Join us in Baton Rouge again for a new type of tournament: The Louisiana City Cup! An individual-with-teams tournament where the best players in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and everywhere else compete for the City Cup! Out of state players and teams welcome.
Registration: Click register to secure your spot! On site registration first come, first serve.
Tournament details: Five round, two-section, swiss system, G/40;d5, USCF dual-rated tournament.
Date: Saturday, June 6, 2026. Registration 9:15 AM-9:45 AM, first round pairs for 10:00 AM. Please do not enter the building prior to 9:15 AM!
Venue: Baton Rouge Bridge Center, 3033 Old Forge Dr, Baton Rouge, LA
Round times: 10:00 AM, 11:45 AM, 1:25PM, [meal break], 3:45 PM, 5:25 PM, prizes at 7:00 PM. Round times are tentative and subject to change. If we can move quicker, we will!
Prize fund: Prize fund is $1,000 b/60, 50% guaranteed. Prize fund breakdown as follows:
1st in open/unrated: $400
2nd in open/unrated: $200
1st in u1400: $200
2nd in u1400: $100
Best team performance in open: $100
Second best team performance in open: $50
Sections: Open and U1400. TD reserves the right to adjust sections to match turnout. TDs reserve the right to use accelerated swiss pairing if one section contains more than 32 players.
Teams: Teams will be made up of the top 4 players that reside in that city or metropolitan area. More than one team per city allowed. Team settings will be set to avoid playing members of same team (USCF 28N). Teams may not cross sections.
Pairing: Highest of quick or regular rating to be used for pairing and prizes. If you are rated under 1400 but would like to play in the open, you may register for the open at no extra charge. Unrated players may play in either section, but are prize eligible in the open only. Ratings determined by this month's official USCF rating. 100 elo added to provisional ratings.
Entry fee: $35 early entry fee if purchased by one week prior. $40 standard entry if purchased by two days prior. $45 thereafter and on-site. Capacity limited to first 70 pre-registrants.
Eligibility: Current USCF membership required.
Bye policy: Two 0.5 point byes for any round available upon request, must be made prior to pairing round three in non-emergency situations. Bye requests cannot be cancelled following the start of round 3.
Equipment: A small amount of chess equipment will be provided. If you have a chess set and clock, please bring it.
Tiebreaks: Cash prizes to be split among all tied entrants.
Late arrivals: Games are forfeited 30 minutes after the round start time if a player has not arrived.
Refunds: Players who withdraw 60 minutes before round one are eligible for a refund of their entry fee, minus any applicable payment-processor fees (typically 5-7%).
Unrated players with foreign ratings: For unrated USCF players with established foreign ratings, the most current USCF conversion will be used (with preference toward their FIDE rating, if available) for all sections.
Conduct: Any player who does not shake hands with the opponent (or greets the opponent in a normal social manner in accordance with the conventional rules of their society) before the game starts or during a match (and does not do it after being asked to do so by the arbiter) or deliberately insults his/her opponent or the officials of the event, may be penalized according to US Chess rule 13I.
Prize payouts: Players have 10 days after the conclusion of the tournament to claim their prize. We will email you twice. Please check your email if you believe you are prize eligible.
Contact: Email info@downriverchess.com with all questions.
Visit www.downriverchess.com/tournaments for all other upcoming tournaments!