How To Play In The U.S. Championship Online Qualifier
To honor the tradition of the U.S. Open, Chess.com is eager to host a one-time event in the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier to help active players and supporters of US Chess keep that dream alive for the 2021 championship cycle, even in this unique time of social distancing.
This guide breaks down how you can participate in the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier and compete for a spot in the 2021 US Chess Championship.
- Format
- Schedule
- Registration
- Prizes
- Side Events
- Win A Trip To The 2021 U.S. Open
- Broadcast
- Fair Play
Each qualification phase throughout the event will start at 2 p.m. PT in Live Chess. Click here for a full breakdown of the event schedule.
For a detailed guide on the US Championship Online Qualifier rules and regulations, click here.
The U.S. Championship Online Qualifier will feature a phased qualification system for each rating class to advance to the next stage, culminating in a final eight-player round-robin to determine the 2021 U.S. Championship spot.
The initial qualification process into the final eight-player round robin consists of six different stages:
U1600, 1601-2000, 2001-2400 Sections
The format for the U1600, 1601-2000, and 2001-2400 sections all have identical formats. Each event will consist of a 12-round Swiss with 10+0 time controls, with the top eight players advancing to the next round. Players tied with eighth place on total points will also advance to the next round (the top eight players in the U1600 section advance to the 1601-2000 section). Players with a Chess.com rapid rating of exactly 1600 would participate in the U1600 section.
All rating thresholds used during the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier will use Chess.com's rapid ratings.
2400+ Section and Final Swiss
Like the prior events, the 2400+ section will feature a 12-round Swiss with a 10+0 time control, but the top 20 (and players tied for 20th place) will advance to the Final Swiss. The Final Swiss will only be open for players who qualified directly from the 2400+ section. This event will also feature a 10+0 time control, but will only last seven rounds. The top eight players will advance to the Final Bracket on the following day.
As the winner of the US Championship Online Qualifier must represent the United States federation to be eligible to compete in the 2021 national championship, US Chess members that represent federations outside of the United States will not be able to progress beyond the conclusion of the Final Swiss. To ensure a competitive Final Bracket, at least 12 players representing the US federation must advance from the 2400+ section to the Final Swiss.
In the case of a tie for eighth place, Sonnenborn-Berger tiebreaks are used as the primary tiebreak. If players are still tied, the head-to-head result will act as a secondary tiebreak. In the unlikely case that players are still tied, SB-1, SB-2, and SB-3 will be used as additional tiebreaks. If players are still tied, an armageddon match will be run directly after the Final Swiss where the higher rated player chooses color.
Final Bracket
The Final Bracket will consist of eight players qualifying directly from the Final Swiss. Players will be seeded into the bracket based on their standing in the Final Swiss. Matches will consist of two 10+2 games, with an additional two 5+2 games as a tiebreak. If players are still tied, an armageddon will be run, where the higher seed picks color.
The bracket will progress until two players remain, both of whom would qualify into the Final Round Robin phase of the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier.
Final Round Robin
Two players will qualify directly into the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier from the phased qualification system, joining six pre-selected participants, four players determined by US Chess, and two wild card selections from Chess.com. Per event regulations, Chess.com's wild card selections must be ranked in the top 20 overall on the September 2020 rating list.
With play starting on December 11, players will play one 90+30 time control game each day of the competition through December 18), with each game starting exactly at 2 p.m. Pacific time. Pairings will be pre-determined via the drawing of lots on December 10.
Should there be a tie for first place following completion of the final round on December 18, a tiebreak will be held on December 19 using U.S. Championship rules to determine a winner.
Across all stages of the event, US Chess will provide tournament directors to ensure the US Chess rule book regarding Online Rated Play rules are followed. US Chess and Chess.com maintain the right to deny entry for any individuals who have committed prior fair play violations in either party's events.
For additional information regarding fair play proctoring throughout the event, click here.
The schedule for the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier runs as follows. For each phase of the event, the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier will start exactly at 2 p.m. Pacific time.
- November 21: U1600 section
- November 22: 1601-2000 section
- November 28: 2001-2400 section
- November 29: 2400+ section
- December 5: Final Swiss
- December 6: Final Bracket
- December 10: Drawing of Lots
- December 11: Final Round Robin, Round 1
- December 12: Final Round Robin, Round 2
- December 13: Final Round Robin, Round 3
- December 14: Final Round Robin, Round 4
- December 15: Rest Day
- December 16: Final Round Robin, Round 5
- December 17: Final Round Robin, Round 6
- December 18: Final Round Robin, Round 7
- December 19: Final Round Robin, Tiebreaks
For the U1600, 1601-2000, 2001-2400, and 2400+ sections, players can register in Live Chess up to 60 minutes prior to the event start time.
