Azeri Chess Academy Houston Circuit 2026

Azeri Chess Academy Houston Circuit 2026

Organizer:
Azeri Chess Academy LLC (USCF Affiliate ID A9567106)
Tournament Director:
International Grandmaster and Local TD Ulvi Bajarani (USCF ID 17112757)
Tournament Purpose:
To promote, support, and advance the growth of chess in Houston, TX.
Venue:
Houston Chess Studio, 250 Patton Street Suite H Houston, Texas 77009.
Time Control:
G/30, d10 (Each player gets 30 minutes with a 10-second delay per move).
Format:
6-round Swiss system.
Pairings will be generated using the most up-to-date version of the ChessRoster SwissSys program available at the time of the tournament.
Ratings:
The tournaments are USCF-rated, and pairings will use the latest official monthly USCF rating list.

Byes:

• Up to two (2) half-point byes are allowed and must be declared during registration.
• No additional byes are permitted except for 0-point byes.
• A 1-point bye is awarded to a player who is left without an opponent when the number of players is odd in a given round.

Entry Fee:
Entry fees start at $60 and vary based on registration deadlines. Please visit a tournament page for exact amounts and cutoff dates.
Cancellation & Refund Policy:
A 50% refund of the entry fee is available until the stated deadline. No refunds will be issued after that date. Please visit a tournament page for specific details.

Number of Entries:
Maximum of 64 participants.

Eligibility:

• Open to all players with active USCF membership.
• Players must ensure their USCF membership is active before the start of Round 1.
• Onsite check-ins may be available for players needing USCF membership renewal. They must pay the required renewal fee plus an additional $10 processing fee.
• Failure to renew an expired membership before a tournament will result in exclusion without a refund.

Withdrawal Policy:

• Players must notify an arbiter before the start of a round if they intend to withdraw.
• Failure to notify an arbiter may affect eligibility for future tournaments organized by Azeri Chess Academy LLC.

Dates:
The Circuit is planned as a series of up to 12 monthly tournaments in 2026, each starting at 10:00 AM.
The current planned dates are:

• Tournament 1: January 25, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 2: February 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 3: March 29, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 4: April 12, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 5: May 10, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 6: June 14, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 7: July 12, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 8: August 9, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 9: September 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 10: October 11, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 11: November 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM
• Tournament 12: December 13, 2026, at 10:00 AM

All dates, start times, and the total number of Circuit tournaments are tentative and subject to change based on venue availability and organizational needs. Any changes will be posted on the Azeri Chess Academy website and communicated to registered players by email. Circuit standings and prizes will be based on the tournaments that are actually held.

Tournament Schedule (Estimated Round Start Times):

1st Round – 10:00 AM
2nd Round – 11:25 AM
30-minute break
3rd Round – 1:20 PM
4th Round – 2:45 PM
5th Round – 4:05 PM
6th Round – 5:25 PM
Closing Ceremony – 6:45 PM

Prize Fund

Prize amounts and distribution vary by event. Please check the tournament page for full details.

Tiebreaks:

Tiebreaks will be determined using ChessRoster SwissSys, applying standard USCF tiebreak methods:

• Solkoff
• Modified Median
• Cumulative

If players are tied for 1st place and all tiebreaks are equal, a coin toss will determine the winner. Tiebreaks are used only to determine plaque distribution.

Anti-Cheating Measures & Electronic Devices Policy:

• All players are subject to electronic device scanning (“wanding”).
• No electronic devices (phones, smartwatches, etc.) are allowed unless explicitly permitted by the arbiter for medical reasons.
• A designated storage box will be provided for electronic devices.

Photography & Video Recording:

By registering, players consent to being photographed and recorded by the Tournament Director and their associates for promotional purposes.

Equipment & Notation Rules:

• Chess sets, clocks, scoresheets, and pens will be provided by the organizer.
• Notation is mandatory unless a player has less than 5 minutes remaining on their clock.
• Players may keep a yellow scoresheet copy and a pen. However, players are encouraged to bring an extra pen, as available pens may be limited.

Parking & Nearby Restaurants:

• Free parking is available near the venue.
• 3 restaurants in the same strip center as venue: The Red Hot Noodle (Asian), Subway, and Patron Pizza. Several others are within walking distance.

Azeri Chess Academy Houston Circuit 2026 – Points System

The Circuit consists of up to 12 tournaments held during 2026. Points are awarded as follows:

• 1 point – Participation
• 3 points – 3rd place (tie)
• 5 points – 3rd place (clear)
• 7 points – 2nd place (tie)
• 9 points – 2nd place (clear)
• 11 points – 1st place (tie)
• 13 points – 1st place (clear)
• The points are doubled when a tournament begins with at least 50 entrants who do not forfeit Round 1. In other words, points are doubled if the event meets the requirements for Category C.

Tie Rules

• If multiple players tie for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place, all tied players receive the points for the highest tied position.
  • Example: Players tying for 2nd–4th place each receive 7 points (2nd place with tie).
• If multiple players tie for 1st place and one receives the plaque based on tie-breaks, the points awarded remain 11.
• Ties are considered only among players who are eligible to receive Circuit points (see below).

Eligibility

• To earn Circuit points from a given tournament, and to have that tournament counted as “played” for Circuit participation requirements (including eligibility for prizes that require playing in all tournaments or at least half of the tournaments), a player must play all six rounds.
• Any requested half-point or zero-point bye in that tournament makes the player ineligible for Circuit points from that event, and that tournament will not count as “played” toward their Circuit participation total.
• Forfeit wins and assigned byes due to an odd number of players do not affect eligibility.

Prizes for Overall Standings

• $1,500 + Plaque – Overall Circuit Winner (highest total points)
• $750 + Plaque – Maximum Participation Prize, awarded to the player with the best overall score among those who participated in all Circuit tournaments that are held and who did not win the Overall Circuit.
• $375 + Plaque – Awarded to the player with the highest overall score among those who played in at least half of all Circuit tournaments that are held (if the total number of tournaments is odd, “half” is rounded up to the next whole number) and who did not win either the Overall Circuit prize or the Maximum Participation Prize.
• Medals of Honor to everyone who participates in all Circuit tournaments that are held.
• Payments for overall Circuit prizes will be sent via Zelle or PayPal no later than January 10, 2027. Prize winners must promptly contact the organizer to confirm their preferred payment method and provide any required payment and tax information (for example, a completed IRS Form W-9). Prize winners are also required to participate in the Circuit prize ceremony following the final tournament unless excused in advance by the organizer.
• In accordance with U.S. tax law, if a player receives $600 or more in prizes and awards from Azeri Chess Academy LLC in a calendar year, the organizer may be required to collect the winner’s taxpayer information and issue an IRS information return (such as Form 1099-MISC or a successor form). If a prize winner fails or refuses to provide the required payment or tax information by the deadline specified by the organizer, the prize will be considered forfeited and will not be paid.
• All prize winners are responsible for reporting prize income on their own tax returns and for complying with applicable tax laws.

Tie-Break System

If multiple players finish with the same number of points, the following tie-breaks will be applied in order:

1. Greater number of tournaments played
2. Greater number of 1st-place finishes (with or without ties)
3. Greater number of 2nd-place finishes (with or without ties)
4. Greater number of 3rd-place finishes (with or without ties)
5. Coin toss

Questions?

Contact us at [email protected].