UNDER Sections

The information on this page pertains to the UNDER (“Uxxxx”) sections only, which are not FIDE rated. For information about the FIDE sections, go to the FIDE Sections webpage.

USCF Membership: A player must be a current member of the US Chess Federation (USCF) on the tournament dates to play in the Cincinnati Open. A USCF membership may be purchased or renewed on the USCF website.

Sections: The UNDER sections are as follows:

• Seniors U2201 (limited to players born in or before 1976)
• U1901
• U1601
• U1301
• U1001

Ratings used for section eligibility:  Official USCF Regular ratings as of April 1, 2026, will be used to determine a player’s section eligibility; however, for an officially unrated player, we will use an unofficial USCF Regular rating published in his or her tournament history if there is one. A player with an official Regular rating may request that a more recent Regular rating published in his or her tournament history be used instead provided that the more recent rating is higher than his or her official April 1 rating. Players with neither an official nor unofficial Regular rating are unrated for purposes of this tournament and may play in any section but may not win any prize larger than the second-place prize amount for the section in which they play. Players may play up one section higher than the section for which their rating qualifies them, with the payment of an additional fee of $15.

Seniors section eligibility: The Seniors U2201 section is open to all players who are 50 years of age or older, or will turn 50 in 2026. For simplicity, ages are determined by birth year: anyone born in or before 1976, is eligible to play in this section. (Players born between April 13 and December 31, 1976, are eligible even though they will be only 49 at the time of the tournament.) Age eligibility will be subject to confirmation upon arrival at the tournament. Because of the extensive rating range in this section, accelerated pairings may be used for rounds 1 and 2.

Rating change considerations: A player’s rating can change between the time of entry and the publication of official ratings as of April 1, 2026. When a rating change makes it necessary to move a player to a higher section, we will move the player, with notification, into the nearest section for which he or she is eligible. When a rating change makes it possible for a player to move to a lower section, we will move the player only if he or she so requests by the applicable entry deadline.

Time Control and Schedule:  The time control for all rounds is G/110;d5. Six rounds are scheduled as follows: Friday 7:00, Saturday 9:30, 2:00 & 7:00, Sunday 9:30 & 2:00. All players play five rounds out of the six that are scheduled.

Tournament Rules and Policies: We encourage players to review our electronic device policy, which covers mobile phones, electronic scoresheets, and similar devices, and rule clarifications and policies that will be in effect for the Cincinnati Open.

Byes: The Cincinnati Open is a five-round tournament, but six rounds are scheduled for every UNDER section. Accordingly, all players must select any one of the six scheduled rounds for a zero-point bye so that all players play a five-round schedule. This schedule provides the flexibility for players to choose a bye round and still play five games all at the same time control. As best suits their individual circumstances, players can:

• Skip the Friday night round and play a two-day schedule,
• Sleep in Saturday morning,
• Take Saturday evening off,
• Take a long break between morning and evening rounds on Saturday,
• Skip the Sunday morning round,
• Leave for home earlier on Sunday without giving up a game, or
• By electing a zero-point bye for round 5 and a half-point bye for round 6, play a two-day schedule on Friday and Saturday and still play four games.

In addition to the required zero-point bye, players may take one or two optional half-point byes for any round(s), except that a player who requests a bye after receiving a full point, as a result of being paired out or having a forfeit win, will be given a zero-point bye instead of a half-point bye. When a player requests one or more optional byes, the zero-point bye will be assigned to the earliest bye round.

Players may request, change or cancel a bye for a future round until 5:00 pm on Saturday, April 11, at which time they are committed irrevocably to their selected bye rounds. Players may select byes on their entry form or, until the advance entry deadline, by email to info@chesscincinnati.com. After the advance entry deadline, players must submit onsite a completed Bye Request Form to request, change or cancel a bye.

Verifying byes: Initial wall charts will be posted at the tournament showing all byes for advance entries. Updated wall charts will be posted during the tournament as feasible, and also published on the SwissSys Events website. Players are responsible for verifying the byes shown for them on the wall chart and for notifying their section tournament director of any necessary corrections. A player who does not play a round for which he or she does not have a bye will be forfeited and may be readmitted to the tournament at the sole discretion of the chief tournament director.

Entry Information: The advance entry fee is $120 through Friday, April 3, and $135 thereafter until 8:00 am on Friday, April 10. Enter online through King Registration, paying by credit card or PayPal account, or enter by mail using the mail-in entry form and paying by check.

Onsite entry: The onsite entry fee is $150. Players entering onsite may pay with cash or credit card. Onsite entries will be accepted during the following periods:

• Friday, April 10, 5:00–6:00 pm to enter any section.
• Saturday, April 11, 8:00–10:00 am to enter any section with a zero-point bye for the Friday, 7:00 pm round. Players must enter before 8:45 am to be paired in the Saturday 9:30 am round. Players entering after 8:45 am will be given a half-point bye for the Saturday 9:30 am round.

Re-Entry: Only players who play the Friday night round are eligible to re-enter. Players wishing to re-enter must do so before 8:45 am on Saturday, April 11. A player may re-enter the same section or any other UNDER section for which he or she satisfies the rating requirement. (Players may not withdraw from an UNDER section and re-enter a FIDE section even if their rating qualifies them for the FIDE section.) Players who re-enter must take the Friday night round as their zero-point bye for the re-entry and will abandon their original entry; only the re-entry will be carried forward into later rounds regardless of the first-round score related to either entry.

Entry fee refunds: If a player withdraws from the tournament, we will refund the entry fee paid only if we receive notice of the player’s withdrawal by email or text prior to 6:00 pm on Friday, April 10. The amount refunded will be the entry fee paid less a $6.00 processing fee.

Prizes: The total tournament prize pool is $18,000, based on 280 paid entries. If fewer than 280 paid entries are received, prizes will be paid in proportion, with a minimum payment of 50% of the advertised amounts. Prizes will be split among tied players. Prizes by section are as follows:

Venue: Embassy Suites, 4554 Lake Forest Drive, Blue Ash, OH 45242. Click here to see a map. Room rates are $119/night for a single king suite, and $129/night for a double queen suite, plus applicable taxes. All rooms also have a sofa bed. Free made-to-order hot breakfast for up to two room occupants. To reserve a room at the Embassy Suites, you may book a room through our booking link or call the hotel at 513-733-8900 and ask for the Cincinnati Open Chess Tournament rate.

Equipment and Reporting Results: Players are expected to bring their own boards, sets and clocks. Scoresheets will be provided, but players are free to use their own scoresheets or scorebooks if they wish. Players are not required to provide a copy of their scoresheet to the tournament director.
Both players are responsible for making sure that the result of their game is recorded correctly on the posted pairing chart. This should be done promptly after the conclusion of their game. At the time when pairings must be generated for the next round, any missing result will be treated as a double forfeit. Please be conscientious about this to prevent confusion, frustration, delays, and skewed pairings.

Posting Pairings Online: We will publish tournament files on the SwissSys Events website. This will enable players to view current wall charts, standings and pairings online. When the tournament has been uploaded to the SwissSys Events website, we will publish instructions here for accessing it.

Other: No smoking, no computers.

Email questions to info@chesscincinnati.com, or text/call Alan at 513-600-9915.