The first event of the day drew the largest attendance across the various sessions. In a relaxed and playful atmosphere, players of all levels came with friends and family to play chess. It started the festival with a bang, bringing the community together to play a remarkably social game.

The NC Classic was an US Chess Federation rated tournament. For many this was their first rated tournament, but for others it was one of many.

Quad 1

Average Rating: 1540

 NM Kushan Tyagi (2237) was undefeated but that doesn't mean  this quad did not have some strong fights. In the second round, Zach Mountain (1200) faced Michael Dugan (1406), and won after 25 moves. Liam Cheng (1316) also put some great games on his record ending the day with a win and a draw.

Quad 2

Average Rating: 563

In this first round, Gus Leffers (418) put up a strong fight against Elliot Shilshtut (908), but the curse of the clock seemed to be the cause for the loss. In the other game, Oscar Humphreys (507) won against Noah Bozzuto (420) after 47 moves. Gus quickly came back picking up wins in the next two rounds, but Elliot remained unmatched and won the quad.

Section 3 (6 Player Swiss)

Average Rating: Unrated

Because all six players in this section did not have a rating, it was difficult to predict who was going to win. Chess players often comment on the fact that playing an unrated player harder than playing someone with a higher rating, as it is difficult to know what to expect. This unknown aspect also makes playing them daunting.

In the first round, all three games took around 30 moves with Owen Dunleavy, Louis Potok, and Haakon Berg coming out the gate with wins. Although Jack Kieske hard fought against Dixon Yee in round two, Dixon got the win after 54 moves. In this section, most games were more than 30 moves. Going into the third round, both Owen and Louis had not lost a game. In a duel to checkmate, Louis won after 14 moves. Round 3 still wasn't over and Haakon Berg and Thomas Raben fought till the end to get the point. 

In a room filled with spectators, players faced off against NM Harris. Many came to the exhibition after the casual play to brush up on their chess. Some walked into the library and decided to try to challenge a master. Others came especially for the chance to play and learn from their games.

NM Kushan Tyagi, winner of the NC Classic and the Rush Hour Blitz, played against a volunteer blindfolded. Both players demonstrated their skill, but in the end, Kushan won.