John Steinbeck Open

John Steinbeck Open
A tournament event open to all chessplayers, ages 5 to 105, novice to grandmaster!
Saturday, September 13
Salinas Valley Community Church, 368 San Juan Grade Road, Salinas CA 93906
Free entry for SVCC Chess Club members and K-12 students, $12 for all others.
Hosted by Salinas Valley Community Church – Sponsored & Organized by Days & Knights of Monterey County.
Your donations toward Days & Knights of Monterey County chess outreach are gratefully appreciated.

4 sections: USCF-rated Championship, Challengers, Contenders, and non-rated Candidates
**Entrants to rated sections must be current members of USCF -- join or renew at uschess.org**
Championship section is limited to the eight top-rated entrants (including qualifiers from August Challengers).
Challengers section is limited to the next group of eight entrants based on USCF ratings.
Contenders section is for the remaining entrants, including unrated players wanting to earn a USCF rating.
Candidates section is a non-rated introductory section for novice and youth players.
Player registration and check-in: 9:15-10am
3 rounds: 10:30, 1:00, 3:30
Candidates section has 4 rounds: 10:45, 12:15, 2:00, 3:30
Swiss-system pairings. No eliminations -- everyone plays all rounds.
Half-point bye(s) may be arranged at registration or requested at least 20 minutes before scheduled round.
Games timed with 30 minutes per player, plus 30s increment added with each move. (G/30;+30)
A limited number of chess sets and clocks are provided by the organizer.
Players must record all moves of their games on provided scoresheets or in their own scorebook.
Engraved crystal trophy to 1st place finisher in each rated section. Rated blitz playoff in the event of a tie.
Medal for 1st place in Candidates section and for each K-thru-8 student who completes their scheduled rounds.
Winners of Challengers section are qualified to compete in the October Championship section.
Winners of Candidates section must play in USCF-rated sections in subsequent tournaments.
For advance registration or to subscribe to Play Chess Monterey! weekly email newsletter, contact:
Joseph Rice, USCF Tournament Director, [Jos.Rice@comcast.net](mailto:Jos.Rice@comcast.net) 831 524-4488
Future Monterey County tournaments: 10/11, 11/8, 12/13, 1/3
SVCC Chess Club meets the 2nd Friday each month, 7‐9pm, contact Abe 831 229‐5772