2021 Waco Scholastic Chess Championship

2021 Waco Scholastic Chess Championship

Despite having to virtualize our last championship due to the Coronavirus Pandemic, we are pleased to present, for the third consecutive year, the Waco Scholastic Chess Championship, as an in-person event. Welcoming scholastic players from all across Texas and beyond, we strive to provide an innovative and efficient tournament for all participants, with its epicenter being in the picturesque City of Waco. In particular, by design, not only will players have the opportunity of also competing in a blitz side-event if they so chose, but may rest ensured that they will have a lunch break of at least an hour. We have also structured trophy allotments to be dependent upon the number of players registering (by a day certain) so the more who register, the more prizes they will be competing for in the main tournament. For these and many more reasons, we encourage you to join us for this grand event on the seventeenth of July.

Date: July 17, 2021

Tournament Location: Holiday Inn Express & Suites Waco South, 5701 Legend Lake Pkwy, Waco, TX 76712.

Sections: Four; Championship, U1000, U600 and Unrated

Rounds and Time Control: Five Rounds. Swiss system (no elimination). G/30;d5.

Qualifications: Players who desire to participate in this tournament must be members in good standing of the United States of America Chess Federation (USCF) on the day of the tournament. Players may play up (i.e., an 700 rated player may play in the Championship or U1000 section, but not the U600 section). Admission is limited to scholastic players (12th grade or under), along with those who completed high school during the present calendar year, regardless of geographic location.

Entry fee: $15 by 5/15; $18 by 6/12; $22 by 7/3; and $25 thereafter.

Registration: Online registration may be processed at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-waco-scholastic-chess-championship-registration-150119008997. All entry fees are refundable if requested within thirty days of tournament commencement, but Eventbrite’s commission, which is in addition to the entry fee, is non-refundable. No entries will be accepted subsequent to noon on July 16, except onsite.

Schedule: Onsite registration, 8:00am-8:15; Round 1, 8:30-9:30; Round 2, 9:45-10:45; Round 3, 11:00am-12:00pm; lunch break; Blitz, 1:00-2:00; Round 4, 2:15-3:15; Round 5, 3:30-4:30. The awards ceremony will commence around 5:00pm.

Byes: Each player will be entitled to a maximum of one ½ bye, but not for the final round; such byes must be requested by 8:15am on the day of the tournament. If in any round, for a section, there is an odd number of players, the player with the lowest rating (but not an unrated player) that has not been assigned or has requested a bye, will be assigned a one point bye. All bye requests are irrevocable for prize purposes and, if not allowed a ½ point bye, will provide the requestee with zero points.

Blitz: There will be offered as an optional side-event, a five-round blitz tournament, wherein each round will commence as soon as practicable after the last one; its time control is G/5;d0. Additionally, the blitz fee is $5, which may be processed onsite until 12:30pm and upon online registration through Eventbrite by selecting the appropriate add-on. In the blitz, the three highest-scoring receive trophies.

USCF Rules: The entirety of the Official Rules of Chess complied by the United States Chess Federation will apply in all sections of the tournament, except as noted here or otherwise announced. Accessible at: https://new.uschess.org/news/7th-edition-rule-book-chapters-now-available-download-2/

Results: Whenever any players conclude their game, they should not then reset their board, but instead summon a director. Said director will collect the result slip after completion thereof by both players and only then may the board be reset. In the event both players fail to report the result, the game may be adjudged a forfeiture for both.

Prizes: There will be awarded, in every section, a number of trophies equal to one quartile (25%) of paid registrations that are received for that section by July 3. Additionally, all players who complete the tournament will receive a medal upon concluding their game in the fifth round. Certificates of honorable mention will be provided for those receiving positive scores (3.0+), but not winning trophies.

Notation: Absent a valid physical limitation disabling a player from notating, all players are required to notate in the Championship section, upon pain of a time deduction of five minutes from their clock if they do not. However, notation is not mandated, but is nevertheless strongly encouraged, in the other sections. In all sections, this tournament adopts the Rule 15A variation, whereby players may, if using paper notation, notate their move and then execute it on the board; the reverse is also allowable. Notation sheets will be provided upon request.

Spectators: Except for players during their games, our tournament directors/staff, and members of the press, no spectators will be allowed in the tournament hall during the duration of rounds. Following the conclusion of their game, and reporting thereof, players are obliged to depart the tournament hall expeditiously, and cannot reenter until that round concludes.

Consumption of Food: Within the tournament hall, players cannot consume food or drink at any time; this policy does not extend to other areas, however, such as the skittles room. Water is the sole exception.

Pawn Promotion: This tournament adopts the applicable FIDE rules concerning pawn promotion, whereby the piece intentionally placed onto the board constitutes the promoted piece, regardless of the manner in which it is so placed or said to be. Therefore, if you require a queen for promotion, and have none, please stop both clocks and summon a director for assistance in locating a queen; an up-side down rook, for instance, will be considered as a rook, not any other piece, notwithstanding any agreement of the players and/or the otherwise prevailing USCF policy.

Ratings: For section qualification and pairing purposes, we will be using the greater of players’ over-the-board or online USCF regular ratings (if any), but this tournament will affect only your over-the-board USCF regular/quick ratings.

Title: The highest scoring resident of McLennan County (and adjacent counties) will receive the title of Waco Scholastic Chess Champion.

Tiebreaks: If any trophy is tied between two or more persons, the following tiebreaks, in the stated order, decide its recipient:-

1. Modified Median;
2. Solkoff;
3. Cumulative;
4. Kashdan;
5. Sonneborn-Berger;
6. Cumulative of Opposition;
7. Coin Flip.

Waiting: There will be a skittles room immediately adjacent to the tournament hall, which will be made available to players, parents, etc., for waiting in-between/during rounds. Furthermore, you may also take advantage of the hotel lobby or patio, wherein plentiful supply of seating may be available.

Affiliate: The affiliate which the rated sections of this tournament will be rated under is Innovative Chess Solutions.

Other Notes: In all games played, once you drop a piece on a legal square, it constitutes your move and cannot be reversed. Please bring your chess sets and clocks. Sections are subject to merger in the unlikely event of low turnout.

Contact: If you would like to receive more information, please email csbrown.entrepreneur@gmail.com. We hope this has been helpful to you, and that we will see you at this grand championship on July 17!