The President/ General Secretary
National Chess Federations of FIDE Zone 3.3

Invitation to Zone 3.3 Championships 2015 (Open and Women)

The Chess Federation of the Vietnam has the honor to invite all Chess Federations in Zone 3.3 affiliated to FIDE to participate in the Zone 3.3 Zonal Championships 2015 for Open and Women from 06-16 March 2015 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Time Control:
The tournament shall be conducted as a Swiss System competition of 9 rounds and will be played according to FIDE regulations. The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game with an addition of 30 seconds per move starting from move one. The games shall be played with the DGT clocks.

Pairings:
The Swiss Manager program shall be used for the Championships. In the last round, players from the same federation who have more than 50% shall not be paired together.

Qualification for the World Championships:
The top two in the Open Zonal shall qualify for the World Cup 2015 and the winner of the Women’s Zonal shall qualify for the Women’s World Championship.

Appeals Committee:
An Appeals Committee comprising 5 members and 2 reserves shall be elected from among the federations represented. Protests should be submitted in writing to the Chief Arbiter within an hour after the round with a refundable deposit of USD100.

Tie Break:
In case of a tie for the qualifying place(s) for the World Cup, the following methods shall be used in the following order:
Where there is a tie between 2 players: the players shall draw lots for colors for the playoff match of 2 games. Each player shall be given 15 minutes with 10 seconds increment added after each move. If this results in a tie again, the players shall toss for colors for one Sudden death game. The player to win shall be the qualifier.
If there are more than two players tied for two qualifying places, the highest by tie break qualifies and the next two shall have a playoff match as described above. If there are more than two players tied for one qualifying place, the top two by tie break shall have a playoff match as described above to select the qualifier. 
Ties shall be broken by the following tie break order:
a) Direct Encounter if all tied players have met each other;
b) Assuming at least 8 rated opponents, by average rating of 8 strongest rated opponents. If still tied, 7 strongest opponents, etc.
c) Buccholz then Median System.

Prizes:
A total of US$10,000 in cash prizes shall be given as follows: Open $7,000 and Women $3,000
Open: 1st - US$2,000; 2nd – US$1,500, 3rd – US$1,000, 4th- US$700, 5th-US$600, 6th-US$ 500, 7th-US$400 & 8th-US$300
Women: 1st: US$1,000, 2nd – US$800, 3rd – US$600, 4th- US$400, 5th-US$200
Prizes shall be shared equally among tied players.

Entry Fee:
The registration fee is US$100 for each participant and each accompanying person including accreditation and transportation from the airport to the hotel.
In accordance with regulations, an entry fee of US$75 for the first player per federation and US$150 for extra players shall be paid by their National Federation to the Asian Chess Federation through the Organizing Committee.
The organizer shall provide free full board and lodging during the tournament for GMs > 2550 and WGMs > 2350 on the January 2015 FIDE Rating List. One male and one female of CACDEC countries Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia will also be given free hospitality. Other players from the national federations can participate in this tournament upon payment for their board and lodging. All participants must stay in the official hotel. The cost is US$110 for single room and US$60 per person for twin/triple rooms including three meals.

Venue:
The First Hotel, 18 Hoang Viet, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

Deadline:
Entry forms must be filled from the National Federations and returned to the organizer not later than 1st February 2015. This date is the registration deadline. Late registration shall bear a $50 fine.

Travel:
Players and accompanying persons shall be met at the Tan Son Nhat International Airport (SGN) in Ho Chi Minh City by the Organizing Committee and taken to Ho Chi Minh City.

Visas:
Participants who need visas shall apply for visas at the Vietnam Embassy in your respective countries.
For any problems, please contact:
Vietnam Chess Federation
Office: 36 Tran Phu, Ba Dinh, Ha Noi, Vietnam
Mrs. Nguyen Nhi Luong, Office manager
Tel/ Fax: +84 4 38232471, Mobile: +84904311655, Email: office@vietnamchess.vn

Dang Tat Thang
FIDE Zone 3.3, President
Vice President, Vietnam Chess Federation