2024 Hawaii Open

Aug 31, 2024 - Sep, 02, 2024

Register  Entry List

2024 HAWAII OPEN with $5,000 in Guaranteed Prizes!

Chess & Blitz Chess Championship Tournaments  

When:  Labor Day Weekend, August 31 to September 2, 2024

Event Organizer:  Hawaii Chess Federation

Where:  The Capitol Modern (The Hawaii State Art Museum) 250 South Hotel St., Honolulu

Parking:  Limited street parking on weekends. Paid parking garage at the building across the street at Ali'i Place.

Format:  A five-round Swiss-System, non-elimination chess tournament - everyone plays all rounds. It is USCF rated.

Sections: The two main sections are Open (all ratings welcome) and Reserve (for players rated below 1500 or unrated). There is also a one-day, 4-round section on Sunday for players rated under 800. The six-round Blitz tournament on Monday is open to all abilities, and you play each opponent twice. 

Time Controls: (Clocks will be started at published round times)

  • Open & Reserve Sections: Game in 90 minutes with a 30-second increment (G/90 +30).  Rounds 1 and 2 can be played at a faster time control (G/45 +15) starting at 3pm on Saturday.   
  • Under 800 Section Game in 45 minutes with a 10-second increment  (G/45 +10). 
  • Blitz tournament: Game in 5 minutes with a 3-second increment (G/5 +3).

Saturday Schedule:  

  • 9:00-10:15am check in. 
  • 10:45am players meeting. 
  • 11:00am Round 1. 
  • 4:00pm Round 2.  

Players who prefer to play rounds 1 and 2 at a faster time control (G/45 +15), can join the tournament at 3pm and play rounds 1 and 2 at 4:00pm and 7:00pm. Players who wish to re-enter the tournament at 3pm may do so for $40. Regular and delayed sections merge after round 2. 

Sunday Schedule (Open and Reserve): 

  • 9:00 am Round 3
  • 2:00 pm HCF Annual Membership Meeting.
  • 3:00 pm Round 4

Sunday Schedule (Under 800): 

  • 8:00am-8:30am check in
  • 8:45am Players Meeting
  • 9:00am Round 1
  • 11:00am Round 2
  • 2:00pm Round 3
  • 4:00pm Round 4
  • 6:30pm Awards Ceremony

Monday Schedule:  

  • 10:00 am Round 5. 
  • 3:00 p.m. Awards ceremony.
  • 4:00pm - 7:00pm Blitz tournament

Registration:  

  • If you are already a USCF member, click here to look up your number and expiration date.
  • If you are not a current USCF member, you must join or renew here before the tournament.
  • Blitz tournament on-site registration is open throughout the main tournament.  Blitz registration closes at noon Monday!  Double entry fee after the deadline plus first-round bye.

Entry fees:

  • Open and Reserve (under 1500) EF:  $80 early bird entry fee until midnight on 8/1/24. $100 entry fee until midnight, 8/27/24.  $120 late entry fee until midnight, 8/29/24. $150 on-site registration fee.  Re-entry in the Open and Reserve sections available for $40 if players lose round 1 on Saturday morning and want to start over at 3:00pm in the afternoon. 
  • Under 800 Tournament EF: $40 early-bird entry fee until midnight on 8/1/24. $50 regular entry fee until midnight, 8/27/24.  $60 late until midnight on 8/29/24.  $75 on-site entry fee.
  • Blitz tournament EF: $25. Register in advance, anytme at the tournament, until noon Monday when entry fee doubles to $50.  Early-bird entry fee (before 8/1/24 midnight) is $20.

Byes: Half-point byes available in any round (2 byes maximum).  Last-round byes must be arranged before the start of the second round.

Prizes: 

  • State chess champion name engraved on perpetual trophy for Open section winner(s). (Hawaii residents only).
  • Womens champion name(s) engraved on perpetual trophy (Hawaii residents) for performance rating.
  • Trophies for Reserve and Under 800 section winners.  
  • Cash prizes are based on entries, with $5,000 unconditionally guaranteed.
  • Prizes distributed so that every player has a reasonable chance of winning a prize (distribution to be announced soon).

Official Ratings: USCF official ratings from August 2024, will be used for this event.  All participants must be current USCF members. The current list of Hawaii players with USCF ratings is here. 


Food: No food in tournament rooms. There are nearby restaurants within walking distance like Subway, Starbucks and a Palama Mart.

  

 

The Hawaii Chess Federation, as event organizer, reserves the right to change any information above at any time.

For questions please email hawaichessfederation@gmail.com or contact HCF on Facebook or X.