Information about entry fee, ratings, rules, and regulations. The information for the main event is the same for all sections.
Main Event Information
- This US Chess Scholastic National Tournament adheres to the US Chess Official Rules of Chess and the 2026-2027 US Chess Scholastic National Tournament Regulations
- Each Grade (Kindergarten through 12th Grade) has its own section
- Players must play in their corresponding Grade section (Scholastic Regulations Section 4)
- All sections will play 7 rounds of Swiss-paired G/90;d10
- Click Here to review a helpful guide to the rules, procedures, and expectations for National Scholastic events.
- This guide includes information about electronic devices, what to expect before each round, information about awards and much more.
- Players will be paired according to the December 2026 Rating Supplement
- All player ratings will be reviewed by the Tournament Review Group (Scholastic Regulations 4.6.3)
- Chess Sets and score sheets are provided.
- Players must bring clocks.
- Players are expected to know how to set, pause, and operate their chess clock
- Click here for a helpful video on how to set your clock
- US Chess membership through December 2026 is required.
- All on-site Bye requests, withdrawals, questions, and customer support can be handled at "Chess Control" (service, registration, and help desk)
- All other questions and inquiries, please email - Click here to show email address
Main Event Entry Fees
- $105 until Monday, 10/26/2026, 11:59pm EST - Early Entry Fee
- $160 until Monday, 11/09/2026, 11:59pm EST - Regular Entry Fee
- $235 until Monday, 11/30/2026, 11:59pm EST - Late Entry Fee
- $360 until Thursday, 12/10/2026, 8:00am EST - Late Online Entry Fee
- $400 until Friday, 12/11/2026, 10:00am EST - Late Onsite-Only Entry Fee - ONLY at Chess Control
- All entry fees are set by Scholastic Regulations (3.2.4)
Service Charges
- $40 Service Charge for all Withdrawal/Refund Requests after Monday, 10/26/2026, 11:59pm EST (early entry fee deadline)
- $40 Service Charge for all Section Change Requests after Monday, 11/09/2026, 11:59pm EST (regular entry fee deadline)
- $40 Service Charge for all Roster Change Requests after Monday, 11/09/2026, 11:59pm EST (regular entry fee deadline)
- NO Refunds after Thursday, 12/10/2026, 11:00am EST (11am Thursday of event weekend)
Byes
- A "Bye" is a round that will go unplayed. Some players may be assigned Bye rounds by pairings (for example, when there is an odd number of players in the section). Players may also request Bye rounds that they will not be able to play or do not wish to play. Rules about these requests can be found in Scholastic Regulations 3.3.3
- A Player has the option to request up to 2 half-point byes for any 2 rounds, and they may request as many additional zero-point byes for any other rounds
- Byes must be requested during pre-Tournament Registration or at the tournament site. Once Chess Control opens at the tournament site, a player must go to Chess Control to make a bye request or to change an existing bye.
- Deadlines for requesting half-point byes: The bye request must be received
- For Round 1, the deadline is 11:00am on the Friday of the event (2 hours before the scheduled start of Round 1)
- For all later rounds, the deadline is 2 hours before the scheduled start of Round 2
- After this deadline passes, the only change allowed to half-point byes is to convert them to 0-point byes.
- Zero-point byes are available for any round, even when a player has already been granted 2 half-point byes. The deadline is before the scheduled start of that round.