Name: 2nd Annual Orlando Chess Open (Open and Scholastic)  
Desc: This event is being organized by the Orlando Regional Chess Alliance (ORCA).

Check-in will be 9:00 am-9:40 am on the day of the tournament, and the first round will begin at 10 am. There will be a lunch break after Round 2 and there will be an awards ceremony after round 5. We anticipate the tournament will be complete before 6 p.m.

This will be a five round Swiss format tournament with a time control of game in 25 minutes with a 5 second delay.

This tournament has five sections:
1) Open USCF Rated ($60)
2) u1600 USCF Rated ($40)
3) Open Non-Rated ($30)
4) Scholastic USCF Rated ($30)
5) Scholastic u600 USCF Rated ($30)

Players in the Open USCF Rated section must have a minimum USCF rating of 1400 or permission from the organizers. There is no minimum rating to play in the u1600 USCF Rated section. Players in the Scholastic USCF Rated Sections must be in grades K-12 for the 2025-2026 school year and under 18 years old.

A $5 early bird discount will be applied until July 15, 2025. You may cancel up to one week prior to the event and receive a full refund, minus a $5 processing fee. Cancellations within a week of the event will receive a 50% refund. Cancellations within 1 day of the event may forfeit your entry fee.

Registration will be capped when we reach the venue capacity, so please register early to guarantee your spot.

Chess sets will be provided, but we request that players bring their own chess clocks.

Trophies, medals and/or other prizes will be awarded to top performers in every section. The Open and u1600 USCF Rated sections will have cash prizes. The prize pool will be a minimum of 50% of the entry fees for those two sections.

All net proceeds will benefit charity.

These tiebreak systems will be used for non-monetary prize determinations when needed: 1. Modified Median, 2. Solkoff, 3. Cumulative, 4. Cumulative of Opposition. Explanations for these tiebreak methods can be found here.

All players in rated sections must have a valid, active USCF membership to play. You can obtain or renew USCF membership with registration online, at the door, or directly from the USCF at uschess.org.

The USCF Rating Supplement for August will be used for pairings and prizes. The highest of blitz, quick, or regular rating may be used at the tournament director's discretion. An unofficial rating may be used if the player is otherwise unrated or a foreign rating may be used by converting it with CCA’s formulas: https://www.chesstour.com/foreignratings.htm

If you are signing up for the Non-Rated section, you may leave the US Chess ID and the FIDE ID boxes empty.

PHOTO/VIDEO RELEASE: By participating in our event you grant permission to the organizers to use photographs or videos of you that are taken in connection with the tournament in publications, news releases, online content, social media, or in other communications.

EMAIL POLICY: By registering for this event and providing your email address you grant permission to use the provided email address to communicate with you regarding the event or about future related activities. You may opt out of our email list by following the instructions included with each email.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES: During play, you may not possess cellphones, smart watches, or other devices capable of chess analysis or communication without the permission of a Director. Such devices may be stored in a bag near your table if they are fully powered down. A player who possesses or views a cellphone in a bathroom, or outside the tournament area during their game, loses the game. To request an exception, such as for cell phone integrated medical devices, reach out to the organizers by email before the event or to a Tournament Director before the tournament begins.


Location: Trinity Preparatory School, 5700 Trinity Prep Ln, Winter Park, FL 32792
Starts: Saturday 02 Aug 2025
Ends: Saturday 02 Aug 2025
Reg Ends: Friday 01 Aug 2025 11:59PM
Rounds: 5
Organizer Name: Orlando Regional Chess Alliance
Organizer eMail: sammy@orcachess.com