2025 Northern Virginia Open

2025 Northern Virginia Open

Friday – Sunday, Nov 21-23, or Saturday – Sunday Nov 22-23, Virginia

A Heritage Event!

US Chess Junior Grand Prix!

US CHESS GRAND PRIX POINTS: 40

A VCF Cup Event – Some Sections FIDE Rated

$7,200 Total Prize Fund, with 1st-3rd Places and Top Upset Prizes guaranteed in all sections.

Hotel & Playing Site: Washington Dulles Airport Marriott Hotel, 45020 Aviation Dr., Dulles, VA 20166. Make your reservation online (click here), or call the hotel at 703-471-9500 to get the Chess Rate for lodging. Reserve by Saturday, October 25th at 703-471-9500 and mention the “Northern Virginia Open Chess Tournament” Group Name.

Format: 5 Rounds, Swiss System (this is not an elimination tournament). Championship and Amateur (Under 1800) Sections are FIDE and US Chess rated. The Novice Section (Under 1200) is US Chess rated only.

Sections: Three (3) Sections. A 60-minute default/no-show rule is in effect in all sections.
   - Championship: Round 1 at 7:30 pm Friday. FIDE and US Chess rated. Minimum rating to play in this section is an over-the-board regular US Chess or converted foreign rating of 1600 at any time in the US Chess Members Services Area since December 1, 2020 (the last 5 years). Any player whose rating has not crossed 1800 since Dec 1, 2020, must pay a $30 premium fee to play in the Championship Section. Ratings from systems such as Chess.com, LiChess, ICC, etc., do not count.
   - Amateur (Under 1800): Round 1 at 7:30 pm Friday. FIDE and US Chess rated. Unrated players welcome (see Note below).
   - Novice (Under 1200): Games on Saturday and Sunday only, no games on Friday. Round 1 at 10 am Saturday. US Chess rated.
   - NOTE: Unrated players must play in the Amateur or Novice Section, limited to $350 prize winnings in the Amateur Section, $250 prize winnings in the Novice Section. See “Am I an Unrated Player” below.

Schedule - Championship & Amateur Sections: FIDE Rules. FIDE and US Chess rated, 60-minute default/no-show rule.
   - Round 1: Friday, Nov 21st, 7 pm. Time Control is Game-90 with 30-sec time increment from move one.
   - Round 2: Saturday, Nov 22nd, 10 am. Time Control is 40/90, SD/30, with 30-sec time increment from move one.
   - Round 3: Saturday, Nov 22nd, 4 pm. Same time control as Round 2.
   - Round 4: Sunday, Nov 23rd, 10 am. Same time control as Round 2.
   - Round 5: Sunday, Nov 23rd, 4 pm. Same time control as Round 2.

Schedule - Novice Section: US Chess Rules. US Chess rated, 60-minute default/no-show rule.
   - Friday, Nov 21st: NO GAMES on Friday in this section.
   - Round 1: Saturday, Nov 22nd, 10 am. Time Control is G/60, with 10-sec time increment from move one.
   - Round 2: Saturday, Nov 22nd, 1 pm. Same Time Control as Round 1.
   - Round 3: Saturday, Nov 22nd, 4:30 pm. Same Time Control as Rounds 1 and 2.
   - Round 4: Sunday, Nov 23rd, 10 am. Time Control is G/90, with 10-sec time increment from move one.
   - Round 5: Sunday, Nov 23rd, 2:30 pm. Same Time Control as Round 4.

Note: Traffic on Friday evenings in the northern Virginia area (I-95, I-495 and points north and south) can be unpredictable. We strongly advise players to plan their travel accordingly and allow enough time to arrive at the venue.

Ratings for Sectioning and Prizes: 
   - Section Eligibility and Prizes: We will use the higher of a player’s Over-the-Board Regular and Online Regular ratings from the November 2025 US Chess Rating Supplement. Established ratings override provisional ratings; “stale” ratings are reviewed by the Chief TD. 
   - Am I an Unrated Player? Any player who has a provisional US Chess Regular over-the-board or Regular online rating listed in the US Chess Member Services Area before the start of the tournament is NOT considered an Unrated Player. That rating will be used for pairing purposes, even if it is not listed in the November 2025 US Chess Rating Supplement. For players with no US Chess rating but who have ratings in other recognized systems (e.g., FIDE, Canada) their rating will be calculated and assigned by the Chief Arbiter using conversion formulas approved and published by the US Chess Ratings Committee.

