grandmasters!!)

For results of all CCA events, see CROSSTABLES.

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To avoid huge ballroom rent, most of our tournaments count on having many players use guest rooms at the host hotel, and asking for the chess rate gives the tournament credit.  For all tournaments, please stay at the tournament hotel if possible and ask for the chess rate.  Thank you for your support!
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CONTINENTAL CHESS FORUM
Contact other players about sharing rooms or transportation, ask questions or make suggestions regarding our tournaments, or comment on USCF or FIDE chess issues. You must use your USCF ID number as your user name when registering, and an 11-character password.

OUR EMAIL ADDRESSES:  PLEASE PUT THE NAME OF THE TOURNAMENT AND THE NAME OF THE PLAYER IN THE EMAIL SUBJECT HEADING!

To ask questions or change your section or schedule for a tournament: DirectorAtChess.US
To withdraw from a tournament before play begins: DropoutsAtChess.US
To request an invitation for a foreign player: GoAtChess.US

In all cases, use the "@" symbol for "At."  We don't spell out the exact email address here to minimize spam.  ____________________________________________

IMPORTANT NOTICE: WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ALL PRIZEWINNERS WAIT TO RECEIVE THEIR PRIZES AT THE TOURNAMENT! Prizewinners may receive their prize checks right at the tournament (except for World Open Under 1200 through Under 1800), as soon as the amount of their prize has been determined! The IRS also requires that anyone who wins $600 or more show proof of their Social Security or Tax ID Number to the Tournament Director, in order to receive their check.  Those prizewinners who choose not to receive their prizes at the tournament may instead provide us with their addresses (and tax ID numbers if necessary) so we can mail these prize checks after the tournament.  However, especially during our busy periods, it may take up to four (4) or more weeks for us to process all the outstanding prizes. 

REFUND POLICY:  If you cannot attend any of our tournaments, send us an email at least 2 hours before the first round.  If this is not possible, call the tournament site and ask for the chess tournament.  You can apply the entire fee to future tournaments, or obtain a refund of the fee minus a $15 service charge.  You may also give notice of withdrawal by mail by writing us at least 8 days before the first round.  NO REFUND, full or partial, is EVER given once you have started playing your game in the first round.

PLEASE ALLOW at least four weeks to receive your refund!

Especially during busy periods such as June-August or November-January, we tend to have a large backlog of work: entries, refunds, prizes, rating reports, memberships, invitations, questions, hotel contracts & setup, travel to tournaments, etc.  If four weeks elapses and your refund does not arrive, it has probably been overlooked- send us an e-mail pointing this out and we will give it priority.  

ONLINE ENTRY using a secure server is available for all CCA tournaments that offer advance entry! Online entry is also available at www.entry.cc, which you can use if you ever have problems accessing chesstour.com.  Immediately after you enter online, you should see "Thank you for your order" on the screen. This means your entry is confirmed.       
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USCF MEMBERSHIP SPECIAL FOR MOST TOURNAMENTS: 1 year USCF dues with paper magazine if paid with entry.  Online at chesstour.com, Adult $30, Young Adult $20, Scholastic $15.  By mail, phone or at site, Adult $40, Young Adult $30, Scholastic $20. Adult and Young Adult (under 25) include monthly Chess Life, Scholastic (under 13) includes bimonthly Chess Life For Kids.  USCF membership is required for all our tournaments. 

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ONLINE ENTRY PROBLEMS?  WAS MY ONLINE ENTRY RECEIVED?  CLICK HERE.

TOURNAMENT WEBSITES (standings, some have games)

PHILADELPHIA OPEN (PhiladelphiaOpen.net)

FOXWOODS OPEN (FoxwoodsOpen.com) TOURNAMENT LAST HELD IN 2009

VERMONT RESORT OPEN (VermontResortOpen.com)

NEW YORK STATE OPEN (NewYorkStateOpen.com)

CHICAGO OPEN   (ChicagoOpen.net)

NORTHEAST OPEN (NortheastOpen.net)

DC INTERNATIONAL (pending)

WORLD OPEN (WorldOpen.com) 

PACIFIC COAST OPEN (PacificCoastOpen.com)

CHICAGO CLASS (ChicagoClass.net)

SOUTHERN OPEN (SouthernOpen.com)

BRADLEY OPEN (BradleyOpen.com)

CLEVELAND OPEN (ClevelandOpen.com)

CONTINENTAL OPEN (ContinentalOpen.com) 

INDIANAPOLIS OPEN (IndianapolisOpen.com)

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA OPEN (CentralCaliforniaOpen.com)            

MANHATTAN OPEN (ManhattanOpen.com)

ATLANTIC OPEN (Atlantic Open.com)

NEW YORK STATE CHAMPIONSHIP (NYchampionship.com)

LOUISVILLE OPEN (LouisvilleOpen.com)

CONTINENTAL CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS (ContinentalClass.net)

LOS ANGELES OPEN  (LosAngelesOpen.net)

MIDWEST CLASS CHAMPIONSHIP  (MidwestClass.com)

BOARDWALK OPEN (BoardwalkOpen.com)

BAHAMAS INTERNATIONAL (BahamasInternational.net) NOT CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR 2013

EASTERN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP (EasternTeam.net)

HARTFORD OPEN (HartfordOpen.com)

KINGS ISLAND OPEN (KingsIslandOpen.com )

NATIONAL CHESS CONGRESS (NationalChessCongress.com)

NORTH AMERICAN OPEN (NorthAmericanOpen.com)

EMPIRE CITY OPEN (EmpireCityOpen.com)

      Our next tournament is the 22nd Annual CHICAGO Open,  May 23-27 (Open Section only) or May 24-27,  25-27 or 26-27 (lower sections) at the luxurious Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel  (AAA-Four-Diamond Award)  in Wheeling, Illinois.

