Events Page

Chess Tournaments in Seattle, Tacoma, and the South Sound!

Looking for chess tournaments near Seattle? Here are our chess club’s upcoming events!

All entries free unless otherwise noted.

Summer Rapid Tournament!

Cash prizes are scaled based on 50 participants. Subject to change if fewer show up, but bracketed prizes will definitely occur.

FORMAT: A 5-round Swiss event in two sections. Maximum 50 players. If limited players, sections may be combined.
ENTRY FEE: $25
SCHEDULE: Check-in: 9-9:45am. Rounds (5): 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm. Closing ceremony 3pm or ASAP. Blitz tournament to follow starting at 4 PM!
TIME CONTROL: G/15; +10 sec. increment per move starting from move 1.
BYES: One half-point bye available; request at check-in.
PRIZE FUND: $1000 based on 50 entries. Prizes are subject to change.

Open:
1st: $200, 2nd: $120, 3rd: $80, U1700/U1500: $50 each

Reserve (U1500):
1st: $120, $2nd: $80, U1300/U1100/Unrated: $30 each

RATING: US Chess rated Quick. Higher of June 2024 US Chess Regular or Quick rating will be used to determine pairings and prizes.

MEMBERSHIP: US Chess Membership required.

Register for the Summer Rapid Kickoff on June 22nd!

June 2024

No advance registration anymore – just show up!

  • Thursday, June 20th
    • Event: Unrated Blitz (4-5 games)
      • Time Control: G/5 +5
      • Rating: None! Bring your friends!
    • Time: Arrive by 6:40 PM PT
    • Location: Des Moines Gospel Chapel
      • 21914 7th Ave S, Des Moines, WA 98198
  • Thursday, June 27th 
    • Event: Rapid Quads
      • Time Control: G/15 + 10
      • Rating: USCF Quick
    • Time: Arrive by 6:40 PM PT
    • Location: Des Moines Gospel Chapel
      • 21914 7th Ave S, Des Moines, WA 98198

Remember, for all events that have a Rating of USCF, you need a valid and current USCF membership. It is not always possible to process membership at the South Sound Chess Club, so please ensure you have this taken care of before showing up! If the Rating is “None,” then feel free to show up and play! No USCF membership required.

Events at Des Moines Gospel Chapel:

  • Plenty of parking in the adjacent lot or on the street!
  • See the Street View below for which door to enter and locations of the parking lot and street parking.
Des Moines Gospel Chapel
Des Moines Gospel Chapel

What’s the difference between regular, quick, and blitz ratings? We wrote a blog post on USCF Time Controls.

We typically rotate between the following time controls:

  • Rapid (G/15+10)
  • Blitz (G/5+5)
  • Classical (G/60+15)
  • Dual-Rated (G/30; d15)
  • ….and something fun and different every so often!

Thanks for considering our chess club that services the Seattle, Tacoma, Des Moines, and Western Washington region!

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