World Championships 2020 Announcement

by Kris Sonsteby, Director of Organized Play

12th August 2019

First and foremost, congratulations to our newly minted World Champion Tjark Ott (Tribbles) and to our two deserving victors whom renewed their World Champion memberships in Peter Ludwig (First Edition) and Ken Tufts (Second Edition.) As we close the books on a well-attended and even better run World Championships in Vienna, Austria, we are reminded that the Road to Worlds never truly ends, it mearly respawns back at the beginning. On behalf of the Organized Play team, today I am therefore proud to formally announce the host of the World Championships in 2020.

As you may or may not have heard, this year the Organized Play team solicited bids from the global community for the right to host the World Championships in 2020. In the end, we received five high-quality bids from the following cities: Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Denison, Texas; Seattle, Washington; and Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Each of these bids are deserving in their own right, and the decision on whom to award the World Championships to was a decision none of us took lightly. In an effort to whittle down the list, we examined each bid based objectively on a number of criterion, chief among them being the following: 

• A thriving local player base (regardless of size) that participates in all three games (1E, 2E, & Tribbles)
• Ease of transit to and from the host city / host site for travelers, both domestic and international
• Compliance with Organized Play's recently implemented annual tournament calendar  
• Attendance / lack of attendance from traveling players at previously hosted high-level events
• Length of time that has passed since a respective candidate had hosted a major Championship
• Cost to utlize and total capacity of the host venue (neutral site) and potential backup venue, as needed 
• Previous success hosting high-level events for the Continuing Committee, with little to no hiccups along the way

All of the five bids we received checked many of the boxes on these requirements, and we are thankful that each local organizer took the time to submit a bid to host the World Championships in 2020. It is our hope that the four candidates whom have not been selected will consider helping us fill out the remainder of the high-level event calendar for next year, be it through hosting either a Trek Masters, the United States Nationals, or perhaps even the Continental Championships themselves. With that said, the Organized Play team is proud to announce that in 2020 our signature event, the World Championships for all three games: Star Trek: First Edition, Star Trek: Second Edition, and Tribbles, will be headed to Chicago, Illinois.

Transpiring the weekend immediately following GenCon in Indianapolis, Indiana, the Windy City will play host to the penultimate high-level tournament of the year beginning Thursday August 6th and running through Sunday August 9th at Good Games Chicago. This venue played host to the North American Continental Championships in 2018, and can accommodate 50+ participants. Best of all, the venue may be used by The Continuing Committee all weekend long free of charge, and players are allowed to bring in food and / or drink from external vendors. Additional details pertaining to where to stay and how to get around Chicago may be found in the following article published in 2018, with further information on food and non-gaming entertaiment options located here.

It is our hope that in announcing the event nearly a year in advance our international guests will have sufficient time to plan their itinerary, and to possibly bring their families along for the ride as part of a greater summer vacation. Whether you wish to have your picture taken in front of Chicago's famous "Bean" statue, spend a day submerged in the aquatic life at Shedd Aquarium, or simply play STCCG for four days straight, we ask that you be our guest in August of 2019 as the World Championships return to the Midwest. Now that the dates have been formally announced, stay tuned for additional details (tournament schedule, etc.) that will be posted as they become available. Start planning your trips to the Windy City, and watch the World Championship forum for more information. We hope to see you in Chicago next August!

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