Chicagoland, Illinois · North America

North American
Regional
Minesweeper Championship

A weekend of competitive minesweeper, community, and good company. Coming to the Chicago area in 2026.

Date Late July / Early Aug
Format Weekend Event
Open To US & Canada
Capacity 20–50 Players
Register Interest View Schedule
About the Event

Competitive minesweeper
comes to North America.

The NA Regional is a formal competitive event and a great weekend. We're building something the community in this part of the world has never really had before.

The Competition
Four Events. Four Champions.

We're running four distinct competitive formats across the day: Speed, PvP, No Flag, and Efficiency. Each format has its own winner. Every player has something to play for.

The Community
More Than a Tournament

Beyond the competition, this is a rare opportunity to meet the people behind the usernames. A Friday evening meetup, a post-event hangout Saturday, and a casual Sunday gathering make the weekend as much about community as it is about competition.

The Location
Chicago Suburbs, Well-Connected

We're actively sourcing a university computer lab in the Chicagoland suburbs, close to a Metra rail line so getting downtown is easy, and in an area where hotels are meaningfully cheaper than Chicago proper.

Who It's For
Anyone Who Loves Minesweeper

Whether you're a seasoned competitor chasing top times or someone who just loves the game, you belong here. This is for the whole minesweeper community, wherever you fall on the skill spectrum.

Weekend Schedule

Three days.
One community.

The formal competition runs Saturday. Friday evening and Sunday are for everyone who wants to make a weekend of it.

⚠ All times and event ordering are approximate and subject to change as planning progresses. A finalized schedule will be published well ahead of the event.
~6:00 PM
Open-ended
Friday Night Meetup
If you're arriving a day early, we'd love to see you. This is completely informal: grab dinner, grab a drink, put faces to usernames. Location TBD based on wherever makes sense near the venue.
~8:30 AM
30 min
Doors Open: Registration & Setup
Check in, get oriented, and warm up. Organizers will do a quick check across all stations before competition begins.
Logistics
~9:00 AM
15 min
Welcome & Rules Briefing
Opening remarks, format walkthrough, and any housekeeping. A good time to ask questions if anything's unclear.
Opening
~9:15 AM
~1h 45min each
No Flag & Efficiency Events: Concurrent
We kick off the competition with two events running simultaneously across stations. Players rotate and both events wrap up in the same window, keeping the morning moving efficiently.
Competition
~11:00 AM
~2 hours
PvP Swiss: Preliminary Rounds
Head-to-head minesweeper, Swiss-format. All matches run concurrently, roughly 15 minutes per round, with several rounds played until we've identified our top 8. Minesweeper is fundamentally a game of improving your personal best, and that holds true here too: even in a PvP setting, you're mostly measuring yourself against your own consistency under pressure.
Competition
~1:00 PM
60 min
Lunch Break
A proper break: time to eat, step outside, and decompress. We'll have food options sorted ahead of time, whether that's nearby restaurants or something arranged on-site.
~2:00 PM
~3 hours
Speed Championship
The marquee event of the day. Players compete across Intermediate and Expert boards over a 3-hour window. Your score is the sum of your top 5 Intermediate times and top 5 Expert times — the more attempts you put in, the more chances to sharpen your set.
Competition
~5:00 PM
~90 min
PvP Finals: Top 8 Single Elimination
The day ends with our top 8 going head-to-head in a single-elimination bracket in front of the room. Every match from here is streamed: the best competitive minesweeper the community has to offer, live. Tiebreakers resolved by head-to-head record, then Speed Championship results.
Streamed · Featured Event
~6:30 PM
~30 min
Awards & Closing
Results across all four events, winners recognized, thank-yous given. A moment to celebrate everyone who made the trip.
~7:00 PM
Evening
Post-Event Hangout
Wherever the day takes us: dinner, drinks, good conversation. No agenda, no schedule. Just the community winding down together after a full day.
Morning
Optional
Sunday Morning Brunch
For those sticking around Sunday, come hang out. Honestly, it's often the best part of any event: a relaxed morning with nowhere to be, good food, and a chance to talk through the whole weekend with people you just competed against. We hope to see you there.
Afternoon
Optional
Chicago Day Trip
The venue's Metra access puts downtown Chicago 30–45 minutes away. Millennium Park, the Museum Campus, the Riverwalk. Well worth the trip if you've never been, or even if you have.
Self-Organized · Optional
Competition Events

Four formats.
Four champions.

Each event tests a different dimension of competitive minesweeper. All four run on the same day. Every player competes in all four, and each format crowns its own winner.

