Belmont Round Robin Chess Tournament

(Open to All players of All rating. Sections for both USCF members and non-members.)

Saturday, February 3, 2007 -- Be on site by 9:00 a.m.
At Belmont Baptist Church, 3424 N. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68521

Directions: Take I-80 to 27th St. Exit. Go South to Wal-Mart at Superior St. Turn Right (west) at Superior. Go to the light at 14th St. and turn Left (South) and go about half a mile or so. Church is on the left.

Why a Round Robin?: (1) It’s different from a Swiss System tournament. (2) Players get more evenly matched according to playing strength. (3) More players get a shot at a 1st place Trophy. (4) More players get a trophy. About half of the players will get a trophy. All players will get a prize. (5) Players can often move through their rounds quicker. Younger players get home earlier.

Sections: USCF Rated players will be put in sections according to playing strength, not age. You will play opponents of roughly your own rating. The goal is to place all players in a Quad of 4 players. Due to numbers of players and rating gaps, some sections may have 5 or 6 players. Unrated USCF members will be put in USCF Rated sections by age or by guessing their playing strength. Non-members of USCF will have their own sections. Members will not play non-members. We seek to avoid 7 players in a section. A 7 player section, if needed, must use a Swiss System paring. Sections of 4, 5, & 6 players will use a Round Robin paring. We will try not to put brothers and sisters in the same section. Sometimes, this is unavoidable.

Rounds: Sections of 4 players will have 3 rounds. Sections of 5 or 6 players will have 5 rounds. Sections of 7 players using a Swiss System instead of a Round Robin, will have 3 rounds. Sections of Game/75 will have 3 rounds regardless of number of players.

Time Control: Doors open at 8:00 a.m. Be on site by 9:00 a.m. Registration closes at 9:15 a.m. First round starts at 9:30 a.m. If you are coming but cannot be there by 9:00 a.m., please call Dale Robbins at the church at 476-8276. Time control is Game/60 for sections with players rated under 1400. If your section has half or more players rated 1400 or higher, the time control will be Game / 75. (All 5 round sections will be Game/60. If a section of Game/75 needs 5 or more players, a 3 round Swiss System will be used instead of 5 rounds.). (Persons with digital clocks: subtract 5 min. and use 5 sec. delay.)

Ending Time: 3 rounds at Game/60 would end at 4:00 p.m., however, players rated under 1000 tend to not use all that time. We pair the next round as quickly as possible. Most players rated under 1000 are finished by around 1:00 p.m. 5 round sections could go until 8:00 p.m., but in reality, these sections have usually finished by mid-afternoon. Game/75 sections would end at around 5:30 p.m.

Equipment: Some sets and boards will be provided. Bringing your own set and board is recommended.
Bring your own clock. Players without clocks may have a clock placed on their game if they are still playing toward the end of the time control period.

Lunch: One half hour is provided for lunch for all sections. Concessions will be on sale for lunch.

Trophies: 1st and 2nd place trophies are awarded in each section. All players receive a prize.

Registration and Cost: Advanced entry needs to be postmarked by Tues. Jan. 30, 2007. Please send: Name, Address, Phone, age if a student, USCF rating, USCF ID number, & Expiration date. Cost for all USCF members is $10.00 for advanced entry and $12.00 at the door. Non-Members cost is $6.00 whether advanced by mail or at the door.

Make checks payable to: Dale Robbins

Send entry to: Dale Robbins, 3424 N. 14th St., Lincoln, NE 68521
Questions? Call Dale Robbins: Church phone: (402) 476-8276 or Home Phone: (402) 687-4189