Quick Chess Saturday: Blitz + Bullet + 960
MUN Engineering Cafeteria, St. John's (S.J. Carew Building)
Quick Chess Saturday was held August 9th.
Aside from a few software hiccups, the tournaments seemed to go very well. Thanks to everyone for playing!
Complete crosstables here
Blitz winners: 1st - Nicholas & Moon 10/14; Top Junior - Matthew 9.5/14
Bullet winners: 1st - Steve 14.5/18; 2nd - Moon 14/18; Top Junior - JD 12/18
Chess 960 winners: 1st - Steve 3.5/4; 2nd - Nicholas & Suren 3/4; Top Junior - Moon 2.5/4
Join us for a day of chess on Saturday, August 9, where we will feature three fast-paced tournaments: blitz, bullet, and chess960
Open to all ages and skill levels! Unrated. No membership required. Entry fee is $10 per event. Or $25 to play all three. Note: bundled entry contributes less to the tournament prize funds individually, but keeps fees affordable and encourages playing all events.
You can play in all three events, two, or just play in one. Hopefully there is something for everyone!
We'll start with a blitz (3 minutes +2 second increments per player) tournament at 10am, break for lunch at 1pm before starting bullet (1+1) at 2pm. That tournament should finish relatively quickly and we'll aim to start Chess 960 (10+5) at 3:30pm. Hopefully we can finish around 6pm or a little later.
Chess 960 (also known as Fischer Random or Freestyle chess) is a chess variant where pieces are placed randomly on the first and eighth ranks. There are special rules for castling but otherwise the rules are the same as standard chess. I will generate a random position before each of the four rounds using this generator.
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Event Schedule (All times local)
9:30 AM - Registration
Register for blitz. Cash and EMT accepted. Those wishing to play only bullet or chess960 can register 30 minutes prior to scheduled start times of those events (see below)
10:00 AM – Blitz Tournament
- Format:
- If fewer than 10 players: Round Robin double rounds (each opponent played twice)
- If 10 or more: 7 double-round Swiss system
- Time Control: 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment per move
- Estimated Finish: 1:00 PM
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Lunch Break
2:00 PM – Bullet Tournament
- Format:
- Fewer than 7 players: Quadruple Round Robin
- 7 to 9 players: Double Round Robin
- 10 or more: 7 double-round Swiss system
- Time Control: 1 minute + 1 second increment per move
- Estimated Finish: 3:30 PM (with a 10–15 minute buffer)
3:30 PM – Chess 960 Tournament
- Format: 4 rounds Swiss system
- Time Control: 10 minutes + 5 seconds increment
- Positions: Randomized starting position generated at the beginning of each round (Four different positions - a different one for each game). Starting positions generated using online generator.
- Estimated Finish: By 6:00 PM
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Additional Information
- Entry Fee: $25 (includes all three events) Or $10 per tournament. Pay onsite in cash or EMT onsite.
- Registration: Onsite
- Location: MUN Engineering Cafeteria
- Equipment: Boards and clocks will be provided. Bring your own set if you prefer.
- Prizes: For each tournament, based on total entrants and fees: 1st 40%, 2nd 20%, Top Junior 20%, NLCA retains 20% for future costs (such as equipment, etc.)
Players can only win one prize per event.
- Membership: NOT required
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Notes and Tournament Rules
- You may register for one, two, or all three events—please specify during registration (onsite).
- Formats and pairings will adjust based on player turnout for blitz and bullet to ensure a smooth experience. If format is Round Robin, pairing charts may be used instead of computer pairings. If 10+ players in blitz or bullet, we use 7 round Swiss System pairings.
- Expect a competitive but friendly atmosphere. We encourage sportsmanship and respect. I am tournament director but I will also be playing all events and I will be unable to adjudicate games most of the time. Therefore I'm relying on players to resolve issues if at all possible. Please be honest and fair.
- Touch CLOCK rules. This means a move is only made after you press your clock. Touch move will NOT be enforced. Press the clock with the same hand you move pieces with.
- Illegal moves (in blitz and bullet format only) will result in opposing player being able to claim a win. This is quite harsh, but the objective is to reduce disputes and delays in very fast games, and keep the pace of the game as expected. A move is completed once the clock is pressed.
Please be careful!
- Illegal moves in Chess960 can be taken back. Pause your clock and ask your opponent to play another move.
Tournament Director: Steve Martin
- Contact: stevew83[at]gmail[dot]com (I'm happy to answer any questions)
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Looking forward to seeing everyone for a full day of fast and fun chess!