Grand Prix Points

What is the Grand Prix? The Grand Prix is a points-based system to award ACF members for participating in tournaments and foster friendly competition!

How does it work? If you are an ACF member, you can accumulate points for participating in qualifying tournaments. Points are based on the following factors: number of rounds in the event, average pre-tournament rating of players, distance traveled to participate in the tournament, and placement among all ACF members.

When does it start? The annual Grand Prix cycle begins after the State Championship each year, and will conclude with the following year’s State Championship.

What tournaments are eligible? Most ACF sponsored tournaments will qualify for Grand Prix points. Other tournaments that are sanctioned by the ACF may qualify. This will be announced prior to the specific tournament.

What do I win? The top 3 ACF members with the highest Grand Prix scores will be announced at the State Championship and be given an award- either a trophy, cash, or something else to acknowledge your achievement! 

Do I have to sign up? Nope. All ACF Members will automatically be registered for the Grand Prix. Once you participate in a tournament and get points, we will update your score on this website.

How are points calculated? Grand Prix points are calculated using following formula:

 Grand Prix points = (R/5) x (T/1500) x M x P 

where: 

R = Number of rounds in the event. 

T = Average rating of all players in the event. 

• For the purpose of determining the average rating of all players in an event the USCF pre-tournament ratings will be used.

• For unrated events, T=500

M = Travel Bonus Multiplier. This value rewards players for miles traveled (one way) according to the following scale: 

0-40 miles:   M = 1.0 

41-120 miles:   M = 1.33 

121-200 miles:   M = 1.66 

Over 200 miles:   M = 2.0 

• Generalized distance will be used (ex. 360 miles will be used for any players traveling from Anchorage to Fairbanks)

• Road miles will be used for any players traveling on the road system, regardless of transportation method used.

• Air miles will be used for any players traveling from off the road system. 

P = Place Score in order of finish among ACF members (the average place score in the event of ties). 

• Place Scores are 12, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 for first through tenth and .5 for each other finishing position with a plus score.

Example: 

There are 25 players participating in a 5-round Swiss rated tournament in Anchorage. The average pre-tournament rating for all players is 1200. Ashley is an ACF member who travelled from Homer to play in the tournament. She scored 3rd out of the 15 ACF members participating (6th overall).

R= 5

T= 1200

M= 2.00 (223 miles)

P= 8 (3rd place among ACF members)

(5/5) x (1200/1500) x 2.00 x 8 = 12.80 Grand Prix Points