2020 U.S. Junior Championship

* All times listed are CT (GMT-5).

Format: The 2020 U.S. Chess Championships (“the Event”) is a rapid round robin tournament.
Venue: The Event is an online event. Players will compete from their homes under the supervision of a Chief Arbiter (“CA”) and Deputy Arbiters (“DA”). The Chief Arbiter shall be Chris Bird, IA. The Chief Organizer (“CO”) shall be Tony Rich, IA, IO.
Schedule of Events: Each round shall begin at the start times listed in the Schedule of Events attached hereto as Exhibit A (the “Schedule of Events”).
Pairings:
Players will draw lots during the opening ceremony to determine their pairing number.
Players will be paired based on the standard FIDE Berger tables for Round Robin tournaments.
Scoring:
In each game, a win is worth 1 point, a draw is worth ½ point and a loss is worth 0 points.
Games will be rated and will impact a Player’s US Chess Online Regular Rating.
Games will not be FIDE rated.
Time Control: The time control shall be twenty five (25) minutes per game, with a five (5)-second increment from move one (G/25+5).
The time control shall be twenty five (25) minutes per game, with a five (5)-second increment from move one (G/25+5).
Prizes:
The total prize fund for U.S. Championship shall be $150,000 (One Hundred Fifty Thousand U.S. Dollars).
The total prize fund for U.S. Women’s Championship shall be $100,000 (One Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars).
The total prize fund for U.S. Senior Championship shall be $50,000 (Fifty Thousand U.S. Dollars).
The total prize fund for U.S. Junior Championship shall be $20,600 (Twenty Thousand Six Hundred U.S. Dollars).
The total prize fund for U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship shall be $10,300 (Ten Thousand Three Hundred U.S. Dollars).
Tiebreak
An Armageddon Game is defined as follows: White shall start with 5 minutes and black shall start with 4 minutes. Black shall be declared the winner if the game ends in a draw.
If two or more Players are tied for first, a playoff will be held to determine final standings among all tied players.
The winner of the playoff shall be named the 2020 U.S. Champion and shall receive the 1st place prize.
All other tied players shall divide prize money evenly.
Two Players: The tie will be broken with a two-game rapid match (G/10 +2 increment).  If the contest is still undecided, the match will be decided by an Armageddon Game.
Three or Four Players: If there are three or four Players tied for first, the Players shall contest a rapid round robin (G/10 +2 increment).
If no clear winner is produced, the remaining tied players shall contest a blitz (G/3 +2 increment)
round robin (if three or four players remain tied) or
2-game match (if two players remain tied).
If the contest is still undecided, the match will be decided by a series of Armageddon Games.
More Than Four Players: If more than four players are tied for first place, a combination of math tie-breaks and playoffs will be used to determine the winner. The format if more than four players are tied for first will be determined by the CA and the CO.
Arbitration
The tournament shall be played according to the rules set by lichess.org. Players shall use lichess accounts provided by the organizer.
The tournament shall be supervised by the Chief Arbiter (the “CA”).
The CA shall be responsible for ensuring fair play and implementing any anti-cheating measures.
If a player wishes to appeal a decision of the CA, they must do so immediately after the game by notifying the CA.
The Chief Organizer (the “CO”) shall appoint a three (3)-person appeals committee consisting of at least two (2) arbiters (the “Appeals Committee”).
Decisions of the Appeals Committee are final.
Players are required to sign into Skype and Zoom on their playing computer one hour before the start of play and enable video, audio and screen sharing. Skype will be used as part of the live commentary show, and the CA shall also monitor players and their playing environment via Skype.
Players are further required to sign into Zoom on a separate device (PC, tablet, laptop, phone, etc) and enable video and audio. Zoom on the secondary device shall be used throughout the event as part of the anti-cheating measures, and will be the main method of communication between the CA and Player.
If a player disconnects from lichess.org, that player shall lose all time for which they are disconnected.
In the event of an unexpected occurrence, the CA reserves the right to make all decisions in conjunction with or on behalf of the CO.
Anti-Cheating Measures
Players are required to allow the CA to inspect the playing area and computer on which the player will compete at any time throughout the competition upon request.
Players are not allowed to leave the computer while their game is in progress.
Players shall not run any software other than a web browser with one tab open to lichess.org and Zoom unless expressly allowed by the CA and CO.
Players shall not use any other electronic devices while playing, including headphones, mobile phones, etc.
Games may be submitted for anti-cheating analysis.

