2024 ICA Open Championships

Designed for more skilled and experienced chess players, the ICA Open Championship is an exciting elite competition for advanced players to play against each other at a high level. We host the Open Championships each month, alternating between our Glen Rock Location and Bergen County Acadmies. A Minimum 1600 USCF rating is required in either: 1) the monthly published rating supplement or 2) live rating based on recently submitted tournaments.

The tournament consists of a single section into which all players are grouped. Each competitor plays three games, matched against opponents based on previous results and rating. This pairing system gives lower rated players the opportunity to test their abilities and prove themselves against National Masters!

Best of all, we offer cash prizes! Eligibility for class prizes is based on published rating only. The championship winner earns $200, second place receives $150, and third gets $100. Although this statute is rarely applied, we reserve the right to decrease the prize fund to 70% minimum if total registration is below 30 participants. Additionally, we offer a $75 cash prize for the top performing U2200, U2000, U1800, under 13 years old, and over 55 years old players.

All games are G/60;d5 (60 minutes per person with a five second delay per turn). The first round will always start at 2 PM exactly. The second round begins at 4:15 PM and the third starts at 6:30 PM. However, five to ten minutes of leeway are generally granted for players who just finished an earlier round and need a short amount of extra time before their next match.

The early bird entry fee is $35. This rate expires the Thursday before the tournament at 11:59 PM, after which the entry fee is $50. Online registration will expire the day of the tournament at 12 PM. Onsite registration is available from 10 AM till 1 PM on the day of the tournament.

Chess sets and score sheets are provided. However, players must bring their own clocks!