USCF 2008 World Chess Live Online Grand Prix

As part of our sponsorship of the USCF's 2008 Grand Prix and the 2008 Junior Grand Prix, World Chess Live is now offering first-ever opportunities to earn over-the-board Grand Prix and Junior Grand Prix by playing in online tournaments!  From now through the end of 2008, USCF members may join online quick-rated tournaments each week on WCL.  Each month, 20 Grand Prix points will be awarded, which count towards your regular OTB Grand Prix totals.  In addition, every tournament is an opportunity for younger USCF members to earn Junior Grand Prix points!

Regular schedule

World Chess Live holds an OGP Satellite tournament each Thursday and Sunday (as of August 17th), except during the last Thursday of each month, when the OGP Final tournaments run.  Winners in the Satellites earn free entry into that month's Finals as well as other prizes (see below).

All OGP tournaments require current USCF membership, are USCF quick-rated matches (with a 3 2 time control on Thursdays and 5 0 on Sundays), and may earn Junior Grand Prix points for qualified members. Only the monthly OGP Final tournaments will also award regular Grand Prix points, 20 each month.

All Thursday events start at 8pm server time (U.S. Eastern Time) and Sunday events are at 7pm server time.  No advance registration is required for these tournaments.  To join, just log in shortly before the start and click on the Online Grand Prix listing under the Tournaments tab in the Activities window.  Note that your USCF membership number must already be added to your WCL account, which may be done when you first register or later from your account page.

Entry fees

The Online Grand Prix tournaments will normally require an entry fee, which covers the cost of prizes, USCF ratings fees, and other operational expenses. Satellites cost 3 crowns to enter; Finals cost 20 crowns (except for those who win entry tickets by playing in the Satellites).

Crowns are the local units of currency at World Chess Live and are available for purchase from your account page for $1 each or may be won as tournament prizes. They may be used for tournament entry fees, membership fees, chess lessons, or to buy merchandise from the WCL Store.

Weekly Satellite prizes

As of August 2008, up to 23% of entrants in each of the two weekly Satellite tournaments will win prizes, with the top 5% being awarded an entry ticket for that month's Finals. The next 5% will get triple-money back on the entry fee; the next 5% will get double-money back; and the top 4% Under 1800 and the top 4% Under 1400 will each get one-and-a-half-money back.  In calculating your group based on these percentages, we'll round upward at or above one-half.

For example, with 50 entrants, the prize structure would look like this:

Note: if a winner of a Finals ticket is unable to play in that month's Finals, the ticket may exchanged for 12 crowns.  The ticket holder must request the exchange at least 24 hours before the Finals' scheduled start time by contacting support@worldchesslive.com.  A player may only win one Finals ticket per month. If a player's score qualifies to win an additional Finals ticket, the next crown prize will be won instead and the ticket passes to the next eligible player.

Monthly Finals prizes

1st Place - 12 Grand Prix points. In addition, each monthly winner will receive an exclusive invitation to compete in the World Chess Live OGP Championship over-the-board tournament to be held at the 2009 U.S. Open in Indianapolis. This elite one-afternoon event will feature a top prize of $1,000!  Note that if a monthly winner has previously won this invitation, it will move down the line to the next eligible player.

2nd Place - 8 Grand Prix points.

Additional prizes will be awarded based upon entry fees collected for all players scoring at least one full point:

All entrants in the Monthly Finals, who score at least one full point, will win a prize, with the top 10% being awarded 40 crowns. The next 15% will get 20 crowns; the next 25% will get 10 crowns; and those in the remaining 50% who score at least one full point will receive a WCL one-month membership extension for each full point scored (half points are ignored). In calculating your group based on these percentages, we'll round upward at or above one-half.

For example, with 20 entrants, the additional prize structure would look like this:

Junior Grand Prix point rules

a) Only USCF Junior and Scholastic USCF members may earn JGP points.

b) To earn points, you must win or draw a game against a higher rated player.

c) 10 points are awarded for a win, 5 points for a draw.

d) A maximum of 20 points may be earned in a single OGP tournament.

e) A maximum of 100 points may be earned in the 2008 Online Grand Prix.

General rules

a) Any ties exceeding the number of available Finals tickets in each OGP Satellite tournament will be broken by a single elimination playoff at the same time control.  Crown prizes and USCF Grand Prix points will be divided evenly among the tied players.  A tie for first place in the OGP Final at the end of the month will be broken by a single elimination playoff to determine who gets invited to the OGP Championship.

b) The use of computer chess engines and databases while playing is strictly prohibited.  Assistance from other players is also prohibited. The games will be monitored during play and reviewed prior to submission to the USCF.

c) The WCL tournament directors may at their discretion make a ruling on a particular game, eject a player from a tournament, reverse results, or refuse to allow a player to join a tournament for any reason including, but not limited to:  failure to show up on time or to start a game on time, concern that the player's Internet connection is not reliable enough for the game to finish in a timely manner, suspicion of chess computer use, suspicion that a player is receiving assistance, or the fact that this player has been caught violating ICC or WCL rules in the past.

Additionally, we reserve the right to retroactively reverse any benefits a player may have gained before, during, or after his or her disqualification due to rules infractions previous to, during, or after the tournament. There is no appeal; WCL’s decisions are final.  Penalties may include, but are not limited to, barring said player from competing in future prize events for an unspecified time period, banning said player from WCL or any other Internet Chess Club, Inc. server, or further sanctions not heretofore mentioned.

Important privacy advisory

Please note that entering any USCF-rated tournaments, such as these Online Grand Prix events, will expose your USCF membership number along with your full name and whatever other personal information the USCF normally makes public, just as if you were playing in an over-the-board tournament. If you prefer to keep your online identity private, you will need to either avoid entering a USCF-rated tournament, or sign up for two WCL accounts, one as your USCF account and the other anonymous.  (A Family membership may be used to purchase a second account at a greatly discounted price along with one full-priced membership.)