CONTINENTAL CHESS ASSOCIATION  

Chess tournament information

PO Box 249, Salisbury Mills, NY 12577-0249
845-496-9658,  but it's better to use email 

Email us at:
chesstour@aol.comnojunk  (remove "nojunk" to use), with a copy to  chesscentr@aol.comnojunk (remove "nojunk" to use)

See bottom of page for reader surveys on USCF columnists, schedules/time controls, and locations.



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Welcome to Continental Chess!  We have organized tournaments from coast to coast since the 1960s, open to players of all ages, from Grandmasters to beginners.  Most include sections in which less experienced players play only each other.  

We are not a membership organization, but are affiliated with the US Chess Federation .  Our events award USCF ratings and require USCF membership, available through us. We presently plan events in California, Connecticut, DC, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.  For tournaments in other states, see uschess.org.  If you're not ready to enter, please visit any of our tournaments; there is no fee for spectators.  

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS OF OUR UPCOMING TOURNAMENTS.  

For results, see CROSSTABLES.  For your latest USCF rating, click here.  Note that only "official ratings" are used at our events, unless you would otherwise be unrated.  "Unofficial ratings" are NOT used if you have an official rating.

Click here to enter a tournament online.


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IMPORTANT NOTICE: WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT ALL PRIZEWINNERS WAIT TO RECEIVE THEIR PRIZES AT THE TOURNAMENT! Prizewinners may receive their prize checks right at the tournament (except for World Open Under 1800, Under 1600, Under 1400 and Under 1200), as soon as the amount of their prize has been determined! The IRS also requires that anyone who wins $600 or more show proof of their Social Security Number to the Tournament Director, in order to receive their check.  Those prizewinners who choose not to receive their prizes at the tournament may instead provide us with their addresses (and social security numbers if necessary) so we can mail these prize checks after the tournament. However, especially during our busy periods, it may take up to four (4) or more weeks for us to process all the outstanding prizes, for you to then receive your prize by mail, instead of just receiving it on site, at the end of the tournament. 
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ONLINE ENTRY using a secure server is available for all CCA tournaments that offer advance entry! Online entry is also available at www.entry.cc, which you can use if you ever have problems accessing chesstour.com.  
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SPECIAL FOR ALL TOURNAMENTS! 1 year USCF dues with monthly Chess Life if paid with entry: if paid online, unrated $20, rated $30. By mail, phone or at site, unrated $30, rated $40. Cost of reduced dues borne by CCA.  USCF membership is required for all our tournaments. 
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ONLINE ENTRY ALERT: Please disregard any message which states "Network Unreachable" or "Could Not Send Email." Once you receive the message "THANK YOU FOR YOUR ORDER," that means your order has been processed (DO NOT re-purchase the same order again, or you will be charged twice!).

We ask that you print out your confirmation, showing your order number, and bring it with you to the tournament, as it will make things easier for us in the unlikely event there is a problem with your entry.  If you failed to print it out, bring your order number if possible.  NOTE: If you have no printout and didn't record your order number, don't worry and PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT US ASKING FOR THEM; we will NOT look them up as on the average this is far more difficult for us than having players arrive at the tournament without order numbers.     

If your online entry is "timed out" and you try again but get "Please do not reload this page, your order has already been processed," this means that YOUR ORDER HAS ALREADY BEEN PROCESSED!  Do not enter again or you will be charged twice!  "Your order has already been processed" is a confirmation that your entry went through.  In general, most entries that are "timed out" after entering credit card info go through OK.  

Occasionally your internet connection or our website may be down temporarily.  If you can't access online entries, try again an hour or two later.  If you still can't get through after a few tries, send us an email and let us know. Do not go to the tournament expecting to say "online entry didn't work, so I will pay the advance entry fee at the door."  NO ADVANCE ENTRY FEES ARE ACCEPTED AT THE DOOR!



FOXWOODS OPEN FINAL STANDINGS

 

2008 NEW YORK STATE SCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS,  3/15-16, Saratoga Springs,  NY

                                                                                                                                                        -- High School Championship
                                                                                                      -- Junior High Championship
                                                                                                      -- Elementary Championship
                                                                                                      -- Elementary Novice
                                                                                                      -- Primary Championship
                                                                                                      -- Primary K1

2008 NY STATE SCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS:  USCF-Rated Results!


2008 SARATOGA OPEN,  3/15-3/16, Saratoga Springs, NY

2008 SARATOGA OPEN:  USCF-Rated Results!
 


      Our next tournament is the Vermont Spring Open, May 16-18 or 17-18 at the scenic Grand Summit Resort in Mount Snow, Vermont-- $2,000 Guaranteed Prizes with FREE  ENTRY to unrated players!
We're also running the concurrent Northern New England Elementary School Championship  at 10 am on Sunday, May 18th.  


