QUEEN'S GAMBIT 2024
July 19-21
Sports Connection Northlake
8626 Hankins Rd, Charlotte, NC 28269
Queen's Gambit is a 3-day event where practitioners of many fencing schools come together to learn, socialize, and compete. This year we are pleased to offer cutting and sparring tournaments using sideswords with mixed companion weapons and longswords, an invitational spear tournament, a dagger sparring tournament, a skills-based obstacle course, workshops, and lectures. Enjoy the evening with your fellow fencers at our Saturday masquerade dinner and peer awards ceremony, with after-dinner Renaissance dancing!
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Events and Schedule
Friday, July 19:
11:00am – Doors Open
12:30pm – Dagger Rules Briefing
1:00pm – Gear Check
1:15pm – Dagger Tournament – Rose and Crown Divisions
4:00pm – Dagger Finals – Rose Division
4:30pm – Dagger Finals – Crown Division
5:00pm – Break
5:30pm – Longsword with Keith Cotter-Reilly & A Lecture on Lecküchner with Owen Sykes
6:30pm – Break
6:45pm – For Shifts and Giggles with Derek Steel-Barron & Workshop/ Lecture TBD
8:15pm – Break
8:30pm – The Art Behind the Art with Alex Foster & Stick it to 'Em with Jessie Allen Harrigan
11:00pm – Everybody Out
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Saturday, July 20:
8:00am – Doors Open
9:00am – Longsword Rules Briefing
9:30 – Gear Check for Longsword Rose Division
9:45am – Longsword Tournament – Rose Division
11:30am – Lunch
12:30pm – Gear Check for Crown Division
12:45pm – Longsword Tournament – Crown Division
3:00pm – Rose Division Finals
3:30pm – Crown Division Finals
4:00pm – Spear Rules Briefing
4:30pm – Gear Check
4:45pm – Spear Tournament
6:15pm – Spear Finals
6:45pm – Break
7:30pm – Masquerade Dinner
8:30pm – Peer Awards and Raffle
9:00pm – Group Photo
9:15-10:15pm – Renaissance Dancing
11:00pm – Everybody Out
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Sunday, July 21:
9:00am – Doors Open
9:30am – Sidesword Rules Briefing
10:00am – Gear Check for Rose Division
10:15am – Sidesword Tournament – Rose Division
12:00pm – Lunch
1:00pm – Crown Division Gear Check
1:15pm – Sidesword Tournament – Crown Division
3:30pm – Rose Division Finals
4:00pm – Crown Division Finals
4:30pm – Event Ends / Farewell
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Workshops and Lectures
Queen's Gambit is proud to host in-depth workshops and lectures taught by nationally recognized instructors on a variety of topics.
2024 Lineup:
"The 1595. Club, Our Practise" with Derek Steel-Baron
"Meyer's Longsword" with Keith Cotter-Reilly
"Stick it To 'Em" with Jessie Allen Harrigan
"The Art Behind the Art" with Alex Foster
"A Lecture on Lecküchner" with Owen Sykes
Additional Lecture/workshop TBD
Tournaments
We are hosting nine tournaments this year.
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Cutting Obstacle Course. Fencers will face several obstacles in 3 different phases - first with the Spear, next with the sword, and lastly with the dagger. This course can be completed with either the Longsword or a Sidesword (as each weapon is defined in our rules for each sparring event)
The Obstacle Course will be available all day Friday and Saturday. We will announce the winners at the Saturday night Dinner.
Sidesword with Mixed Companion Weapons - Rose Division. A sparring tournament for fencers under 5'10"using sideswords accompanied by bucklers, daggers, or cloaks. Fencers are required to provide their own steel weapons and companion weapons.
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Sidesword with Mixed Companion Weapons - Crown Division. A sparring tournament for fencers 5'10" and above using sideswords accompanied by bucklers, daggers, or cloaks. Fencers are required to provide their own steel weapons and companion weapons.
