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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 and location are not yet final. Full confirmation expected around June 15. See latest updates →

Date September 19, 2026*
Format Weekend Event
Open To Everyone
Capacity 20–50 Players
Register Interest View Schedule Join Discord
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

Glen Ellyn, Illinois.
Not yet final.

We have a strong venue lead in Glen Ellyn and have toured the space. The contract cannot be finalized until June 15. Here's what we know and what that means for you.

Venue Status
In Talks — Not Yet Confirmed
Glen Ellyn, Illinois
Chicago suburbs, Illinois
DuPage County
University computer lab setting with dedicated workstations
Capacity for the full expected attendee range
Full Saturday access with common area for breaks
On-site and nearby parking available
Within easy reach of I-88 and suburban transit
Contract cannot be finalized until June 15. The space looks great and I've toured it in person, but there are logistical constraints on the venue's end that prevent signing before that date. I will notify everyone who filled out the interest form the moment it's confirmed.
Planning Ahead
If you're booking travel or lodging now, make sure anything you book is fully refundable until we have official confirmation on June 15
Glen Ellyn is in DuPage County, roughly 25 miles west of downtown Chicago, with straightforward highway access from all directions
Suburban hotels in this area are significantly cheaper than Chicago proper and plentiful around the I-88 corridor
O'Hare (ORD) is approximately 20–25 minutes away by car, making it one of the more convenient suburban venues for flyers
Full confirmation expected around June 15. I'll reach out immediately to everyone on the interest list. If you haven't filled out the form yet, that's still the best way to stay in the loop.
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

Donations are now open. 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. View the full financial ledger →

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 Car
Driving

Glen Ellyn sits right off I-88, making it straightforward to reach from Chicago, the northern suburbs, Indiana, and Wisconsin. On-site and nearby parking is available.

Lodging
Hotels

Suburban DuPage County hotels are significantly cheaper than Chicago. Once the venue is confirmed we'll look into a group rate block. If you're booking now, keep it refundable until June 15.

By Air
O'Hare (ORD)

O'Hare is roughly 20–25 minutes from Glen Ellyn by car, making this one of the better suburban venues for attendees flying in. Midway (MDW) is also served from Chicago, about 40–50 minutes away.

FAQ

Common questions.

When will the exact date and venue be announced? ▶
We have a venue lead in Glen Ellyn, Illinois and I've toured the space. The event is targeting September 19, 2026. That said, the contract cannot be signed until June 15 due to constraints on the venue's end, so nothing is official yet. I'll reach out immediately to everyone on the interest list the moment it's confirmed.
Can I donate to support the event? ▶
Yes. Donations are now open. They go toward subsidizing entry fees for attendees who can't afford them, covering event infrastructure costs, and potentially building a small prize pool. Every donation is logged publicly by default, with an anonymous option available. See the full financial transparency page →
How else can I help beyond attending? ▶
There are several concrete ways to contribute: helping with design and visual assets, owning the stream and broadcast setup on the day, hotel block research once the venue is set, community comms, merch coordination, day-of registration, and more. Spreading the word and sharing the interest form is something anyone can do right now. See all volunteer opportunities →
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.
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.