Entry Fee: none. Prizes: none. Rating: none. Variants cannot be rated.
Tournament Director: Kevin Zemko.
Referees: Appointed by tournament director.
Decisions made by the referee can be appealed to the tournament director. Decisions made by the tournament director are final.
Variants
Four-way chess. Two teams of two players each play chess using four different colored sets of pieces on a 160-square board, arranged in the shape of a plus sign. Both opposing kings are to be checkmated to win; draws are possible. Details will be explained at the time of play. I have two four-way boards. Players are welcome to bring their own four-way boards. In my experience, a reasonably paced game takes 90 minutes.
Three-way chess. Three players play on an oddly shaped chess board using red, white, and black pieces. Details will be explained at the time of play. I have one three-way chess board. Players are welcome to bring their own three-way boards.
Hand and Brain: using a standard chess set, two teams of two players each, the ‘brain’ player names only a piece or pawn, but not a specific piece or pawn, e.g., “bishop;” the ‘hand’ player makes a move independently. Collaboration is not allowed.
Team Moves Determined by Players Names Drawn from a Hat: Two teams, white and black, using a standard chess set. Teams to have approximately equal numbers of players with approximately equal average rating. The referee / tournament director draws the names of players from a hat and posts the order of players to move. Players must independently determine and complete moves without collaboration.
Team Moves Determined by Moves Drawn From a Hat: Two teams, white and black, using a standard chess set. Teams to have approximately equal numbers of players with approximately equal average rating. Players submit legal moves into a hat with a suggested time control of two minutes for all submissions. The referee or tournament director draws the move from the hat and ensures that only legal moves are made.
Suggested schedules, Numbers of Games, “Rounds” Times:
Arrival: Players should arrive by 9:40 am to enable discussion and to break into groups for preferred variants so that games can begin promptly at 10:00 am.
Four-way chess: 3 games possible; 10:00 am to 12:00 pm game; lunch break 12:00-1:00; 1:00 to 3:00 game; break 3:00-3:15; game 3:15-5:15.
Three-way chess: Suggested time controls: G/30;d0 or G/60;d0.
G/30;d0: game 10:00 am to 12:45pm; break 12:45-2:15; game 2:15pm to 5:00pm.
G/60;d0: game 10:00am to 1:15pm; game 1:30pm to 5:00pm (no lunch break if players elect two long three-way games).
Hand and Brain: three games possible. Suggested time control of G/60;d0. Rounds times: 10:00; 1:00; 3:00.
Players Names from Hat: two games possible; 10:00 am and 1:30pm. Suggested time control: up to five minutes per move. Fischer timing could be possible – a quickly played move adds time to the team’s clock; a slowly played move uses move than the average time per move.
Moves from Hat: two games possible; 10:00 am and 1:30 pm. Suggested time control: up to two minutes for submission of moves. The referee or tournament director will play the drawn moves on the board as quickly as possible.
All games should conclude by 5:30 pm for cleanup between 5:30 and 6:00 pm.