Chess Variant Tournament

September 28, 2008

Join us at the Carrel Chess Club  in Canton, Michigan on Sunday, September 28 for a day of Chess variants.  The game we know as Chess evolved differently in different parts of the world, and people are still suggesting ways in which it might evolve in the future.  We will explore some of these variations in the game of Chess by holding a tournament where we play some of the most significant variations of Chess, developed in ancient and modern times. We will be playing:

Chess960 (also known as Fischer Random Chess)
Xiangqi (Chinese Chess)
Shogi (Japanese Chess)
Makruk (Thai Chess)
Cannon (Not a chess variant, but you might like it anyway.)

For more information on any of these games, click one of the links below.  Note that no experience is necessary to play in any event.  New players are welcome.

Chess960

Xiangqi

Shogi

Makruk

Cannon

There will be a separate tournament for each game to be played.  Each tournament will feature three rounds of play.  See Format Notes below.

Date: Sunday, September 28, 2008

Entry Fee:  $5.00

Registration:  To register, go to the Carrel Chess Club web site www.carrelchessclub.com , and select the tournament registration tab.  Indicate that you are registering for the Chess Variant tournament.  In the comments field, please indicate which game you wish to play.  Preregistration is not required, but it is highly recommended.  We will use preregistration information to verify that we have enough equipment for specific games to be played.  The total attendance is limited to 50 players.

Schedule:  11:30 - 12:45  Registration.  During this time, the games to be played will be available for practice or familiarization with the rules for new players.
Rounds:     Each tournament will be conducted as a 3 round tournament.  Rounds are scheduled for 1:00, 2:20, and 3:40.  G40 Time controls. See format notes below.

Prizes:  A medal to the first place finisher in each game, plus a certificate for free admission to one Carrel Chess Club event.

Please bring:  If you have a copy of the game you will be playing, please bring it.  (i.e. Bring your Shogi set if playing Shogi.)  The club will provide some equipment, based on preregistration numbers, for those who do not have equipment.  The club provided sets will use westernized symbols.  (i.e. There will be a picture of an elephant on the Xiangqi piece, instead of the Chinese character for "elephant".)  Makruk may be played with a standard international Chess set, so if you are playing that game and have a club style Chess set, please bring it.  (You might need extra queens!)  Chess960 uses standard Chess sets, so bring a club style Chess set if you own one.  The club will be providing Cannon sets for play, but in the event you actually have one, please bring that, too.

If you own a Chess clock, please bring it.  The club has some extras for people who do not own Chess clocks, but the supply may be limited.

Questions:  Send an email to dave@gamesinmichigan.com

This event is part of the 2008 IAGO World Tour .

Format Notes:

     Each game will be conducted as a three round tournament.  The exact format will be determined based on the number of players.
     4 players: 3 round "quad" format.  A "quad" is a four person round robin format, in which each player plays all three opponents.
     5 or more players:  3 round Swiss tournament.  If there are more than 8 players, there will be multiple first place prizes awarded.  If you don't know what a Swiss Style tournament is, click here .
     3 or fewer players:  Game cancelled.  You will be welcome to join any of the other tournaments.  If you do not wish to do so, any money will be refunded, but you may still stay and play against other players while they are not playing in an actual tournament game..

     Each round will be conducted with G40 time controls.  That means that each player will have 40 minutes to make all his or her moves.  If each player agrees and a delay clock is available, the players may use G35 with 5 second delays.

     Because there are only 3 rounds, we wish to avoid "byes" wherever possible.  If there are odd numbers of players, we will try to balance players by providing a "house player" or encouraging someone to switch games.