Official 2014 Mind Games Tournament Rules

Chess.com's Mind Games Tournament Details & Schedule:

Starting September 15th | Round 1 of 2014 Mind Games Begins:

• Round 1 of the tournament will start on September 15th
• Must be a member of the Mind Games group here http://www.chess.com/groups/home/2014-world-mind-games to participate in tournaments
• Chess.com's Live Server will host a Mind Games only tournament every 6hrs until October 12th (28 days)
• All Mind Games tournament can be found under the "Events" tab in Chess.com's Live Server (click Live Chess under menu item PLAY)
• The Time Control for each tournament in Round 1 will be 10 minutes per side with 0 seconds increment, Rapid Chess.
• With 4 tournaments a day for 4 weeks, a participant could compete in a maximum of 112 tournaments - 112 chances to qualify for Round 2.

Qualifying for Round 2:

*The top 2 finishers from each tournament qualify for Round 2

*Once confirmed as qualified, participants will be invited to the Round 2 Group here http://www.chess.com/groups/home/round-2--2014-world-mind-games

*Once qualified for Round 2, a member should not participate again, taking away qualification chances from others. Multiple violations of this rule could result in disqualification of the participant from playing in Round 2

*The 224 Qualifiers will be removed from the main group once confirmed as member of the Round 2 Group.

Starting October 15th | Round 2 of 2014 World Mind Games Begins:

• Round 2 of the tournament will start on October 15th
• This new group of players (ie, the 224 qualifiers from Round 1) will now have 24 qualifying chances / tournaments to move onto Round 3
• There will be 1 tournament on Chess.com every 8 hours until October 22nd
• 
The Time Control will be 15 minutes with a 10 second increment per move, Rapid Chess.
• 
There will be 3 tournaments a day for 8 days, totaling 24 tournaments
• Each tournament will have a minimum of 4 rounds per player, with the top finisher from each event qualifying for Round 3.

Qualifying for Round 3:

*The top finisher (1st palce) from each tournament qualifies for Round 3

*Once confirmed as qualified, participants will be invited to the Round 3 Group here http://www.chess.com/groups/home/round-3--2014-world-mind-games

*Once qualified for Round 3, a member should not participate again, taking away qualification chances from others. Multiple violations of this rule could result in disqualification of the participant from playing in Round 3

*The 24 Qualifiers will be removed from the main group once confirmed as member of the Round 3 Group.

Starting October 25th | Round 3:

• 24 winners have now moved onto this final qualifying round
• Round 3 will start on October 25th and go until November 3rd
• 
This new group of players (ie, the 24 qualifiers from Round 2) will now have 20 tournaments for a chance to win prizes by placing in the Top 9 of the final standings
• There will be 2 tournaments on Chess.com every 12 hours
• Round times will be (subject to change) 8am PDT and 8pm PDT daily
• Players can compete in as many tournaments as they wish
• The Time Control will be 15 minutes with a 10 second increment per move, Rapid Chess.
• Total points at the end of all 20 tournaments will determine Top 2 finishers as well as other Top 9 places
• In the event of a tie for any place, the number of 1st place finishes will determine the clear winner of that place. If players have same number of 1st place finishes, the number of 2nd place finishes will determine the clear winner of that place. etc -- In the event that players have exact same total points scored and exact same number of "place finishes" per tournament, an *Armageddon game will be played to determine the winner of that place.
• The loser of a give placement will automatically take the next lowest prize (ie, a player loses 4th place on tiebreaks or Armageddon game will get 5th place, etc).

*Armageddon Game of 25 + 5 for White 10 + 5 for Black, with Draw Odds given to Black.

Starting November 6th | 2014 World Mind Games Final Match:

• The Top 2 finishers from the format above (Round 3) will now move onto a final 4 game match.
• There will be 1 game played per day.
The time control will be a standard control of 120 minutes and a 5 second increment per side.
• If tied at the end of 4 games, again, an Armageddon game to decide clear winner. Same time control as previous round.

*All games of final match will be broadcast on Chess.com/TV (subject to change).

*Winner of final match is overall 2014 Mind Games Chess Champion.

Prizes:

1. $1500
2. $1000
3. $750
4. $500
5. Rado Watch
6. Rado Watch
7. Samsung Tablet
8. Samsung Tablet
9. Amazong Gift Card ($100 Value)

Lottery: All participants registered on the SportAccord Portal (www.onlinewmg.com) will have a chance to win up to two WholeSaleChess.com gift cards ($100 value and $50 value) every week during the tournament, two Samsung TVs during the total event and one pair of F1 Tickets for 2 people.

Throughout the duration of the event, participants can also get 15% off of any WholeSaleChess.com purchase by entering promo code: WMG2014 at checkout.

Other General Rules & Guidelines:

- all participants are responsible for their own internet connection throughout all rounds of the event. Forfeits that occur by disconnection will not have those games replayed.

-