What Conditions do you offer Grandmasters
The conditions we offer to all Grandmasters are as follows:
- Free entry to the Open Section of the National Open
- Free entry to the Walter Browne Memorial Blitz Championship, played on Saturday at 9:00pm
- Entry fees are not withheld from prizes
- You may enter at vegaschessfestival.com/registration/entry-form/ without charge.
In addition, the first 12 Grandmasters who are paying for their own room and confirm their entry to the National Open are eligible for a minimum prize guarantee of $750, which covers hotel cost for 6 nights. In order to receive the guarantee
- You must reserve and pay for your own room in our group
- Reserve at vegaschessfestival.com/hotel; reservations made at other sites are not eligible.
- Your name must be on the hotel reservation.
- If you share a room with another GM only one will receive the guarantee. If both names are on the reservation you may choose a $375 guarantee for each instead.
- You agree to play all 9 rounds.
- Turn in all score sheets.
- Explicitly request these conditions after you register so we may use your name in our tournament publicity.
- Provide, on request, a royalty-free photo for use on our website.
Players in the 1000GM Las Vegas GM IM RRs before and after the National Open are not eligible for this guarantee but their room will be covered if they meet the other conditions. Contact 1000GM for more details.
We sometimes offer the opportunity to take a round 2 bye and teach our chess camp. GMs who have taught before and early entrants get priority. Teaching the camp counts as a played round for purposes of the prize guarantee.
Do you make accommodations for players with disabilities?
Accessibility for all players is very important to us. We follow the U.S. Chess Accessible Chess Events Guidelines whenever possible.
If you need special accommodations please contact us in advance at 702-930-9550 or by email at accessibility@vegaschessfestival.com.
Do I need to take notation?
All players are required to notate in US Chess rated events. The younger players who may not know how are encouraged to make their best effort.
Are games in the 2-day and 3-day schedules FIDE rated?
The rounds played at faster time controls in the 2-day and 3-day schedules of FIDE rated sections cannot be FIDE rated. They are reported as byes in the report submitted to FIDE.
What is your policy on electronic devices?
What are the dates for next year?
National Open June 4-8 2025
U.S. Women’s Open June 4-5 2025
How are FIDE ratings used?
FIDE ratings are converted to US Chess ratings according to the following Formula
USCF = FIDE + 50 if FIDE >= 2200
USCF = 0.765 x FIDE + 560 if FIDE < 2200
For a US player US Chess ratings are usually used even if the player has a FIDE rating. For foreign players the highest of US Chess, FIDE or other national ratings is used. The Chief Tournament Director may use whichever rating he believes most accurately reflects the player’s true strength.
I need an invitation to your event in order to request a visa.
Visa requirements for entry into the United States depend on your country of residence. All players are required to make their own arrangements for procuring a visa. A review of the procedures for applying for a US visa may be found at travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas.html
If you require an invitation, you must register for the tournament first and submit your invitation request with invoice number to VegasChess@gmail.com or on our contact page. Please place “Request for invitation for visa application” in the subject line and include all relevant details including legal name, date of birth, passport number, and mailing address. If the player will be accompanied by a coach or family member that person’s information should also be included.
You may register online at www.vegaschessfestival.com/register/enter-now. If your visa application is denied you may request a full refund. You may be asked to provide proof that the application was turned down.
As we receive and answer questions through our contact page we will add them to this list.