$100,000 Guaranteed Prize Fund!!
IM and GM norms possible in Open Section! 
Free Analysis Of Your Games By GM John Fedorowicz!
Free Lectures By GM John Fedorowicz!

CLICK HERE TO ENTER NOW!

2013 NEW YORK STATE SCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS,  2/23-24, Saratoga Springs,  NY

-- High School Championship
-- High School Reserve
-- Junior High Championship
-- Middle School Reserve
-- Elementary Championship
-- Elementary Reserve
-- Primary Championship
-- Primary K1
-- Bughouse Championship!
-- List Of The 167 Schools Which Participated
2013 NEW YORK STATE SCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS:  USCF-Rated Results!

PARENTS'/COACHES' GUIDE TO SCHOLASTIC CHESS

       CCA minimum ratings as of  March 23, 2013 are now posted.  They will be used, if above USCF ratings, at all CCA tournaments, effective immediately!
 

ADVANCE ENTRIES

    PLEASE NOTE!  The purpose of posting advance entries is NOT to show how many entries there are likely to be!   The majority of entries for most tournaments come in the last few days before the event or at the door.  Often a week or two before an event, entries are only 5% to 10% of their ultimate total, and even a few days before, there are sometimes just one or two entries in a section/schedule only to have it wind up with ten or more.
     If you enter online at chessaction.com, your entry should appear immediately using the tournament's "show all advance entries" link. If you enter by phone, there may be a delay of a few days before your entry is posted. If you enter by mail, there may be a delay of a week or more before your entry is posted. We don't confirm entries by mail or email, only by posting them. If you mail an entry and two weeks elapse without it being posted, please send us an email.
        
       We will use the MAY OFFICIAL USCF RATING LIST  for all our tournaments that end in May (but unofficial ratings at www.uschess.org  will usually be used for players who would otherwise be unrated), along with the latest CCA MINIMUM RATINGS for all events, and if they are too high for the section requested, the player(s) will be automatically moved up. The latest rating will not always be shown on the shopping cart- for example, if you enter a September tournament in August, the cart may display your August rating. If the cart says you are not eligible for a section you want and you believe you are eligible based on a rating change, either wait for the cart to display your new rating or send us an email. 
     
       Please note: no events that ended after April 18th are rated for the May official USCF rating list. 

       Some players have been assigned CCA MINIMUM RATINGS, effective immediately, as a result of outstanding results. 
    

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We hold 4 of the 6 largest prize fund open tournaments in the USA:

The 2012 World Open, the 40th anniversary of this event, was played with 9 rounds, July 4-8, 5-8 or 6-8 and other schedules at the Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel.  GM norms were achieved by Marc Arnold, John Daniel Bryant and Eesha Karavde and IM norms by Thomas Bartell, Yaacov Norowitz and Luke Harmon-Vellotti. See the World Open website with results and games from World Opens since 1998.  The 2013 World Open will be held July 3-7, 4-7, 5-7 or 1-7 at Hyatt Regency Crystal City, a few miles from Washington, DC in Arlington, VA.  Room rates are $95, with $6 parking and free shuttle from Reagan National Airport available.

The $100,000 guaranteed Chicago Open was held in 2012 at the luxurious Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel in Wheeling, Illinois May 24-28, 25-28, 26-28 or 27-28.  The Open Section had 9 rounds with FIDE norms possible, and three were earned: GM Daniel Ludwig, IM Kayden Troff, and WIM Sarah Chiang.  The other sections had 7 rounds. The 2013 Chicago Open will be held at the same location May 23-27, 24-27, 25-27 or 26-27. 

The 2012 North American Open was held at Bally's Las Vegas December 26-30, 26-29 or 27-29.  The Open Section had 9 rounds for the first time, and four norms were achieved, GM by John Daniel Bryant and Zhanibek Amanov and IM by Yian Liou and Michael Bodek. The lower sections were 7 rounds. The prize fund of $120,000 projected and $90,000 minimum turned out to total $112,901, larger than any other open tournament in the US in 2012 except for the World Open. This tournament always begins Dec 26 each year, regardless of the day of the week.

The 2012 Philadelphia Open, held at luxurious Loews Hotel April 4-8, 5-8, 6-8 or 7-8, was won by GM Magesh Panchanathan. Lighting in our main playing room was greatly improved over 2011. The 2013 Philadelphia Open at Loews March 27-31, 28-31, 29-31 or 30-31 ended in a tie between GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez and 17-year old IM Daniel Naroditsky. Corrales Jimenez took the top prize on tiebreak, while Naroditsky earned a GM norm. IM norms were achieved by 12-year old Jeffery Xiong, Adarsh Jayakumar, Arthur Shen, and Adithya Balasubramanian.

 ONLINE ENTRY  

[Tournament rules]  [Privacy policy]

[Foreign Players' Ratings]  [US Chess memberships]  [Tournament Schedule] 

[General Info]  [About Continental Chess]  [Bad Weather Policy]

[Tournament Crosstables]  [CCA Minimum Ratings]

[Avis car rental]  [Invitations & Titled Player Conditions]  [Links]

[Understanding Tournament Announcements]  [Byes]

[Widely Believed Myths about CCA Tournaments]

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TOURNAMENT DATES & LOCATIONS
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