MSCA Policy: Qualification for the State Closed Championships |
Posted: 18 November 2023, Updated: 16 August 2024
Minnesota State Chess Association
The Closed Championships are four round-robin tournaments, designated as Minnesota’s state championships, in four sections of six players each: Premier, U2200, U2000, and U1700. The qualifying spots are as follows:
Premier (6) | U2200 (6) | U2000 (6) | U1700 (6) |
Last year’s champion (1) | Last year’s champion (1) | Last year’s champion (1) | Last year’s champion (1) |
Grand Prix winner (1) | Grand Prix winner (1) | Grand Prix winner (1) | Grand Prix winner (1) |
Class Championship Master/Expert winner (1) | Top finisher in the Master/Expert section of the Class Championship rated under 2200 who did not win the section (1) | Class Championship Class A winner (1) | Top U1400 at MN Open (1) |
Top 3 at MN Open (3) | Top 3 finishers in the MN Open rated under 2200 who played in the Premier section but did not qualify for the Premier section of the Closed Championship (3) | Top 3 U2000 at MN Open (3) | Top 3 U1700 at MN Open (3) |
- If a player qualifies in multiple ways, the chronologically earliest way is the one that takes precedence.
- If a qualifier from the Grand Prix, Class Championships, or MN Open either declines their invitation or is already qualified, the spot passes to the next player in line at the MN Open.
- If last year’s winner declines or is ineligible, the spot goes to the MN Open.
- If the section winner in a tournament (other than the Open) that yields a Closed slot has already qualified for the Closed, the Closed slot shall go to the second-place winner in that tournament. Note that this does not apply if the section winner simply declines the invitation to the Closed – in that case, the slot reverts to the Open.
- Any tournament for which there is only one qualifier requires a playoff. At the MN Open, where there are multiple spots (except in U1400), the spots are decided using tiebreakers.
- If a player declines to participate too late to follow the playoff procedures, the organizers should attempt to find a reasonable replacement to the best of their abilities. This may require tiebreakers to be used when a playoff is called for.
- If a player qualifies in the “current season” (Grand Prix, Class, MN Open) for an Under section, they are permitted to play even if their rating has subsequently increased past the section limit.
- If possible, a day-of substitution player should be located. The highest-finishing player in the appropriate section of the MN Open who is willing to be “on call” should be the substitute.
- Eligibility for participation in an under section in the Closed by last year’s winner shall be determined by rating within a season rather than at a single point in time. (Season begins after the last game of the Grand Prix and ends at the start of the Minnesota Open.) For example, if last year’s winner provisionally earns a spot in the Closed under-2000 section but has a rating above 2000 for the entire season, that player is not eligible for the Closed. If instead the person’s rating ever goes below 2000 during the season the player is still eligible to play in the Closed under-2000 section.
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