4

Looking into OTB tournaments, I see that the USCF allows you to filter searches for the following types:

  • Heritage Event
  • American Classic
  • Grand Prix
  • Enhanced Grand Prix
  • Junior Grand Prix
  • National Championship Event
  • State Championship Event
  • Regionals

Some of these are self-evident, but what are "Heritage," "Classic," "Grand Prix," and "Enhanced" types?

0

1 Answer 1

2

According to the Saint Louis Chess Club:

  • National Events. Co-sponsored by the USCF, these events offer official U.S. titles and most are open to bidding by USCF affiliates. (Meaning that any affiliate - such as a club or organization holding USCF affiliation - may make a bid to host these tournaments.)
  • Grand Prix. Major events, usually open to all, listed in date order. See "USCF GRAND PRIX" for more information.
  • American Classics. Events that are open to all and have attracted more than 400 players for three consecutive years.
  • Heritage Events. Tournaments held for at least 25 years.

I could not find a "USCF GRAND PRIX" section on the Saint Louis Chess Club's website, but Wikipedia says:

The USCF Grand Prix is a set of chess tournaments for prize money rated by the United States Chess Federation. In general, a tournament must have at least $300 in guaranteed prizes to award "Grand Prix" points.

At the end of the year, prizes are awarded to players with the most points. The first prize is usually $10,000.

These prizes provide incentives to grandmasters to play in small regional tournaments which they would otherwise avoid.

I could not find a specific definition of "Enhanced Grand Prix", but from context of things I did find, it appears that "Enhanced Grand Prix" refers to tournaments that offer a larger number of Grand Prix points due to having a larger guaranteed prize pool. It also appears (according to this news item) that holding an "Enhanced Grand Prix" event requires the organizer to make a mandatory contribution to the USCF Professional Players Health and Benefit Fund.

"Junior Grand Prix" is a separate Grand Prix competition for Junior players (under 21 years old).

{Added 10/23/2022} A complete description of US Chess Grand Prix is available at https://new.uschess.org/us-chess-grand-prix-program.

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.