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Longsword - Rose Division. A sparring tournament for fencers under 5'10" using longswords accompanied by daggers. Fencers are required to provide their own steel weapons and companion weapons.
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Longsword - Crown Division. A sparring tournament for fencers 5'10" and above using longswords accompanied by daggers. Fencers are required to provide their own steel weapons and companion weapons.
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Dagger Duels - Rose Division. Returning for 2023, this Saturday morning sparring event will focus on dueling with the dagger in the cut-and-thrust style of the Bolognese tradition. Weapons will be provided. Rose division is for fencers under 5'10"
Dagger Duels - Crown Division. Returning for 2023, this Saturday morning sparring event will focus on dueling with the dagger in the cut-and-thrust style of the Bolognese tradition. Weapons will be provided. Crown division is for fencers 5'10" and above
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Spear. A sparring tournament using partisans. Weapons will be provided.
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Swordwind reserves the right to remove any entrants from participating in any tournament at their discretion. This decision may be based on factors such as violation of rules, unsportsmanlike conduct, or any other behavior deemed inappropriate by the organizers. The organizer's decision in this matter is final and not subject to appeal.
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Location and Accommodations
Queen's Gambit 2024 will be held at:
Sports Connection Northlake,
8626 Hankins Rd, Charlotte, NC 28269
Recommended hotels nearby include:
Fairfield Inn Charlotte Northlake
9230 Harris Corners Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28269
Courtyard by Marriott Charlotte Northlake
9110 Harris Corners Pkwy, Charlotte, NC 28269
Tournament Rules
You can view our 2024 ruleset here
These rules are subject to change until July 1, 2024. Please follow us on social media or join our Facebook event page to be notified of any updates.
Registration
Register for Queen's Gambit in two easy steps:
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Purchase your tournaments and pay the event fee in our SHOP
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Complete the email form when it is sent to you post registration (it may take a few days, please keep an eye on your email)
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Registration Options:
​This year we have changed our pricing structure. Every participant will need to puchase an Event Fee to attend Queen's Gambit. This fee will also cover access to the Friday workshops and lectures, plus the Saturday Dinner and Dancing.
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Cutting Obstacle Course: $20
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Sparring Tournaments: $50 each
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Judging Exemption Fee. Another new feature this year! If you would like to be exempt from judging please select this fee at checkout. Otherwise you will be eligible to be pulled into judging. Judging duties will be called upon for the other division of the tournament you are fighting in.
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EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT! Registration is 20% off through May 18, 2024.
Refunds
Will be issued in Full until June 21
50% refunds will be issued June 22 - July 5
No refunds will be issued after July 5
Sponsors
Queen's Gambit is made possible thanks to the support from our sponsors. A list of our sponsors is coming soon.
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Volunteering
Queen's Gambit cannot happen without the help of our volunteers! We have positions available for many different skillsets. Please consider volunteering! Our sign-up sheet can be found by clicking here.
Budget
We at Queen's Gambit like to be transparent. Hosting events is a costly endeavor and one that leaves many clubs, schools, and individuals in debt - sometimes to the tune of thousands of dollars.
Like other events Queen's Gambit has yet to operate at a profit as we only seek to (at best) break even each year. If we do have a profit this year we will carry that amount over into our operating budget for next year and adjust pricing accordingly.
2023 posted budget estimate: $15,000
2023 actual amount spent: $18,990
2024 Estimated Budget
Venue Rental: $5,550
Saturday Dinner and Dancing: $3,000
Food for Volunteers: $1,500
Volunteer T-Shirts: $900
Awards: $500
Lanyards: $400
Liquor License: $100
Save the Dates for 2025: $300
Raffle Baskets and Competitor Prizes: $800
Cutting Obstacle Course - materials and design: $500
EMS Team: $2,000
Instructor Fees: $600
Miscellaneous: $500
Total Estimate: $16,650