2026 September Tournament (Anniversary Tournament)
Check-In Time (check-in is mandatory; players who miss the check-in window will not be paired for the first round)
- Open section: 9:20am - 9:45am
- All other sections: 9:45am - 10:15am
Schedule (Actual round & award times may vary slightly)
- Open section (3 rounds): 10:00am, 11:50am, 1:40pm
- All other sections (4 rounds): 10:30am, 11:40am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm
- Awards: 3:15pm
Venue: Village Church (330 SW Murray Blvd, Beaverton, OR 97005)
- Open Section: Umpqua Room
- All other sections: Gym
Open section: 3 round Swiss, G/45; d5, All other sections: 4 round Swiss, G/25; +5
- Adult players can play in the open section only
Prizes
- Open section: Cash prize or trophies for top 5 finishers. Medals for plus or even score medalists. Adult players will win cash prizes only.
- All other sections: Trophies for top 7 finishers. Medals for players with plus or even scores.
Entry Fee
- $30, registration online only
- Free tournament entry for girls, non-binary, low-income, and neurodiverse players (ADHD/Autism)
- (For a limited time) Free tournament entry for players with a USCF 1000 and higher rating
Free game analysis with Puddletown co-founders: NM Ishaan Kodarapu, Neev Kodarapu, and other Puddletown volunteer coaches.
Lunch: Free Pizza for the players.
US Chess membership: US Chess membership is required and can be purchased on the US Chess website (www.uschess.org), where you can find membership rates, information, and benefits. If this is your first USCF rated tournament, we can refund your USCF registration fees upon presenting your receipt.
Open Section: Important Information
Please keep the following in mind about our Open Section:
- Section size: If the Open Section grows to approximately 30 or more players, we may, at our discretion, divide it into two rating-based groups. This helps create more balanced competition and a better tournament experience. Any split and approximate rating ranges will be announced the previous night when possible, and definitely before Round 1.
- Awards: If the Open Section is divided, each group will have its own awards. For the upper group, winners may be offered a choice of “cash now or trophy later.” Winners of the lower group will receive trophies during the awards ceremony the same day.
- Unrated players: The Open Section may occasionally include a small number of USCF-unrated players, typically adults who are new USCF members but have sufficient chess experience to compete at the Open level. We will generally aim to limit this to approximately 2–3 unrated players per tournament.
- Pairings and ratings: Because unrated players do not yet have an established USCF rating, their playing strength may be harder to predict. Depending on pairings, a rated player may play one or more unrated opponents during the tournament.
Our goal is to balance competitive fairness with welcoming experienced players who are new to USCF-rated chess. Final section placement, section splits, and pairings remain at the discretion of the organizers and Tournament Director (TD) based on registration, ratings, and the overall player field.
Pre-registration only; no on-site registration.
Photo Release: By registering for this event, you hereby give permission for your child to be photographed during the tournaments. We might also reproduce these pictures to be used in educational and/or promotional materials produced by Puddletown Chess. Further, we want to clarify that neither you nor your child will receive any compensation for the use of these photographs. If for any reason you cannot agree with any part of this photo release, please find any photos of you or your player from this event online and share the links with us, we will make every attempt to remove them.
Cancellation & refund policy:
- Cancellations made on the day of the tournament are not eligible for refunds.
- Please withdraw yourself by replying to the confirmation email for your entry.
For the latest details, see https://puddletownchess.org/.