If you are new to tournament chess and having trouble with the jargon on our calendar, don't fret! Below is an annotated version of one of our tournament listings for your convenience:

Marshall Action! 4-SS, G/25 d5. ($375 b/25): $150-100; U2200: $75; U1900: $50. EF: $25; Non-MCC Mbr: Additional $25 Mbr fee. ($5 late fee: in-person reg hour before Rd 1.) GMs Free. Rds: 7-8:15-9:30-10:45pm. Max one bye, for Rd 1 or 4 only; request at entry. Register Online: www.marshallchessclub.org/register.

4-SS This is the number of games (4) and the style of the tournament. Almost all of our events are "SS," which stands for Swiss-System. In a SS tournament you are scheduled to play all the games; if you win you play other players who won, if you lose you player other players who lost, etc.

G/25 d5. The time control for the event. G/25 means "game in 25 minutes." Each player will get 25 minutes on their clock to make all of their moves. "d5" means "delay 5 seconds." Before each move you will get 5 free seconds - a delay - before your clock continues counting down. Another common time control at the club is "G/90 + 30." In this control, you get an increment of 30 seconds (+30); it is added to your clock each move.

($375 b/25): Now we get into prizes! The tournament will pay out $375 in prizes based on (b/) 25 paid entries. If there are more paid entries, the prizes will go up. If there are less, the prizes will go down! Some tournaments are listed as "GTD." This stands for guaranteed. In a GTD tournament the prizes are fixed regardless of paid entries.

$150-100 1st prize and second prize.

U2200: $75; U1900: $50. These are class prizes. The player's scoring the best with ratings under 2200 and under 1900 will win $75 and $50 respectively, assuming there are 25 paid entries.

EF: $25; Non-MCC Mbr: Additional $25 Mbr fee. ($5 late fee: in-person reg hour before Rd 1.) EF stands for "Entry Fee." This tournament costs $25 to register. Players who are not members of the club must pay an additional $25. There is also a $5 dollar charge for last minute registration on-site.

GMs Free. Forgot to mention, Grandmasters play for free!

Rds: 7-8:15-9:30-10:45pm. The schedule for each of the 4 rounds. We try to be very punctual!

Max one bye, for Rd 1 or 4 only; request at entry. If you need to miss a game, or only want to play 3 games, you can take a bye. Taking a bye means you will not be paired for the round in question and will receive 1/2 point (equal to a draw.) Just remember: you must request byes at entry, otherwise you cannot get 1/2 for a bye. If you want to withdrawal from the event midway through, please be sure to visit the club office and sign out with the Tournament Director.

Register below! Your entry is not confirmed until your payment is received!

At the Marshall Chess Club tournaments are open to players of all ages. To differentiate our events, we use ratings and time controls.

Rating: If you see an event that is “U1500,” for instance, that means only players rated under 1500 can play in that event. Generally, the lower rated the section, the higher the proportion of scholastic players in attendance. (The one notable exception here is the “Rated Beginner Open,” which is held every Sunday morning. This event is geared for beginner players (U1200) and scholastic players in particular!)

Time Controls: We run events ranging from G/90 (each player gets 90 minutes to play all their moves) to G/3 (each player gets three minutes to play all their moves.) Most of our events fall in the middle: either G/50 or G/25. Both of these time controls are excellent options for scholastic players.

Specific events that might appeal to scholastic players:

• Rated Beginner Open: G/25; held each Sunday Morning.
• Saturday or Sunday G/50: These almost always feature a section suited for scholastics.
• Friday Night Quads: G/25; players are grouped together and play similarly rated players.