Monterey County Chess Club

Marina Chess Festival
Rapid tournament open to all players, ages 5 to 105, novice to master!
Blitz tournament limited to chessplayers experienced with the chess clock.
Rapid emphasizes strategic play and calculation, while Blitz requires quick decision-making and intuition.
Saturday, June 6, 2026
Marina Library, 190 Seaside Circle, Marina 93933
Free entry for all participants!
This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Marina Library.
Hosted by Monterey County Free Libraries, Marina Branch. Organized by Chess Monterey.

Rapid tournament player registration 9:15-10am
Games timed with 30 minutes per player, plus 30s increment added with each move. (G/30;+30)
4 sections: USCF-rated Championship, Challengers, Contenders,
and non-rated Candidates
Entrants to rated sections must be current members of USCF -- join or renew at uschess.org
Championship section is limited to the eight top-rated entrants (incl. qualifier from May 9 Challengers).
Challengers section is limited to the next group of eight entrants based on USCF ratings.
Contenders section is for the remaining entrants, including unrated players wanting to earn a USCF rating.
Candidates section is a non-rated introductory section for novice and youth players.
3 rounds: 10:30, 1:00, 3:30
Candidates section has 4 rounds: 10:45, 12:15, 2:00, 3:30
Swiss-system pairings. No eliminations -- everyone plays all rounds.
Half-point bye(s) may be arranged at registration or requested at least 20 minutes before scheduled round.
Please bring your chess set and clock. A limited number of sets and clocks are provided by the organizer.
Players must record all moves of their games on provided scoresheets or in their own scorebook.
Crystal trophy to 1st in each section. Standard trophy to 2nd and 3rd in each section.
Medal to K thru 12 students who complete their scheduled rounds.
Winners of Challengers section are seeded into the July 11 Championship section.
Winners of Candidates section must play in USCF-rated sections in future tournaments.

Blitz tournament player registration 5-5:45pm
Games timed with 5 minutes per player, plus 2s increment added with each move. (G/5;+2)
Starting at 6pm, finishing around 8:30pm
1 section: USCF-rated, all entrants must be current USCF members
Number of rounds and tournament format depend on number of entrants (the 2025 event was a 10-player round robin).
Crystal trophy to 1st place. Standard trophy to top finisher in grades 9-12, 5-8, and K-4.