The United States Chess Federation - 2010 U.S. Blind Chess Championship to be Held in Pittsburgh, October 11-12

2010 U.S. Blind Chess Championship to be Held in Pittsburgh, October 11-12

September 29, 2010
Official Press Release
Contact: Joan DuBois
[email protected] or 931-200-3412

(Crossville, TN) The United States Chess Federation (USCF) is pleased to announce that their 2010 U.S. Blind Chess Championship will be held at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel (412-788-8400), 5311 Campbells Run Road (near airport), Pittsburgh, PA between October 11-12, 2010.

This is a USCF National Chess Championship in which players who are USCF members and are "legally" blind can participate to earn this title and compete for prize money.

This tournament consists of four games for each player. Each player gets 135 minutes on their chess clock for each game. The first game will begin, Monday October 11 at 10am. The second round will start at 4pm. Round three will start on Tuesday, October 12 at 9am and the last round will start on Tuesday, October 12 at 3pm.

Players are competing for the USCF title of 2010 U.S. Blind Chess Champion and money prizes. Prizes are: 1^st place: $400.00 plus title; 2^nd place: $300.00; 3^rd place: $200.00. Depending on how many players enter will depend on whether or not class prizes and an upset prize are awarded. Class prizes refer to their chess rating and an "upset prize" is when a much lower rated player beats a much higher rated player.

The public and media are welcome at the event at no charge. Depending on how much space is available in the playing room will depend on how many spectators can stay throughout the games.

Players who have sight challenges often will use a Braille chess set and board. The squares on the board rotate between raised and non-raised and the pieces have a knob on the top of each so the players know which ones are white and which ones are black. Rules for playing in a blind chess tournament also allow players to announce their move to their opponent and depending on the needs of the player they can have an assistance to help them keep score.

Staffing this event involves Co-organizers Rick Varchetto and Bruce Leverett. Volunteer helper: Virginia Alverson. Official Media Contact person for the USCF is Joan DuBois, Director of Communications who can be reached at [email protected].

The United States Chess Federation (USCF), founded in 1939, serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and is now headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee. USCF is devoted to extending the role of chess in American society. It promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, and as a means for the improvement of society. The USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization with over 80,000 members. For additional information on the USCF see: http://www.uschess.org.