All participants must be active US Chess members throughout the duration of the event to be eligible to participate and have their Chess.com username linked to their US Chess membership. Upon connecting the US Chess membership to the competing Chess.com account, members need to fill out the following form to be granted access to the US Chess Members Only Club:
 |
Register Your Account Join the US Chess Members Only Club to gain access to the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier. |
Join |
Submitting the above application is required to gain access to the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier. There is no entry fee for this event. Per US Chess rules, while anyone with an active US Chess membership is eligible to participate, only players representing the US federation are able to qualify for the 2021 U.S. Championship spot.
For a faster processing time, we recommend requesting to join the club after filling out the application. You only need to fill out the form once to gain eligibility, but if you change your username you may need to resubmit the form to renew your authentication.
Upon approval into the US Chess Members Only Club, members will have access to the various qualification events in Live Chess. For first-time Chess.com users, read this guide to learn how to participate in various club events.
The final eight-player round robin will have a $10,000 prize fund in addition to awarding a direct spot in the 2021 U.S. Chess Championship.
- 1st Place: $3,000 and direct qualification for the 2021 US Chess Championship
- 2nd Place: $2,000
- 3rd Place: $1,500
- 4th Place: $1,000
- 5th Place: $800
- 6th Place: $700
- 7th Place: $600
- 8th Place: $400
In addition to the main event, Chess.com will host five blitz side events in the US Chess Members Only club during the week of December 11, each event with a dedicated prize fund of $500:
- 1st Place: $250
- 2nd Place: $150
- 3rd Place: $100
- 4th-10th Place: 1-Month Chess.com Diamond membership
All players must also abide by all rules and site policies found at Chess.com/agreement and cooperate fully with Chess.com's fair play detection team.
All side events will feature a seven-round 5+0 Swiss open to all users in the US Chess Members Only club. The side events schedule will run as follows:
- Friday, December 11, 6 p.m. Pacific time
- Saturday, December 12, 6 p.m. Pacific time
- Sunday, December 13, 6 p.m. Pacific time
- Thursday, December 17, 6 p.m. Pacific time
- Friday, December 18, 6 p.m. Pacific time
Users may play in as many side events as they choose. Users who are not members of the US Chess Members Only club will not be able to access the event. All players must abide by all rules and site policies found at Chess.com/agreement and cooperate fully with Chess.com's fair play detection team.
Win A Trip To The 2021 U.S. Open
One random participant in the U.S. Championship Online Qualifier and its respective side events will win a paid trip (flight, hotel, entry fee) to the 2021 U.S. Open. To be eligible for this prize, players must be both an active Chess.com and US Chess member, participated in a qualifier event, and passed Chess.com's Fair Play check throughout the event.
The U.S. Championship Online Qualifiers will be broadcast in full by Chess.com on Chess.com/TV, Twitch.tv/Chess, and Youtube.com/Chess.
All players must abide by all rules and site policies found at Chess.com/agreement and cooperate fully with Chess.com's fair play detection team. For a full breakdown of the US Championship Online Qualifier rules and regulations, click here.
U1600, 1601-2000, 2001-2400, and 2400+ Sections Fair Play Expectations
In the U1600, 1601-2000, 2001-2400, and 2400+ sections, participants should be prepared to join a ZOOM call for proctoring at the arbiter's discretion and this request may be made between rounds via direct chat in live chess by a Chess.com staff member or US Chess Tournament Director.
Final Swiss Fair Play Expectations
Players qualifying for the Final Swiss will be sent specialized instructions upon progressing through the 2400+ sections. All participants must be in the dedicated ZOOM call throughout the duration of the Final Swiss. Players should be prepared to adhere to any requests made by US Chess Tournament Directors in between rounds.
Final Bracket Fair Play Expectations
Players advancing to the Final Bracket must be in the dedicated ZOOM call throughout the duration of the Final Bracket. Each participant must have two dedicated camera angles in the ZOOM call. Players should be prepared to adhere to any requests made by US Chess Tournament Directors in between rounds.
Final Round Robin Fair Play Expectations
In addition to the prerequisite expectations regarding ZOOM call participation and dual-angle camera feeds, each player must share their screen in ZOOM for the duration of each round. Players should be prepared to adhere to any requests made by US Chess Tournament Directors before or after each round.
