Carmel Schach Festival

the inaugural

Carmel Schach Festival

Rapid tournament open to all players, ages 5 to 105, novice to master!

Blitz tournament limited to chessplayers experienced with the chess clock.

Rapid emphasizes strategic play and calculation, while Blitz requires quick decision-making and intuition.

Saturday, July 11, 2026

Carmel Youth Center, Torres St & 4th Ave, Carmel 93923

Sponsored by Chess Monterey.

Hosted by Carmel Youth Center. Organized by Chess Monterey.

Rapid tournament player registration 9:15-10am

Entry fee: $20, $5 for youth players

Games timed with 30 minutes per player, plus 30s increment added with each move. (G/30;+30)

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 (incl. qualifier from May 9 and June 6 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.

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.

Please bring your chess set and clock. A limited number of sets and clocks are provided by the organizer.

Players must record all moves of their games on provided scoresheets or in their own scorebook.

Crystal trophy to 1st in each section. Traditional trophy to 2nd and 3rd in each section.

Medals to K thru 12 students who complete their scheduled rounds.

Winners of Challengers section are seeded into the August 8 Championship section.

Winners of Candidates section must play in USCF-rated sections in future tournaments.

Blitz tournament player registration 5-5:45pm

Entry fee: $20, $5 for youth players

Games timed with 5 minutes per player, plus 2s increment added with each move. (G/5;+2)

8-10 rounds, starting at 6pm, finishing around 8:30pm

1 section: USCF-rated, all entrants must be current USCF members

Number of rounds and tournament format depend on number of entrants.

Crystal trophy to 1st place.

For advance registration or to subscribe to Chess Monterey weekly email newsletter, contact:

Joseph Rice, USCF Tournament Director, Click here to show mail address  831 524-4488

Upcoming monthly Monterey County tournaments on 8/8, 9/12, 10/10, 11/14, 12/12, 1/2, 2/6.