Continental Chess Bulletin

NEW EMAIL ADDRESS FOR CONTINENTAL CHESS: Director@Chess.US

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY CHESS IN 2012!        If not already on the mailing list to receive the Continental Chess Bulletin, click here to be added.

3rd annual GOLDEN STATE OPEN January 13-16, 14-16 or 15-16, 2012 Martin Luther King weekend at Concord Hilton  35 minutes from Oakland Airport Free parking, many restaurants within easy walking 7 ROUND SWISS $30,000 PROJECTED PRIZES  $21,000 MINIMUM GUARANTEED                                                                          The reservation deadline for rooms at the Concord Hilton has been extended to Friday, January 6th. Call 925-827-2000 and ask for the chess rate.  Advance entries are expected to be posted at chesstour.com (link in middle of home page) by Thursday, Jan 12. .      FULL DETAILS              ENTER NOW

COMING EVENTS Details posted at www.chesstour.com now include the following: . Jan 6-8 or 7-8: CONTINENTAL AMATEUR, Hyatt Harborside Hotel at Logan Airport, Boston. Very low hotel rates ($79) and free parking! ONLINE ADVANCE ENTRY CLOSES TUESDAY, JANUARY 3. First CCA tournament ever in this historic city. Open to Under 2250 or unrated. ENTER NOW Jan 13-16, 14-16 or 15-16: 3rd annual GOLDEN STATE OPEN. 7 rounds at Concord Hilton in northern California. $30,000 projected prizes, $21,000 minimum. Entry fees have been lowered for players rated under 1000. ENTER NOW Jan 13-16, 14-16 or 15-16: 44th annual LIBERTY BELL OPEN. 7 rounds, Sheraton Philadelphia City Center Hotel. $20,000 projected prizes, $14,000 minimum. The $20,000 projected prize fund has been RAISED every year since 2006! HOTEL ROOMS AT THE $99 CHESS RATE ARE STILL AVAILABLE, THOUGH THE HOTEL RECENTLY MISINFORMED PLAYERS THAT THE CUTOFF DATE WAS DEC 14 - THE ACTUAL RESERVATION DEADLINE IS DEC 30. ENTER NOW Mar 2-4 or 3-4: 21st annual EASTERN CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS, Host Hotel at Cedar Lake, Sturbridge, MA. $18,000 projected prizes, $12,000 minimum guaranteed. ENTER NOW Mar 3-4 or 4: 45th annual NEW YORK STATE SCHOLASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS at Hilton Hotel, Saratoga Springs, NY. 6 rounds, 8 sections. ENTER NOW Mar 9-11 or 10-11: 19th annual WESTERN CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS, Sheraton Hotel (formerly Renaissance), Agoura Hills in southern California. $20,000 projected prizes, $16,000 minimum guaranteed. ENTER NOW Mar 16-18 or 17-18: LONG ISLAND OPEN at Holiday Inn Islip Airport, Ronkonkoma. First CCA tournament on Long Island since the 1970s. $75 room rates, free parking, free airport shuttle! ENTER NOW Mar 16-18 or 17-18: 16th annual MID-AMERICA OPEN, Crowne Plaza Clayton (Saint Louis). $18,000 projected prizes, $12,000 minimum.  ENTER NOW Mar 23-25 or 24-25: 13th annual PITTSBURGH OPEN, Doubletree Green Tree Hotel. $12,000 projected prizes, $9000 minimum. ENTER NOW Mar 30-Apr 1 or Mar 31-Apr 1: 10th annual SOUTHERN CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS, Wyndham Orlando Resort. $14,000 projected prizes, $10,500 minimum. ENTER NOW Apr 4-8, 5-8, 6-8 or 7-8: 6th annual PHILADELPHIA OPEN at the luxurious, AAA Four Diamonds Loews Philadelphia Hotel. GM and IM norms possible at this first mega-tournament of 2012! New this year: free entry to IMs and WGMs, and higher second section cutoff (U2200 rather than U2100)! These changes should result in a much stronger Open Section. $80,000 projected prize fund, $60,000 minimum. 9 rounds in Open, 7 rounds in other sections. $98 special chess rates, way below the regular Loews rates. ENTER NOW May 24-28, 25-28, 26-28, 27-28 or 25-26:  21st annual CHICAGO OPEN at Westin North Shore Hotel, Wheeling, Illinois. $100,000 PRIZE FUND UNCONDITIONALLY GUARANTEED. Open is 9 rounds with GM and IM norms possible, other sections 7 rounds. The Under 2300 Section returns after a few years absence and is FIDE rated; raising the 2nd section eligibility from Under 2100 to Under 2300 plus new free entry to IMs, WGMs & foreign FMs should make the Open stronger and increase norm chances. Under 1100 Section plays May 25-26, allowing players in this section to also play in a May 27-28 section if desired. ENTER NOW June 29-July 3 (NEW DATES): 9th annual PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL at Sheraton Hotel. 9 rounds, $8000 guaranteed prizes. New this year: $800 minimum prize to the first 5 foreign GMs to enter! Also $300 minimum prize to other GMs and to foreign IMs and foreign WGMs. Note that dates are changed from June 28-July 2 to June 29-July 3, but the tournament is still Friday through Tuesday. July 4-8, 5-8, 6-8, 2-8, 1-3 or 4-5: 40th annual WORLD OPEN at Sheraton Hotel, Philadelphia. 9 rounds in most sections, $250,000 projected prizes, $200,800 minimum. GM and IM norms possible in Open Section. Four FIDE rated sections: Open, Under 2400, Under 2200, and new Women's Championship. 6 round Senior Amateur, 6 round Women's Championship and 9 round Under 13 Championship play July 1-3, allowing these players to also play in a July 4-8, 5-8 or 6-8 section. ENTER NOW

36 WIDELY BELIEVED MYTHS about CCA chess tournaments (revised Aug 8, 2011) CLICK HERE.