Pairings: Players will be paired using their US Chess or equivalent converted rating (see above).

Prizes: All place prizes (1st-3rd overall in each section) and the Top Upset Prizes in each section are GUARANTEED. Other prizes paid out based on having at least 100 total entries in the tournament.
   - Championship: 1st – 3rd Places $1,000 + Plaque, $700, $400; Top Expert $240; Top U2000 $220; 2nd U2000 $200; Top Upset Rds 1-5 $150. 
   - Amateur (Under 1800): 1st – 3rd Places $750 + Plaque, $500, $300; Top U1600 $200, 2nd U1600 $100; Top U1400 $190, 2nd U1400 $95; Top Upset Rds 1-5 $140. 
   - Novice (Under 1200): 1st -3rd Places $560+Plaque, $350, $200; Top U1000 $175, 2nd U1000 $85; Top U800 $150, 2nd U800 $75; Top Unrated not winning a place prize $120; Top Upset Rds 1-5 $130. Trophies/plaques to 1st and 2nd U1000, U800 and U600.

On-Line Registration & Fees: (Click here to register and pay online, or go to www.vachess.org)
   - $130 through Saturday Nov 15th
   - $160 starting Sunday Nov 16th
   - $190 starting Thursday Nov 20th and at the tournament site

     Notes: 
         1) VA Chess Federation will retain $10 from players who withdraw before Round 1
         2) Any player whose rating has not crossed 1800 since Dec 1, 2020, must pay a $30 premium fee to play in the Championship Section.

Mail-in Entries: Send your Name, US Chess ID, Section to Enter, and any Bye Requests (Max of 1 half-point Bye).
   - Check payable to VA Chess Federation or “VCF”
   - Mail your entry by Wednesday, Nov 12th to Mike Hoffpauir, ATTN: VA Open, 405 Hounds Chase, Yorktown, VA 23693-3356

On-Site Registration: At the hotel
   - Friday, Nov 21st, 3 pm to 6:45 pm. Championship and Amateur entries received after 6:45 pm will be paired for Round 2 on Saturday.
   - Saturday, Nov 22nd, 7:30 – 9:15 am. Novice Section entries received after 9:15 am will be paired for Round 2. Championship and Amateur Section players who did not enter in time for Round 1 can enter on Saturday morning and receive a Half-point Bye.

Optional Half-Point Byes & Re-Entry:
   - Optional Half-point Bye: One allowed per player in any round. Must declare during Registration or 1-hour before the start of Rounds 1 and 2. Requests made later than 1-hour before Round 2 will count as Zero-point Byes. 
   - Re-Entry: Players who lose in Round 1 can Re-Enter the tournament for $45 after Round 1 and begin Round 2 with one-half point. Re-Entry counts as your one allowed Half-point Bye. So, if you plan to take a Bye in Round 3, 4 or 5, that Bye will be changed to a 0-point Bye unless you opt to play in that round as part of your re-entry. Re-entry is allowed in any of the tournament's sections.

Conditions for FIDE-Titled Players:
   - Free Entry for players titled by FIDE as GM, WGM, IM, or WIM, with HALF of the $130 Early Entry Fee deducted from prize winnings. Contact organizer (Mike Hoffpauir, see below) for entry instructions.

Membership Requirements: 
   - All players must be US Chess members in good standing except Foreign GM/WGM, IM/WIM. Check, join, or renew your membership status at www.uschess.org.
   - Players who are Virginia residents must be members of the VA Chess Federation. Join as part of the tournament entry process or join later at www.vachess.org.
   - Players in the Championship or Under 1800 sections must have a FIDE ID number. FIDE ID is NOT required to register for the tournament. If you register and do not have a FIDE ID, the organizer will contact you and provide instructions on how to get your FIDE ID.

Info: www.vachess.org, or Mike Hoffpauir, Click here to show mail address, text to 757-846-4805