2025 Virginia College Chess Championships

2025 Virginia College Chess Championships

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Monticello High School, 1400 Independence Way, Charlottesville, VA

What: 2025 Virginia College Chess Championships. This tournament is open to players who attend college in Virginia and Virginia residents who attend college out-of-state. See separate announcements for the Friday Night Blitz Tournament.

Eligibility: Players attending college before completing high school are NOT eligible to play.

When: Saturday, March 8, 2025, with Round 1 on Saturday at 9 am. All 4 rounds are on Saturday.

Where: Monticello High School, 1400 Independence Way, Charlottesville, VA, 22902. Please DO NOT call the school for information about the chess tournament.

Hotels: The Virginia Chess Federation has lodging options with several hotels near the school. The properties represent a range of selections and costs. See www.vachess.org for the options available. Some hotel options offer a lower price if you reserve your room(s) before the end of 2024!

Event Format: 4 rounds of play using the Swiss System. Everyone plays 4 rounds; this is NOT an elimination tournament! (Click here to read more about the Swiss System, which is the most common format for chess tournaments.)

Entry Fees and Registration:

• Entry Fees: $60 through Feb 28th; increases to $80 on March 1st through Wednesday March 5th. Increases to $100 starting Thursday March 6th and onsite. Entry onsite permitted only on Friday March 7th. The VA Chess Federation will retain $5 from any player who withdraws from the tournament before the start of Round 1.
• Registration: On-line at www.vachess.org. Schools wanting to register and pay for their players as a group should contact Mike Hoffpauir, VA Chess Federation (see Note 2 below).
• One optional “Half-point Bye” is available for any round including Round 4. Click here to read more about ‘Byes’ in chess tournaments.

Sections of Play: All college players compete in one section.

Event Schedule for the Scholastic Sections:

• Friday, March 7th: Onsite Registration from 4-9 pm.
• Saturday, March 8th: Rounds 1 – 4 at 9 am, 12-noon, 3 pm and 6 pm.
• Awards distributed immediately after Round 4 on Saturday evening.

Time Controls: All players’ clocks will be set for Game 60, with 5-seconds of increment (G/60 + 5) for all 4 rounds of play.

Ratings Used: Players will be paired using the higher of their US Chess over-the-board and online regular ratings found in the US Chess Rating Supplement for March 2025 (to be published by the US Chess Federation on or after Feb 21, 2025). These same ratings determine eligibility for prizes. Established ratings have priority over provisional ratings. Ratings in other systems such as FIDE or from another country will be considered, especially when a player has no US Chess rating. Ratings from platforms such as Chess.com, Chesskid.com, Lichess.com, and ICC are not used. The Chief TD makes the final decisions about all players’ ratings used in the tournament.

Awards: Individual and Team trophies in all sections with cash awards for the 1st – 3rd place individuals. We will add a 4th place cash award if there are more than 25 players. If you have questions about player or team eligibility, contact Mike Hoffpauir (see Note 2 below).

Side Event for College Players:  See information and registration procedures at www.vachess.org

• Blitz Tournament: 4 or 5 double-rounds on Friday evening March 7th, with Round 1 at 6:30pm. There will be a College Section in Blitz if at least five (5) college players sign-up to play Blitz.

Notes:

1. A current US Chess Federation membership is required for all participants. Renew your US Chess membership or become a new US Chess member through the VA Chess Federation at www.vachess.org and select the “Join US Chess” tab on the left side of the screen. Joining through the VA Chess Federation saves you a little money.
2. Event Organizer: Virginia Chess Federation, Mike Hoffpauir, Click here to show mail address, 757-846-4805 (text)