Event 01
Speed
The marquee event of the day. Players compete across Intermediate and Expert boards over a 3-hour window. Your score is the sum of your top 5 Intermediate times and top 5 Expert times. Multiple attempts, every run counts toward your best set.
~3 hours · Sum of Top 5 + Top 5
Event 02
PvP Swiss
Head-to-head minesweeper in two phases. Preliminary rounds use Swiss format, with all matches running concurrently at roughly 15 minutes each, until the top 8 are identified. The finals shift to single-elimination bracket play, streamed in front of the room. In the event of a tiebreaker, head-to-head record is applied first, followed by Speed Championship results.
~2.5 hours total · Top 8 Bracket Streamed
Event 03
Efficiency
Efficiency measures how cleanly you solve a board: your score is the board's 3BV divided by the number of clicks used. The fewer clicks, the higher your efficiency. Your score is your single highest efficiency.
~40 min · Highest Efficiency + Wins
Event 04
No Flag
No flagging permitted. No Flag doesn't get the attention it deserves in competitive play. It's a distinct skill set, and it makes for some of the most exciting minesweeper to watch.
~40 min · Flagless
Venue

University computer lab,
Chicago suburbs.

We're actively seeking a venue and in conversation with several Chicagoland-area universities. Here's what we're looking for and why it matters for attendees.

Venue Status
Actively Seeking
Chicagoland-Area University Computer Lab
Chicago suburbs, Illinois
Near Metra commuter rail
25–40 dedicated workstations
Full Saturday access, 8–10 hours
Common or lounge area for breaks and between-round socializing
Near a Metra line, with downtown Chicago 30–45 min away
On-site or nearby parking for attendees driving in
Venue announcement coming soon. Once confirmed, we'll reach out to everyone who's filled out the interest form. That's the best place to be if you want to know as soon as possible.
Why a University Lab?
University labs provide uniform, dedicated machines across every station, with no hardware or setup variation between players
A suburban location keeps hotel costs meaningfully lower than staying downtown Chicago, which matters for attendees traveling from across the country
Metra access means you can stay wherever makes sense and still get to the venue, or head into the city on Sunday if you'd like
Walkable dining and amenities nearby for lunch and post-event plans
We're also looking into hotel block pricing once the venue is confirmed, to make it easier for out-of-town attendees to plan their trip.
Entry Fees & Transparency

Straightforward costs.
Full transparency.

Every dollar collected goes directly toward running the event. We want to be upfront about this from the start.

Entry Fee
$25–30
Per person. This covers the per-workstation cost charged by the venue for a full day of access. There's no profit margin and no prize pool built in. Just the cost of running the event responsibly.
Fee Assistance
Our Goal
We don't want cost to be the reason someone can't come. We're working to make fee assistance available through community donations, though we can't make guarantees yet. If this is a concern, reach out to JSwole directly.

Financial Transparency

All donations to this event are made public by default. We publish a full accounting of what's received and how it's spent. Donors who prefer to stay private can donate anonymously; their contribution will still appear as a total in the public ledger. We think the community funding this event deserves to know exactly where the money goes.

Travel & Lodging

Getting here.

Chicago is well-connected and the suburbs are easier to navigate than you might expect. Here's what to plan for.

By Train
Metra Rail

The venue will be near a Metra commuter rail station, putting downtown Chicago around 30–45 minutes away. Great for anyone who wants to stay downtown, explore the city on Sunday, or avoid renting a car.

Lodging
Hotels

Suburban Chicago hotels run significantly cheaper than the city. Once the venue is confirmed, we'll look into negotiating a hotel block to lock in a group rate for attendees making a full weekend of it.

By Air
Airports

Chicago is served by O'Hare (ORD) and Midway (MDW). Both connect to the broader metro area. The suburbs are typically 30–60 minutes from either airport by car or transit.

FAQ

Common questions.

Do I need to be a ranked or experienced player to attend? ▶
No. This event is for anyone who loves minesweeper, regardless of ranking or skill level. Minesweeper is fundamentally about chasing your own personal best. The competition here is real, but you're mostly measuring yourself against your own play. If you love the game, you belong here.
What software will be used for competition? ▶
We're planning to run competition primarily on Minesweeper.Online, with the speed event using Viennasweeper / Scoreganizer. All stations will be configured identically, with no variation in software or setup between players. Full details will be confirmed and communicated well ahead of the event.
Can I attend as a spectator without competing? ▶
Yes. Spectators and community members who want to be part of the experience without formally competing are very welcome. Spectator entry details, including whether a fee applies, will be confirmed once venue capacity is finalized.
When will the exact date and venue be announced? ▶
We're actively in conversation with several Chicagoland-area universities and will confirm as soon as possible so you can make plans accordingly. The event is targeting late July or early August 2026. Fill out the interest form and you'll be among the first to know.
How do I apply for fee assistance? ▶
Just reach out to the organizers directly. Message JSwole via Discord or community channels. We're working to make assistance available through community donations, and will do what we can for anyone who needs it.
Is this event affiliated with the Minesweeper World Championship? ▶
The NA Regional is an independent event organized by members of the competitive minesweeper community.
Get Involved

Ready to play?

Fill out the interest form to let us know you're in. It helps us plan. You'll be first to know when the date and venue are confirmed. No commitment required.

Submit Interest Form

Questions? Reach out to JSwole directly via Discord or community channels.