UMass Winter Classic - U1900 and U1400

OVERVIEW

The UMass Winter Classic will be held from January 31 to February 1st, 2026. This is a 5-round US Chess-rated event. It will be hosted in the Student Union Ballroom at 41 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01002. Please bring your own sets and chess clocks.

TIME CONTROL & ROUND TIMES

G/90;d5.

Saturday: 10 am, 2:30 pm, 6 pm

Sunday: 10 am, 2:30 pm

PRIZES 

U1900 Prizes: $1500 - $1000 - $600, Top U1700: $400, Top U1500: $250

U1400 1st - $700, 2nd - $400, 3rd - $150

Unrated prize limit of $150 in U1400. 

Please note that the prizes above are based on 120 players.

ENTRY FEE 

U1900: $90 by January 27th, $100 later online or at site.

U1400: $45 online by January 30th, 4:00 pm. $55 on-site. $10 less for unrated players.

REGISTRATION

• Online registration is strongly recommended: https://websites.umass.edu/chess-rso/
• Online registration closes January 30th, 4:00 pm
• On-Site Registration closes January 31st, 9:00 am.
• For on-site registration, please bring exact change
• USCF membership required.

PARKING

Vehicles may park in any available non-restricted, non-reserved space or lot for free (no parking permit required). These are the red lots in this map. The closest of these lots to the Student Union (event venue) are lots 64, 30, 63. The closest parking to the Student Union is the paid parking in the Campus Center garage ($1.85/hr).

*Payment Disclaimer*

 In order to receive your winnings, you must register yourself as a vendor with the University of Massachusetts Amherst. We will provide the link to the vendor site once the winners are confirmed. Once filled out, the University of Massachusetts Amherst will pay your winnings, however, it may take longer than 3-4 weeks. This is the only way the University of Massachusetts Amherst Chess Club can pay your winnings.