For the eighth time the worldwide greatest Freestyle Chess Tournament is coming up in April 2008, again with an extremely attractive prize fund. The tournament is played on the ChessBase server with time controls of 60 minutes per player and game plus 15 seconds per move. Everybody can take part in the main tournament which decides on the qualification to the finale of the best ten. Accept the challenge to compete against experts of Advanced Chess, correspondence chess and computer chess. Seize the unique opportunity to meet international titleholders to whom you can offer significant resistance with some know-how and a skilful opening preparation. Was it not always your dream to play against a Grandmaster on the same level? In Freestyle Chess you have - with some luck or a good run - the rare chance to be successful.

German Version

What is „Freestyle Chess“?
In a normal chess tournament there are very strict rules about what you can do or not do during a game. Certainly enlisting outside help – from a human or a computer – is one of the more serious transgressions. In Freestyle Chess help of every kind is allowed. The players are expected to work in teams or with computers. Use a chess program, consult chess books or data bases. Get a strong chess player aboard. No borders are put to your imagination to find out the best move, provided that you follow the fairness rules diminished to a minimum.

Where and when?
The 8th PAL/CSS Freestyle Chess Tournament is played on the two weekends:

11th –13th April 2008 (main tournament)
25th –27th April 2008 (finals)

On the first weekend the main tournament in which everybody can take part is played. In the finals the ten top scorers of the main tournament play a round robin tournament for the title and their share of the US $16,000 prize fund. Full details of the schedule and prize fund are given below.

All games are played on the Internet, in a special room on the Playchess server. Participants need to have an account on the server, which is free for the duration of the tournament. If you are not already a member of this giant Internet community you can download the software at Playchess.com and set up an account within minutes.

Prize fund
The total prize fund is US $16,000 and has been provided by the PAL Group in the United Arab Emirates, the company that is behind the Hydra chess project. The prize money is divided as follows:

1st prize: US $7000
2nd prize: US $3500
3rd prize: US $2000
4th prize: US $1000
5th prize: US $500
6th to 10th prize: Software and/or books

In addition, six special prices (software and books), donated by CSS and Edition Marco, are awarded to the following participants:

Best non-qualified player with 6 (resp. 5.5) points
Best non-qualified player with 5.5 (resp. 5) points
Best non-qualified player with 5 (resp. 4.5) points
The player with most tournament participation
A ‚Lucky Win’ (decided by drawing lots)
The most beautiful game (decided by a jury)

All prizewinners must have played all rounds. In addition, every winner can receive only one price. In case of a tie the ranking will be based on progressive score.

Registration
The entry fee for the PAL/CSS Freestyle Tournament is 25 Euro (= US $38.00) which has to be paid when you register for the tournament.

The regular time of applications ends on 9th April 2008, 12 p.m. Late entries can be accepted on the day of the main tournament (11th April). In this case the entry fee is 50 Euro, payable in Playchess "ducats" (electronic money).

There is no entry fee for FIDE and ICCF GMs and IMs with bona fide Playchess accounts. These players need to provide proof of their identity before the tournament starts. A title account on Playchess (with a King or Queen symbol) is sufficient. Otherwise you will be asked to fax a copy of your passport or ID card to the organizers.

To register for the Freestyle Tournament you (respectively the team leader) need to fill out a registry form (the link is given below), giving your name, address and Playchess handle.

CSS Online subscribers are invited to participate for free.
Registration for the tournament (English)

Time Schedule
All times given in the following schedule are in Central European Summer Time (CEST), which is used in most European countries, e.g. Germany, France, Spain, Italy or Scandinavia.

Important note: You will need to log in with your correct handle not later than 30 minutes before the start of the tournament and 5 minutes before the start of each round. Anyone who is not present in the chess server room at this time cannot be guarantied to participate in this round.

Main Tournament – nine round Swiss
Time controls are 60 minutes for all the moves plus a 15 second increment per move.

The pairings for the first round are announced immediately before the beginning of the round.
The top ten players of the main tournament will qualify for the finals. In case of a tie the ranking will be based on progressive score.

Finals – Round robin tournament ("all play all")
In the finals each player plays one game against every other player. Time controls are 60 minutes for all the moves plus a 15 second increment per move. The finals will be played on Friday-Sunday, April 25-27, 2008.

The winner of the finale gets the title of "Eighth PAL/CSS Freestyle Chess Champion".

Please, take notice of the following documents, first of all the new tournament rules:
(pre versions, in doubt the german version is in force)
Download: Freestyle-Rules
Download: FAQ Freestyle-Chess