GM Joel Benjamin Special Lecture & Blitz

Special Lecture by GM Joel Benjamin

and

USCF-rated 3+2 Blitz event with GM Benjamin playing!

Open for everyone!
 

Final Standings -- Prize Winners

Date & Location -- Tournament Format -- Byes -- Prize Fund

Registration -- Eligibility -- Tournament Rules -- FAQ
 

Tournament capacity: 80 players.
Masks are optional in the chess room.

The top 6 boards will be broadcasted on chess.com:
 

 

0. Pre-Blitz Lecture

• Lecture: 5:30-6:30 pm
• Meet and Greet: 6:30 - 7:00 pm
• About GM Joel Benjamin
  Grandmaster Joel Benjamin became the youngest national master at age 13, breaking the record previously held by Bobby Fischer. He went on to win the U.S. Championship on three occasions and competed on six U.S. Olympiad teams. He was the official grandmaster consultant for IBM’s Deep Blue computer, which defeated World Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. Order his latest book here.
   

1. Date & Location

• Thursday, April 3, 2025, at 7:00 pm
• Location: Mechanics' Institute Chess Room
  57 Post Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104 (click here to map)

2. Tournament Format:

• Tournament Format: Swiss System
• Total Rounds: 7 rounds of single games (7SS)
• First Round: 7:00 pm, and consecutive rounds are on a rolling schedule. Estimated end-time: 9:00 pm.
• Time Control: G/3+2  (Game in 3 minutes with a 2-second increment with each move.)
• The games will be US Chess blitz-rated. The tournament results will be submitted immediately after the last round is finished.
• Section: One open section.
• Pairings are based on the higher April 2025 OTB supplemental regular or blitz US Chess rating. 
   

3. Byes

• Byes are available for players in case they can't participate but would like to stay in the tournament.
• Byes can be requested for a maximum of 2 rounds, with receiving 0.5 points for each round.
• Late registrations will receive two half-point byes for any missed round, up to a total of 2 rounds.
   

4. Prize Fund --  $540 based on 60 paid entries  -- this will be updated for two sections.

	Open
1st Place	$200
2nd Place	$125
3rd Place	$90
Best Under 1800	$75
Best Under 1300	$50

• Please allow 2-3 weeks for processing prize checks.
• Per IRS rules, anyone with a cumulative $600+ prize in any calendar year must file a W9, and the Mechanics' Institute will provide a 1099 form. 

 

5. Registration:

• Mechanics' Institute Member: $20
• Non-Member: $30
• $5 admin fee for all cancellations & refunds.
• Register: https://mechanics-institute.jumbula.com/2025Tournaments/GMJoelBenjaminSpecialBlitz
   

6. Eligibility

• Players must have a current US Chess Federation membership that expires no later than the last day of the tournament.
• Not sure if you have a membership? Need to check the expiration date of your members? Visit: https://new.uschess.org/player-search
• Become a member or renew your membership: https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess
   

7. Tournament Rules

• USCF blitz rules apply.
• Forfeit time is 3 minutes.

8. FAQ

• What do the time controls mean?
  Time controls tell you how much time you have for each game.
  G3+2 means the game is in 3 minutes, with a 2-second increment for each move from move 1. This means you get 3 minutes, your opponent gets 3 minutes, and the clock adds 2 seconds to the player's time at each move. 
• How many games/rounds?
  The 7SS before the time control means it is a Swiss System tournament with seven rounds. The tournaments are never eliminated, so you can stay in them whether you win or lose. 

 

Mechanics' Institute Chess Club reserves the right to update any details of this event (including but not limited to sections, time control, round times, prize fund, etc.) as we approach the event date to ensure an excellent tournament experience for players.