Get ready sports fans, the premier event of the Vassar-Chadwick tournament schedule is upon us. On Monday we begin the battle to determine the 2014 Dutchess County Chess Champion. Oh the riches that await he (or she) who is crowned champ, the glory, the groupies – the world will be your oyster, but only if you are the last one standing (have the highest score and best tiebreaks, if needed).

To reflect the special nature of the DCC, I will be assigning pairings by board number, and will mark the board numbers in the room. The first board will have the table in the front (normally where the TD sits). The TD area will be stationed in the other room, which will also hold the lower boards if we run out of room in the main playing area. If we can fit all the games in one room, then the second room will be available as a skittles area; if that is also occupied by games, there is usually a free room down the end of the hall.

As a reminder, a maximum of two 1/2 point byes will be available per player, for any round except the last. Trophies will be given out to first and second place, and then to the top score in each class (A, B, C, D, E/Unrated), provided there are at least 4 participants in that class.

The time control is longer than our standard; G/90 with a 5 second delay. We need to start as close to on time as possible, as games can last over 3 hours. This means – show up early enough to get added to the pairings. If you arrive at 7:31, you may be too late. Give yourself enough time to handle traffic and weather.

Finally, a $1 refund to the entry fee will be given at the end of the tournament to any player who submits at least three legible scoresheets to the TD (games from this tournament only, of course).