The Tulane Chess Club and Downriver Chess invite you to a two-day classical event with $2,100 in prizes!
Venue: The Qatar Ballroom, on the second floor of the Lavin-Bernick Center at Tulane University. 29 McAlister Drive, New Orleans, LA.
Tournament details: Five round, two-section, swiss system, G/60;i30, USCF rated tournament. Top section FIDE-rated.
Sections: Two, open and U1500.
Prize fund: $2,100 in prizes. Total prize fund b/60 with 50% guaranteed.
Class prizes: Class prizes to be determined by official April USCF rating. Unrated players are eligible for class and section prizes in the open section.
Prize Structure:
Date: April 24-26, 2026. Estimated round schedule,
Blitz side event: $25 entry, 60% returned as prize money. 7 PM Friday evening. USCF-rated. Six rounds of G/5;d2. Register by clicking here. Walk in registration allowed.
Eligibility: $60 early entry fee if purchased one week prior. $70 standard entry fee if purchased two days prior. $80 late and same-day entry fee. Capacity limited to the first 120 players, please pre-register to guarantee your spot. Current USCF membership required. Free FIDE membership available to all players in top section with valid USCF membership.
Ratings: If a player does not have a regular rating, the highest of their quick and blitz will be used. 100 elo added to provisional ratings. Unrated players should report to the tournament directors so they may attempt to assign a rating for pairing and prize purposes. Unrated players may play in the open section or the U1500 section, but will only be eligible for the open section place prizes unless the tournament directors have been able to assign a rating. For unrated USCF players with established foreign ratings, the most current USCF conversion will be used (with preference toward their FIDE rating, if available). Games including FIDE rated players 2400 or above are not FIDE rated due to time control and format.
Byes: Two half point byes are available upon request. No bye requests shall be made after round three other than for emergency situations.
Parking: Parking permits are not required in most parking zones on Tulane University campus during the weekend. For ease, we recommend using the Diboll Garage. Diboll Garage is a short walk from the Lavin-Bernick Center and has plenty of space available for our attendees. Consult the annotated parking map here.
Hotel info: We recommend the St Charles Inn - Superior Hotel. We do not have a group rate, however.
Late players: Any player arriving at the chessboard more than 30 minutes late from the actual starting time of the round will lose their game (xref USCF 13D and FIDE 6.7.1). If both players arrive late elapsed time will be split between the players (xref USCF 16K and FIDE 6.7.2).
Conduct: Any player who does not shake hands with the opponent (or greets the opponent in a normal social manner in accordance with the conventional rules of their society) before the game starts or during a match (and does not do it after being asked to do so by the arbiter) or deliberately insults his/her opponent or the officials of the event, may be penalized according to FIDE law 12.9 and/or US Chess rule 13I.
Prize payouts: Players have 10 days after the conclusion of the tournament to claim their prize. We will email you twice. Please check your email if you believe you are prize eligible.
Contact: Email info@downriverchess.com with all questions.
Refunds: Players who withdraw 60 minutes before round one are eligible for a refund of their entry fee, minus any applicable payment-processor fees (typically 5-7%).
Tulane students: Please contact the Tulane Chess Club for discounted entry.
Visit: www.downriverchess.com for all other upcoming tournaments!
