Are you counting down the days until Nintendo releases Smash Bros. for the 3DS? Do you think you're the best Smash Bros. player around? Well, you just might have a chance to prove just how good you are in the next few weeks. 

Nintendo will kick-off the release of Smash Bros. for its 3DS platform next month with a nation-wide tournament held at regional Game Stop locations around the U.S. The game launches on Oct. 3 of next month and the tournament will begin on the following day. 

Beginning on Oct. 4, 15 GameStop locations across America (and the Nintendo World Store in NYC) will host the tournament in which players will play the new Smash Bros. title against random competitors for the chance to advance. There's no pre-registration required, so you can just show up. However, each location will only take 64 players max. So if you want to play, make sure to get there plenty early, otherwise you'll be out of luck. 

The 16 regional champs will then be flown to New York City (accommodations for two are to be provided for each champ) and will participate in the Super Smash Bros. National Open Tournament which will be at the Nintendo World Store on October 11. The 16 regional winners will all receive a Nintendo 3DS XL handheld console, a $250 Visa gift card and, of course, a copy of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS.

The October 11 tournament wil be broadcast live on Twitch and on Nintendo's YouTube channel starting at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT. 

The winner of the tournament will receive a tropy and a robe. Er, a 'champion's robe.' There, that makes it sound better, doesn't it? 

The local Oct. 4 tournaments begin at 11 a.m. local time and the participating GameStop locations are listed below. 

So if you don't live near any of those location, you better buy your plane ticket now. You don't want to let something like geography come between you and a champion's robe, right?

The Wii U version of Smash Bros. is scheduled for a Q4 release, but so far Nintendo hasn't elaborated any further on when we can expect the title to drop. Most likely it'll be after or around Black Friday. Stay tuned.