WILLIAMSTOWN - It could be a record showing today for the fifth annual Williams College Chess Open, as 30 or more chess players are expected to take part in the full-day event.

With players from all over New England and New York expected to attend the non-elimination tournament, event organizer Trevor Murphy said he hopes this year will be bigger than ever.

"I'm looking forward to some well-played games. I hope to see some beautiful games," said Murphy.

Registration begins at 9 a.m. in Griffin Hall at the college and the games will begin at 10. The three-round U.S. Chess Federation-rated chess tournament will pair players with equal ratings against each other in timed matches.

"Sometimes you get a real cross-section of a community. It's really interesting to see a youngster playing a retiree and they are competing on a level playing field," said Murphy, who himself is an avid chess players.

Cash prizes will be awarded to the winners and Murphy hopes to honor not just the overall winner but winners of non-traditional categories like top college player or best unrated.

Each win earns one point and a tie gets a half point and a loss merits zero points. After the first round, players are matched based on earned points. Each player has 90 minutes to make all of their moves and a chess clock is used to keep track.

"This means that each game could last three hours if both players use all their time," said Murphy.

Last year, the tournament featured a grandmaster, the highest title a chess player can attain, and this year Murphy expects to host a large crowd.

"I have four people from Amherst coming to play. There is an eighth grader from Connecticut with a very high rating coming up to play. I have at least three Williams College alumni coming and three Williams College students," said Murphy. "I've never had so many people express interest to in coming to the tournament."