       CCA minimum ratings as of  April 13th  are now posted.  They will be used, if above USCF ratings, at all CCA tournaments effective immediately. 


We will be posting the advance entries for our upcoming tournaments here.
We expect to update the entry lists each week (usually on Wednesday).

    PLEASE NOTE!  These advance entries are posted so that players will know their entry was received, NOT for the purpose of showing how many entries there are likely to be!  The great majority of entries for most tournaments come in the last few days before the event or at the door.  Often a few weeks before the event, entries are only 5% to 10% of their ultimate total, and even a few days before, there are sometimes just one or two entries in a section/schedule only to have it wind up with ten or more.


Latest Update:  April 23rd, 2008
 

5th Annual Vermont Spring Open,  May 16-18  or  17-18, 2008:                            all advance entries received through April 22nd.

Northern New England Elementary Championship,   Sunday  May 18, 2008:        all advance entries received through April 22nd.

17th Annual Chicago Open,  May 23-26,  24-26  or  25-26, 2008:                          all advance entries received through April 22nd.

Cleveland Open,  June 13-15  or  14-15, 2008:                                                        all advance entries received through April 22nd.

36th Annual World Open,  July 2-6,  3-6,  4-6  or  June 30-July 6, 2008:               all advance entries received through April 22nd.

 


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AKOBIAN WINS 2007 WORLD OPEN

GM Varuzhan Akobian of California has won the 35th annual World Open,
played June 30-July 4, 2007 at Valley Forge, PA, with alternate schedules beginning July 1, July 2, and June 28.  Akobian defeated GM Alex Stripunsky in an armaegeddon playoff game after the two were part of a 9-way tie at 6.5 out of 9 rounds.  The Open Section had 35 Grandmasters, and the overall event 1063 players plus 136 re-entries.

Two of the Open Section alternate schedules were incredibly strong.  First the 7-day began with 7 GMs among the 12 entrants, so two GMs had to play each other in round one.  But this was outdone three days later by the 4-day schedule, with 8 GMs out of 10 players!

For live games on Monroi and results, click here.
For final standings and prizes, click here.

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We hold four of the five largest prize fund tournaments in the USA:

In 2006, the WORLD OPEN, in most years the world's largest open chess tournament since its beginning in 1973, was held over the July 4th weekend at Sheraton City Center Hotel, Philadelphia.  Total prizes were over $358,000. See our World Open website with results and games from 1998-2006. Over 1500 games may be viewed or downloaded there!  The 2007 World Open was held at the Valley Forge Convention Plaza, 20 miles west of Philadelphia. See www.monroi.com for games. The 2008 World Open will return to the Sheraton City Center Hotel in downtown Philadelphia, with 5-day schedule July 2-6 and others July 3-6, July 4-6, and June 30-July 6.

The $100,000 guaranteed Chicago Open was held as a 7 round Swiss May 25-28, 26-28 or 27-28, 2007 at the Doubletree Hotel in Oak Brook, IL.  The 2008 Chicago Open, a 7-round Swiss, will be held May 23-26, 24-26 or 25-26 at a magnificent new location, the Westin North Shore Hotel in Wheeling, IL.  Sections are expected to again include Under 2300, Under 2100, Under 1900, Under 1700 and Under 1500, as we intend to have some of our tournaments use these "odd classes" while others will continue to offer the traditional even classes (Under 2200, Under 2000, etc.)

The 2007 North American Open, a 7-round Swiss, was held at Bally's Las Vegas December 26-29.  The 2008 event will again be 7 rounds, Dec 26-29 at Bally's, with alternate schedule options Dec 27-29 or 28-29.  This event is always Dec 26-29 each year, regardless of the days of the week those dates are.

The 2007 Foxwoods Open was held April 4-8. This tournament is always held over Easter weekend, with 9 rounds in the Open Section (5 days, GM & IM norms available), and 7 rounds in the lower sections (choice of 4-day or 3-day schedule).  The 2008 event will be March 19-23, 20-23 or 21-23.


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