General Info
Lakeshore Chess is teaming up with the Chicago Chess Center to bring you Chess for Ukraine: A Charity Tournament & Simul featuring GM Yaro Zherebukh, GM George Margvelashvili, & IM Eric Rosen. We will kick the day off with a tandem simul with the honored guests, followed by a USCF-rated blitz tournament to end the day. Space is limited to 60 people for the simul and 200 players for the blitz tournament. You’re welcome to attend one portion or both; attendees must pre-register to guarantee their spot by registering at lakeshorechess.com, but walk-ins are welcome as long as we have the space. If you walk-in after 30 minutes before round 1, you will receive a bye for the first round.
The tournament will be a 1-section, 7 double-round swiss tournament with blitz (G/3;+2) time controls. The prizes will be entry fee credits to future CCC & Lakeshore Chess events. There will be prizes for both overall placement and best in class (see prizes below.)
All proceeds from the event will directly go to help the situation in Ukraine.
The entrance fee for the simul is $50, $40 for the tournament, or $75 for both the tournament and simul by March 25th. All fees $10 more day of event. All FIDE titled players play free in the tournament.
Sponsored Entries K-12 players who wish to participate but are unable to due to the steep entry fee are encouraged to contact us to claim a sponsored entry and play in either or both segments of the event free of charge. Email us if you would like to claim a sponsored entry!
Sponsorships & Donations Those who wish to contribute but are unable to attend may send donations of any amount to this link. Lakeshore Chess & The Chicago Chess Center will acknowledge all contributions, both publicly (unless otherwise noted by you,) and for tax credit purposes. All donations will ultimately go to Ukraine via the organizations listed below, and will allow more players to enjoy the tournament and have the unique experience of playing against titled players.
Simul Details
Featured Players GM Yaro Zherebukh, GM George Margvelashvili, and IM Eric Rosen
Price $50
Time March 26th, 2022 12:00PM
Clocks No clocks for the simul, but we will add clocks with 20 minutes per side if any games are still going by 3:00PM.
Location Cine City Studios, 2429 W 14th St, Chicago, IL 60608. See “Getting there,” below for more information.
Prizes Players who win in the simul will earn a 1-year membership to the Chicago Chess Center and a $125 credit to future Lakeshore Chess events.
Tournament Details
Basic Info
Date March 26, 2022
Round Times 4:00, 4:45, 5:30, 6:15, 7:00, 7:45, 8:30
Early Registration ends March 25th, walk-in registration welcome until round 1 starts.
Location Cine City Studios 2429 W 14th St, Chicago, IL 60608. See “Getting there,” below for more information.
Format 7 double-round Swiss System
Time Controls G/3;+2
Entry fee $40 by 3/25/22, $10 more day of event.
Byes Players may request up to three half-point byes upon registering or before round 4 starts by contacting registration@lakeshorechess.com.
Sections & Prizes
Sections and pairings will be assigned based on USCF blitz rating unless unrated or more than 100 points different from regular, in which case the higher rating will be used.
Overall 1st, 2nd, 3rd $100 credit each to future Lakeshore chess and CCC events
U2200, U2000, U1800, U1600, U1200 each 1st place $50 credit each to future Lakeshore Chess & CCC events
Other Info
Impact
All proceeds from entry fees to both the tournament and simul will go to help organizations assisting with the situation in Ukraine.
UPDATE 3/21 Based on feedback, we updated the beneficiary organizations for the event. All organizations below are non-partisan humanitarian groups, whose objectives are to help anyone regardless of nationality, religion, etc. Funds will be allocated to the following organizations:
- UNICEF has continuously worked since 2014 to address the impacts of conflict in the eastern region of Ukraine. They have scaled their operations since the war broke out and provide healthcare support and other vital infrastructure to those that are displaced, particularly children and women.
- HIAS is closely monitoring the situation in Ukraine and neighboring countries and is responding with emergency humanitarian assistance to those who are displaced. For more than 130 years, HIAS has been helping refugees rebuild their lives in safety and dignity.
- World Central Kitchen is serving thousands of fresh meals to Ukrainian families fleeing home as well as people remaining in the country. Working at a 24-hour pedestrian border crossing in southern Poland, WCK began serving hot, nourishing meals within hours of the initial invasion, and are now serving round-the-clock dishes at eight border crossings across the country.
- Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) are working to rapidly scale up their medical and humanitarian response in various parts of Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Hungary, Slovakia, Russia, and Belarus. MSF is an independent and impartial organization committed to providing medical humanitarian assistance to people affected by the war no matter who they are or where they are.
Acknowledgements
We want to express our sincere gratitude to GM Zherebukh, GM Margvelashvili, IM Rosen, Cine City Studios, Tacos Marios, and artist Pat Marek for donating their time and resources to make this event something special for the community. If you see them around, please show them your appreciation!
Getting There
The event will be held at Cine City Studios, located at 2429 W 14th St, Chicago, IL. It’s on 14th Street off Western Ave. Coming from Western, go down 14th until you see a large black gate & fence on the left side; we have space for up to 120 cars in the parking lot, and additional spaces are available in the nearby streets.
COVID Precautions
We are following Chicago’s COVID protocols; masks & proof of vaccinations are no longer required. This policy may change based on infection/hospitalization rates and Chicago’s mandates.
If you require special accommodations for any reason, please contact registration@lakeshorechess.com