Registrations Flowing in For M*A*S*H Memorial Open

With two days / one day to go before the early registration discount expires  a little over 24 hours to go,  19  30  34  38 players have pre-registered for the four-round extravaganza. Registration will be accepted at the door at the same $5 rate on Saturday, February 28. (although an advance email before 6am on the day of the tournament is APPRECIATED.). Note: due to limited entries in the non-rated competition, there may not be sufficient entries for that. But discounted USCF memberships will be available for K-12).

Players will get a whole hour to make their moves with an additional 5-seconds before the clock starts each time.

Multiple sections should keep the match ups tight with Open, Reserve -- Under 1600 and Booster -- Under 1200 sections, subject to change depending on the registrations received.

DeKalb events typically honor the midpoints of the section as well with awards: Under 1800 in the Open, Under 1400 in the Reserve and Under 1000 in the Booster (it looks like Under 800 too!).

Since we have THREE such teams entered (so far), there will also be a prize for the top parent-child combined score.

If you've never played a USCF event, this is an ideal first event with patient explanations all around. And the $5 entry fee is designed to keep it accessible for all.

The Under 1200 section will feature a variety of players both in terms of age as well as skill level. This is called a Booster section. Two other sections will feature intermediate players in the Reserve and advanced players in the Open.

Saturday's tournament honors the anniversary of the airing of the final episode of M*A*S*H -- the long-running TV series set in the Korean conflict with doctors frequently playing chess in their tent between medical emergencies. Who can forget those incoming chopper scenes and the witty remarks of Hawkeye Pierce as he performed surgical magic on the wounded?

For those not quite ready to join the USCF, there will also be a non-rated section, and for K-12 entrants there will be a discounted USCF membership available, fairly close to half-price of the normal rate. (NOTE: at this point in time, there are very few non-rated entries and there is a chance that only the rated competition will occur). Hope to see you Saturday!