February International Scholastic Swiss

The Big Picture

A worry-free, enjoyable tournament experience is our top priority. We have organized dozens of scholastic chess tournaments and are committed to providing the best playing experience for K-12 students around the world from the comfort of their own home. This is what the International Scholastic Swisses strive to do.

This USCF-rated tournament will have four rounds and a G/30;d0 time control. It begins at 11:00am and will end by 3:00pm at the latest.

Games will be played on chess.com. After joining the chess.com tournament, your games will automatically start as rounds begin. You do not even need to report results; the computer does that.

There will be one rating-based section for every twelve players in each tournament. This means that you will likely not need to worry about playing people way above your playing strength. As much as possible, you will play people with somewhat similar ratings.

The entry fee starts at $10 per tournament and is fully refundable until seven days before the tournament.

We will issue Amazon gift cards as prizes. At least 50% of entry fees will be returned as prizes. If there are twelve players in every section, the prize pool will range between $60-120 per section depending on entry times. Approximately half of the gift card amount will go to first place.

Players will be required to be on a Zoom call during the tournament. This is required so that we can provide technical assistance (and answer questions) easily and decrease the likelihood of cheating. Chess.com will also be keeping a lookout for cheaters (i.e., if you use a chess engine or book for help, chess.com will likely close your account, we will find out and all of your games will be forfeited). Prizes will not be issued for at least one week after the event to make sure no one cheated.

Testimonials

• The organizer went out of his way to make this a memorable event for my kids who participated for the first time. It left a great impression on them and motivated them to continue competing. Many Thanks! [Aysheh Masri]
• Well organized, good communication and planning, quick responses to complications. [Dan Shafer]
• Fun to play, challenging opponents, and good system for prizes. [Abhinav Sinha]
• I enjoyed how orderly it was, there were zero issues I had, and I have been having zero issues with all the online tournaments. [Jared Modica]
• The thing I enjoyed most about this tournament is that I could play with a variety of people, and the coordinator was really nice. [Bhuvana Tellamsetty]
• So much fun for the kids! [Gena Ferrabee]

Quick Tournaments

After this scholastic tournament, we will hold four online quick tournaments on the same day for children and adults alike. Each of these USCF-rated quick tournaments will last about an hour, with three rounds, a G/10;d2 time control and Amazon gift cards as prizes. First place also receives a free subscription to the Limestonian Chronicle, a monthly publication that covers a wide array of topics for readers of all ages. Sections will be rating-based like this scholastic event. Entry fees start at just $5 per tournament and no Zoom call is required. Starting times for each tournament are: 3:30pm, 5:00pm, 6:30pm and 8:00pm (Central Time). You can choose any combination of these tournaments. For more information and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/choose-your-hour-quick-tournament-2-registration-502425537307

The Fine Print

General: I know all the details can be boring, but unfortunately life just cannot be as simple as we like. If anything below contradicts anything above, this Fine Print shall prevail. The USCF's Official Rules of Chess apply unless otherwise stated herein.

Qualifications: USCF Membership is required to participate in these tournaments.

Registration: To register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/february-international-scholastic-swiss-tickets-502424714847 Eventbrite fees apply in addition to your entry fee and are nonrefundable. If you are entitled to a refund and choose a credit, your credit lasts for three years after issuance.

Schedule: The first round commences at 11:00am (Central Time) and each subsequent round as soon as possible thereafter. Although the tournament is expected to last approximately four hours, the actual duration thereof may vary.

Ratings: These tournaments will affect your USCF Online Regular and Chess.com Rapid ratings. If there are multiple sections, you will be assigned to a section according to your USCF Online Regular rating as shown on the supplement for the month of the tournament. You must play in the section you are assigned. If you play in a lower section in a tournament than allowed, you will be ineligible from receiving prizes in that tournament. Players with foreign ratings must disclose such ratings before the event and we may adjust their section assignment accordingly.

Prizes: Fifty percent of all entry fees received (net of refunds) will be issued as prizes in the form of Amazon gift cards. The organizer will decide how this amount will be divided. Class prizes may be awarded. If two or more players tie for any prize, the same will be equally divided between them.

Fair-Play: Fair play is of the utmost importance to the organizer. Players will be monitored on a Zoom call during the tournament and must keep their camera on for such time. Backgrounds are not allowed. As an additional precaution against cheating, we will not issue any prizes until at least one week since the tournament has passed. If anyone used a chess engine or book while playing in this event, Chess.com will likely detect such violations and expel the violators from the platform. Any player who is determined by chess.com to have violated fair-play rules will have all of their games forfeited and will be disqualified from receiving any prize. If you would like to discover more about how chess.com’s vigorous anti-cheating procedures work, please visit: https://www.chess.com/article/view/online-chess-cheating

Technical Provisions: To participate in this event, registrants will need to: (1) Create a free Chess.com account (if they do not already have one); (2) Join our Chess.com club; (3) Click on the link we will provide to join the Chess.com tournament marked with their section; and; (4) Click on the link to join the Zoom meeting. Players are advised to use computers and join each tournament at least ten minutes in advance if possible. Join links and other technical instructions will be sent to the email with which a player registers on or shortly before the tournament day. If your chess.com username changes after registration, you must notify the organizer as soon as possible. Players are responsible for ensuring that their devices and internet connection are working properly. No bye or other compensation shall be issued for technical issues unless it is clearly proven that the issues were the fault of the organizer or chess.com.

Miscellaneous: The organizer reserves the right to alter the sections and make such other adjustments as it deems necessary.

Resources

• To become a USCF member: https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess
• Our Chess.com club: https://www.chess.com/club/innovative-chess-solutions-tournament-hall
• USCF Rules: https://new.uschess.org/news/7th-edition-rule-book-free-chapters-updated-20212022
• Website: https://innovativechesssolutions.com/
• Contact: csbrown.entrepreneur@gmail.com