Live Broadcast Commentators

GM Yasser Seirawan 2677 (USCF) | 2620 (FIDE) 4-time U.S. Champion

Yasser Seirawan is a four-time U.S. Champion and former World Championship contender. Born in Syria, Seirawan’s family immigrated to the U.S. when he was 7 years old and settled in Seattle. He picked up the game of chess at age 12, and, at 13 Seirawan became the Washington State Junior Chess Champion; by 1979, he won the World Junior Championship. He went on to dominate the American chess scene, winning the U.S. Championship title in 1981, 1986 and 1989 and then again in 2000. Seirawan continued to play in major world-class events, including serving 10 times as a member of the U.S. team at the World Chess Olympiad, until his retirement in 2003. Seirawan came out of retirement in 2011 to play in the U.S. Championship, which was held in Saint Louis and followed with a stunning performance at the 2011 World Team Championship, where he earned an individual silver medal for his performance on board four. Seirawan is a highly respected teacher, commentator and author and has written several books including Chess Duels, the 2010 Chesscafe.com’s book of the year.

WGM Jennifer Shahade 2301 (USCF) | 2322 (FIDE) 2-time U.S. Women’s Champion Jennifer is a two-time US Women’s Chess Champion, the Women’s Program Director at US Chess and  a frequent commentator for the Grand Chess Tour. She has hosted the US Chess Championships since it first came to Saint Louis in 2008, when she chaired the organizing committee for the first several editions, setting the tone for a new era in US Championship history. She hosts the award-winning Ladies Knight podcast on the US Chess network, and The GRID, a chess-inspired poker show that won the 2019 Global Poker Award for Best Podcast. Through her advocacy, appearances and media work, Jennifer has pushed gender equality in chess for her entire career. She is the author of Chess Bitch: Women in the Ultimate Intellectual Sport, and Play Like A Girl. She also produced the short documentaries Girls in Chess and the Magic of Chess, which highlight the diversity of our great game. Jennifer is also the MindSports Ambassador for PokerStars and serves on the board of the World Chess Hall of Fame. She creates chess related art with her husband Daniel Meirom, including hula chess and Not Particularly Beautiful.

GM Maurice Ashley 2459 (USCF) | 2440 (FIDE) Millionaire Chess Organizer

Through chess, Maurice Ashley has not only made history as the first and only African-American International Grandmaster in 1999, but has translated his talents to others as a three-time national championship coach, two-time author, ESPN commentator, iPhone app designer, puzzle inventor and motivational speaker. Ashley now works as a Research Affiliate at MIT’s Media Lab to bring the benefits of chess and other classic games to a wider educational audience through the innovative use of technology. Ashley’s book, “Chess for Success” (Broadway Books, 2005), crystallizes his vision of the many benefits of chess, particularly for at-risk youth, and he continuously spreads his message of living one’s dream to universities, businesses, chess clubs and non-profit organizations around the globe. His app, “Learn Chess! With Maurice Ashley,” has been sold in over 30 countries, and he has received multiple community service awards from city governments, universities and community groups for his work. In the fall of 2011, Ashley toured six Caribbean nations to bring chess, books and technology to kids in the region. Ashley also works with the Saint Louis Chess Club scholastic initiative to bring the educational benefits of chess to area students.

GM Cristian Chirila 2624 (USCF) | 2536 (FIDE) MIZZOU Chess Coach

Cristian Chirila was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1991. He was introduced to chess at the age of five by his father, and by the age of 13, took 9th place at the 2004 Romanian Men’s Chess Championship. Cristian dominated the Romanian Junior competitions, won the prestigious World Youth Championship U16 in 2007, as well as tied for first place in the 2008 edition. In 2010 he started his higher education pursuing a Political Science diploma at the University of Texas at Dallas. After graduating in 2014, he has won multiple open tournaments in the US, his last success came late last year when he win the U2550 section of the Millionaire Open. He is currently the head coach for the University of Missouri (Mizzou) Chess Team.

Arbiters

Chris Bird Chief Arbiter International Arbiter National Tournament Director​Chris Bird is an International Arbiter (awarded 2010) and US Chess National Tournament Director (awarded 2012). Chris has been the Chief Arbiter for numerous Sinquefield Cups, as well as the US Championship, US Women’s Championship, SuperNationals VI, Las Vegas International Chess Festival and at numerous other events across the US. Chris has directed at more than 300 events over the past 20 years and most recently was the Chief Arbiter at the online version of the 2020 St. Louis Rapid and Blitz. As well as being an arbiter, Chris’s full-time role is as the FIDE Events Manager for US Chess. Chris is also a former President and Board Member of Nevada Chess, Inc. and former General Secretary and League Secretary of the Hull and District Chess Association in England.