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Thank you!
The National Open and the U.S. Women’s Open are co-sponsored by the U.S. Chess Federation.
The National Open is paired with Swisssys by ChessRoster. 
Donates Chess Videos for 1st Prizes in the International Youth Championship.
Vendors
Is there an age limit for the beginners?
There is no age limit for the Beginners section. However, we encourage players aged 14 and below to play in the youth events.
Can i play in Women’s Open? I am from the Philippines and i only have PH Chess Rating
The Women’s Open is Open to all players.
Please explain about the quads section
Quads are described in the US Chess Rulebook. Players are lined up in rating order and divided into groups of 4 (the last group may be larger). You play each of the other 3 players in your group.
Thx
Which tower is closer to the tournament site – Ipanema or Masquerade?
Neither tower is very close, but the Masquerade Tower is a little further.
Can unrated players enter the under 1300 section, or are they strictly beginners and open section
Unrated players may not enter the under 1300 section. Unrated does not mean low rated — it means unknown. Some unrated players are too strong for the under 1300 section but we can’t know which.
When will the Simul GMs/IMs be announced?
GM Ben Finegold Simul Announced
Hello,
If we register online for the National Open, do we still have to show up for the in-person registration?
You do not need to check in if you register online. Just show up before your first round and go to the table indicated in the pairings. Pairings are posted near the playing room, and online. You may also sign up to have your pairings texted after the first round.
Can you send invitation for visa process foreigner player?
This question is answered in detail on our FAQ page.
I am currently rated at 1348, but i’m not sure if it will go up between now and june to above 1500. If i register for U1500 now but end up being over that in June, will it be possible to change to the U1700 category without penalty/fee?
As it says on the National Open Page,
If your rating changes in the June supplement you will be moved up automatically or down on request.
There is no penalty or fee for changing sections or schedules before round 1 is paired.
No poker tournament this year?
Hi Charlie,
The RIO closed their poker room during the Covid-19 lockdown and never reopened. We have no information on whether they intend to reopen by June, so we are unable to schedule a poker tournament. The poker rooms at Caesar’s, Bellagio, and Horseshoe are relatively close but a bit too far for us to have our event.
Alan
Hi,
I have a question about “Players without official ratings may only play in one of the top 2 sections or in one or more Beginner section schedules.”. Does “the top 2 sections” means the Open Section and U2300 Section?
Players without ratings may play in either of these sections, but we do not recommend it. Players with no official ratings will find the Beginners section a much better experience. In this context, “beginner” means you are new to over the board tournaments, not that you are new to chess.
How come there is no more G/10 Championship? Can you bring it back???
And why is the prize fund for the Blitz tournament small now? I remember it used to be $500 for 1st in the lower section but now it’s only $350….. how about making it the same prizes as before if you’re going to increase the EF?
We have not held the G/10 Championship for several years. There was no room in the schedule after we increased the number of rounds in the National Open.
Up until the last few years, the Blitz event has not been successful. We have experimented with variations in prize fund, entry fees, guarantees, and schedules. The current format seems to be the most popular.
We are always open to suggestions on how to improve the event.
What is your policy on refunding entry fees if I have something come up and have to withdraw? Thanks
You can get a refund any time up until the first round is paired. We withhold $20 to cover credit card and processing fees.
Will those who have registered already be added to the free hotel stay raffle?
The raffle entries will be generated automatically from the hotel room list. Everyone in using our group code will be entered.
Which rooms are closer to the playing hall, Deluxe or Deluxe Masquerade?
The Masquerade Tower is a bit further but none of the towers are close. The Masquerade tower is newer and closer to the food court.
Hi,
At the bottom of this page, https://www.vegaschessfestival.com/national-open/, it still lists the Westgate as the hotel.
Thank you for pointing this out. It was wrong on the bottom of EVERY page.
It is correct now.
Hi,
On this page, https://www.vegaschessfestival.com/hotel/, I tried clicking on the link “WIN A FREE HOTEL STAY DURING THE CHESS FESTIVAL!” but the link doesn’t work.
The link is for last year’s promotion. We will be offering the same raffle this year. Watch this space.
Is the $40 early bird returning player discount for any National Open returning players or just for previous year’s players?
Anyone who has played in the last 10 years is eligible for the early bird discount.
Great, thank you. Very encouraging to play.
I got the email today and am looking at the room rates. Your hotel page says resort fee is substantially discounted to $15. The linked booking page says $15, but when you click the information “I” it says $17.01 resort fee. What’s the extra $2.01?
Can guests opt out of the resort fee if they don’t want internet, gym, shuttle services?
Most Vegas hotels are charging resort fee these days, and none of them are optional.
Little searching and I think I answered my question. $2.01 is tax on $15 resort fee?
Just confirming that the Walter Brown Blitz Tournament is on Sunday, right? I remember that it is usually on Sunday but in the info about the blitz, it is listed to be on Saturday, the 17th…although in your schedule of events, it is on Sunday.
The Walter Browne Blitz is on Saturday, June 17th at 9:00 p.m.
The schedule page has been corrected.
Hi. We saw a lot of events like the International Youth Championship and the Women’s Open. Where are these tournaments held, and in what year are they going to be held, so that we can submit our information for the advance entries? Please let me know. Thank you.
The US Women’s Open is June 14-15, 2023 and the International Youth Championships is June 17-18, 2023. Both events will be at the Rio Resort and Casino.
Registration is now open.
Will this allow unrated players to get a FIDE rating and does it matter if they are under the age of 18.
Can a 14 year old girl enter the competition for national or us open?
Yes