Queen City Open FIDE & UNDER 1800

Queen City Open - January 17-18, 2026.

FIDE Arbiter & Tournament Director: Alan Hodge.

Tournament Venue: The Carnegie Center, 3738 Eastern Ave. Cincinnati, OH. 45226

2 Sections:

Open Section is FIDE & USCF Rated
UNDER 1800 Section is USCF Rated Only.

***Players cannot "play up." Must be 1800 or above to play in the Open Section.***

Format: 4 Rounds - Round Times:

1st Round - 10:00am; Sat. Jan. 17
2nd Round - 3:30pm; Sat. Jan. 17
3rd Round - 10:00am; Sun. Jan. 18
4th Round - 3:30pm; Sun. Jan. 18.
Players may take a 1/2-point BYE for any round; must commit before round #3, Sunday morning

Accelerated Pairings might be used.

Time Control: G/110 d/30. Both players receive one hour and 50 minutes with a 30-second delay.

The prize pool of $6,000 is based on 80 paid entries. All pieces, boards, clocks and scoresheets are provided.

Entry Fee: $120 - Registration must be completed online; no on-site registration will be accepted. The tournament has a maximum limit of 80 players, and it is expected to sell out. Register Early!! GM, IM, WGM, WIM enter for free; Entry Fee will be deducted from prize winnings. For complete tournament details, see: https://chessearth.com/queen-city-open-2026/

Open Section - FIDE & USCF Rated

1st: $1,000. 2nd: $700. 3rd: $500.
UNDER 2200: $400.
UNDER 2000: $400.

UNDER 1800 Section - USCF Rated Only

1st: $1,000. 2nd: $700. 3rd: $500.
UNDER 1600: $400.
UNDER 1400: $400

To play in the FIDE Open Section:

Players must have a FIDE Identification Number (FIN) and be current USCF members. If you do not have a FIN, please obtain one before entering the tournament. For more FIDE details and how to get a FIN, see: https://chessearth.com/queen-city-open.

***Players cannot "play up." Must be 1800 or above to play in the Open Section.***

BYES: Players may take a 1/2-point BYE for any round; must commit before round #3, Sunday morning

Chess Earth will sell good food and chess equipment, chess merch, and chess swag.

Hotel Options:

(4 miles away from the venue) Best Western/Mariemont Inn; 6880 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, OH 45227
(3.7 miles)The Summit Hotel; 5345 Medpace Way, Cincinnati, OH 45227
(3.3 miles) Home2 Suites by Hilton Cincinnati Midtown Oakley; 2910 Disney St, Cincinnati, OH 45209
(4 miles) Hampton Inn and Suites by Hilton Cincinnati Midtown Rookwood; 2654 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45208
(3.4 miles) Hilton Garden Inn Cincinnati Midtown; 2145 Dana Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45207

Tournament Venue: The Carnegie Center, 3738 Eastern Ave. Cincinnati, OH. 45226

Organized by Chess Earth, LLC.

Questions? admin@chessearth.com