Event Date: July 29, 2023
Location: DeVos Place, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Weeramantry Information & Rules
Revised February 15, 2023
The FM Sunil Weeramantry National Blitz Tournament of State Champions is an annual invitational event run by US Chess that has determined the Weeramantry National Champion since 2020. The 2022 champion was Grandmaster Andrew Hong (2604, N-CA).
Open only to players in the five simultaneous national invitationals for state champions that run concurrently with the U.S. Open:
John T. Irwin National Tournament of Senior State Champions
GM Arnold Denker National Tournament of High School State Champions
WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions
Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle School State Champions
John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary School State Champions
Those Invitational players are welcome to register for the free, optional Weeramantry Blitz tournament by filling out an online form, the link to which will be emailed to them.
Registration Deadline: 7 days before the tournament. No onsite signups.
4 sections:
Championship: 2200+
1800-2199
1400-1799
Under 1400
Prizes: $3,200 ($800 per section; 4 sections).
Prizes for Each Section: Gift Certificates for the U.S. Open Bookstore
1st $240
2nd $200
3rd $160
4th $120
5th $80
Gift certificates may be redeemed onsite with the U.S. Open bookstore vendor or may be redeemed online at uscfsales.com within 6 months (no shipping charged). The Weeramantry certificates will be given out at the start of the opening ceremony for the Invitationals, so only those staying for the U.S. Open will be able to redeem the certificates onsite as the bookstore may not open until 8/1.
Rounds: 4DSS: 4 double rounds (players alternate as White & Black) with Swiss-system pairings.
Time Control: G3 +2: 3 minutes base time with a 2-second increment added after each move.
Saturday, July 29, 2023, 10 AM - 1 PM. Optional. No entry fee. Section eligibility and pairings determined strictly by US Chess Regular rating—no playing up. The tournament follows US Chess rules and is US-Chess-rated. Players must bring a chess clock, and it should support time increment. If neither player brings a clock to the board, then both players will forfeit the round. US Chess will provide boards and pieces—but not clocks. 9:45 AM: announcements & review rules. If there is a tie, then the prize will go to the highest finisher, based on tiebreaks (1. Modified Median, 2. Solkoff, 3. Cumulative, and 4. Cumulative of Opposition); the prize will not be split.
INFORMATION FOR ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS
Consistent with the Guidelines for Accessible Chess Events, requests for reasonable accommodations during the event should be made 2-3 weeks in advance of the event. Requests for accommodations made on site will be handled to the best of our ability. All requests should be made to nationalevents@uschess.org.
Sponsors
QUESTIONS?
Contact the Chair of US Chess’s National Tournaments of State Champions Committee, Mike Nietman, at mike.nietman@charter.net or 608.467.8510 (landline; no texting) prior to Friday, July 28.
If a tournament-related situation arises that is not covered by the text above, then it will be resolved by the Chair of US Chess’s National Tournaments of State Champions Committee.