Grand Prix Rules: Temporary Change Approved By Executive Board

From the US Chess Executive Board:

The EB authorizes a temporary change in the US Chess Grand Prix (GP) rules for the period March 4, 2020 through May 31, 2020 out of concern for the unforeseeable impacts the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) could have on participation in GP events. The change allows organizers with Guaranteed prize funds to change the status of their prize fund without first seeking US Chess permission to make the change. More specifically, organizers who have announced "$XXX in Guaranteed prizes" (or similar words) for their GP events shall be allowed to re-state their prize funds in their publicity as "$XXX in Projected prizes based on ### players," where ### represents the number of players in last year's event rounded to the nearest 5 players. For new GP events lacking historical attendance data, the organizer shall specify a 'based on' number of players as part of the Projected Prize Fund language in their publicity. This decision includes all GP tournaments that already have been advertised in Chess Life. For any GP events being publicly advertised (whether by TLA, another website, flyers, emails, social media, etc.), organizers shall take all necessary steps to ensure their revised pre-tournament announcements call attention to this change in prize fund status and provide the appropriate "Projected based on XXX players" in the language of their updated publicity. US Chess asks that the chess community support this temporary change in the spirit that it is intended. The Executive Board shall revisit this matter as necessary. Any Grand Prix events changed under the temporary exception granted by the US Chess Executive Board will result in a corresponding change to the points awarded in the Grand Prix event per the Grand Prix rules.

Revised March 8, 2020