2026 Northern Virginia Open

2026 Northern Virginia Open

Friday – Sunday, Dec 11-13, or Saturday – Sunday Dec 12-13

A Heritage Event!  A US Chess Junior Grand Prix!  A VCF Cup Event

40 US CHESS GRAND PRIX POINTS  -  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 through the Virginia Chess Federation’s website (www.vachess.org) or call the hotel at 703-471-9500 to get the Chess Rate for lodging.
- Reserve by FRIDAY, November 13th. If you decide to call the hotel be sure to mention the “Northern Virginia Open Chess Tournament” Group Name and the event dates.

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.

Sections: Three (3) Sections. A 60-minute default/no-show rule is in effect in all sections.
    - Championship: Round 1 at 7:00 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 or higher since December 2021 (the last 5 years). Any player whose rating has not crossed 1800 since December 2021 must pay a $30 premium fee to play in the Championship Section.
    - Amateur (Under 1800): Round 1 at 7:00 pm Friday. FIDE and US Chess rated. Unrated players welcome (see “Am I an Unrated Player” below).
    - Novice (Under 1200): Games on Saturday and Sunday only, no games on Friday. Round 1 at 10 am Saturday. All games are US Chess rated.

Schedule - Championship & Amateur Sections: FIDE Rules. FIDE and US Chess rated, 60-minute default/no-show rule
    - Round 1: Friday, Dec 11, 7:00 PM. Time Control is Game-90 with 30-sec time increment from move one.
    - Rounds 2 and 3: Saturday, Dec 12, 10 AM and 4:30 PM. Time Control is 40/90, SD/30, with 30-sec time increment from move one.
    - Rounds 4 and 5: Sunday, Dec 13, 10 AM and 4:30 PM. Same time control as Round 2.
    - White’s clock will start if White is not present when the TD/Arbiter begins the round.
    - Pairings posted ONLINE and ONSITE 1-hour before the start of each round EXCEPT ROUND 1 (30 minutes)

Schedule - Novice Section: US Chess Rules. US Chess rated, 60-minute default/no-show rule.
    - Friday, Dec 11: NO GAMES on Friday in this section.
    - Rounds 1-3: Saturday, Dec 12, 10 AM, 2 PM and 6 PM. Time Control is G/60, with 10-sec time increment.
    - Rounds 4 and 5: Sunday, Dec 13, 10 AM and 2:30 PM. Time Control is G/90, with 10-sec time increment.
    - White’s clock will start if White is not present when the TD/Arbiter begins the round.
    - Pairings posted ONLINE and ONSITE 30 minutes before the start of each round

Traffic on Friday evenings in northern Virginia and Maryland can be very unpredictable.

We advise players to plan their travel accordingly and allow enough time to arrive at the venue.

Ratings for Sectioning, Pairings, and Prizes: 
    - We use the higher of a player’s Over-the-Board Regular and Online Regular ratings from the December 2026 US Chess Rating Supplement. Established ratings override provisional ratings; “stale” ratings are reviewed by the Chief TD. 
    - Am I an Unrated Player? Any player with a Provisional US Chess Regular over-the-board or Regular online rating before the start of the tournament will NOT be paired as an Unrated Player. That rating will be used for pairing purposes, prizes, and section eligibility even if it is not listed in the December 2026 US Chess Rating Supplement. For players who do not have a US Chess rating, but are rated in other recognized systems (e.g., FIDE, Canada), their rating will be assigned by the Chief Arbiter using conversion formulas approved and published by the US Chess Federation’s Ratings Committee. If this is confusing (and it can be!) please contact Mike Hoffpauir (Click here to show mail address). 

Prizes: All place prizes (1st-3rd overall in each section) and the Top Upset Prizes in each section are GUARANTEED. Other prizes are 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 from Rounds 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 from Rounds 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: Go to www.vachess.org to register (see below for mail-in entry instructions)
    - $130 through Monday Nov 30th
    - $160 starting Tuesday Dec 1st
    - $190 starting Wednesday Dec 9th and at the tournament site
      Notes about Registration: 
          1) The Virginia Chess Federation will retain $10 from players who withdraw before Round 1
          2) Any player whose US Chess Over-the-Board Regular rating has been 1800 or higher since December 2021 (e.g., in the past 5 years) 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 Saturday, Dec 5th to Mike Hoffpauir, ATTN: VA Open, 405 Hounds Chase, Yorktown, VA 23693

On-Site Registration: At the hotel
    - Friday, Dec 11, 3 PM to 6:15 PM. Championship and Amateur entries received after 6:15 PM will be paired for Round+ 2 on Saturday.
    - Saturday, Dec 12, 7:30 to 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 Round 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.

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