MSCA Individual and Team Scholastic Chess Championship

The Mississippi Scholastic Chess Association invites you to join us at our largest annual scholastic chess tournament.  Open to all Mississippi school-aged students. 

SECTIONS:

K-1, K-3, K-5, K-8, K-12 (Unrated)      Trophies: 1st-3th Indv., and 1st-5th Team

U700, U1200, Open (USCF Rated)       Trophies: 1st-5th Indv.

 

Rated Points DOUBLED for Team Score     Top Girl Prize in each section

 

Current USCF Membership is required for players in USCF Rated sections

Memberships will be available on-site or at https://secure2.uschess.org/webstore/member.php

 

TIME CONTROL & TEAM POINTS

Unrated sections: 5 SS, G/25+5

Rated sections:  3SS, G/60+0  The combined score of the top four players from the same school determines that team’s score in the Team Standings.  Teams can consist of 2 to 4 players though teams with less than four players will be at a disadvantage in competing for team trophies.  Individuals are welcomed to play if they have no team. The top girl prize will be awarded even if that girl has also won another trophy in that section.  Detailed tournament regulations are included below.

 

REGISTRATION: Online registration is available at http://msscholasticchess.org/registration/tournament-registration3/.

• • Entry fee is $25 if received by March 8th, $30 thereafter & on-site
  • Inquire about reduced rates for Title I schools, large families or students in need
  • On-site registration available from 8:00am to 9:00am
  • All players must check-in by 9:00 am.
  • Lunch break after Unrated round 2 & Rated round 1.

 

For More Info: Click here to show mail address

or (601) 941-5153

 

Mississippi Scholastic Chess Association – 2023 Team Tournament Regulations

 

1. INTRODUCTION
   1. The Mississippi Scholastic Chess Association (MSCA) Team Tournament Regulations are intended to fulfill the needs and expectations of players, coaches and parents at our scholastic team chess events.
      1. To foster consistency between state and national-level scholastic events, the US Chess Federation encourages state scholastic organizations to adopt the National Scholastic Chess Tournament Regulations for all state scholastic championships.  However, the national tournament regulations deal with a great many details and situations that are not likely to be relevant at any of our state team tournaments, so what follows is a summary of the national regulations that will be applied.

 

2. ELIGIBILITY
   1. Age and Grade Eligibility. The following ages are as of September 1 of the school year in which the competition takes place. These age requirements are considered upper bounds for each grade. Our events are grade-based and require all players to play in a section that allows for their current grade.

Kindergarten: 6 years old
1st Grade: 7 years old	7th Grade: 13 years old
2nd Grade: 8 years old	8th Grade: 14 years old
3rd Grade: 9 years old	9th Grade: 15 years old
4th Grade: 10 years old	10th Grade: 16 years old
5th Grade: 11 years old	11th Grade: 17 years old
6th Grade: 12 years old	12th Grade 18 years old

 

1. 2. There shall only be one year of eligibility per grade level unless one of the following situations applies:
      1. Pre-schoolers may play as Kindergarteners in any event section. Kindergartners and Pre-schoolers may continue to play as Kindergartners in subsequent years until they start the first grade.
      2. Players who repeat a grade in school may have a second year of eligibility in that grade as long as they are age-eligible for that grade.

 

3. TEAM REQUIREMENTS
   1. MSCA team tournaments are individual tournaments with team scoring. A student who does not qualify to represent a team can compete only as an individual.
   2. A team is comprised of students who attend the same school.  (Students may “play up” for a school team in the same feeder pattern.  i.e.  an elementary student can play on a middle school team if that middle school is the school they will be attending in the future according to the feeder pattern)
      1. A school is defined as an institution which has one name, is located in one building or connected adjacent buildings, and is under one on-site administrator and which provides core curricular instruction in English, math, science, and social studies.
      2. A student will be considered to attend a school if and only if he or she physically attends classes at that school building and receives more than 50% of his or her core curricular instruction during those classes.
      3. Each school may enter only one team per section.
   3. Teams may also be comprised of home schooled or virtual school students.
      1. A home schooled student is defined as a student who receives at least 50% of his or her core curricular instruction at home.  Virtual school students are students who receive more than 50% of their core curricular instruction on-line, but not in a school building.

 

 

 

Mississippi Scholastic Chess Association – 2023 Team Tournament Regulations (continued)

 

1. 3. 2. A home schooled or virtual school student has the following two options for participating on a scholastic chess team:
         • The student may join with other home schooled or virtual school students who reside within the boundary of the same local public school as defined in 3.2.
         • The student may join with other home schooled students who physically attend the same instructional program.
      3. There may be more than one home school or virtual school team per recognized public school district.
   4.  A scholastic team must contain a minimum of two players to be eligible for team prizes.
   5. There is no maximum number of players who may compete on a team, but only the top four (4) scores in any section count for team score.
   6. The coach, an adult team representative, or the ‘Team Captain’ is responsible for assuring that all of the team’s players are properly registered and eligible to participate as members of the team.

 

4. TOURNAMENT FORMAT
   1. MSCA team tournaments are individual tournaments with team scoring. Accordingly, they are paired as individual Swiss System tournaments, with individual scores added to create team scores.  Whenever a rated section has more than 2N players, where “N” is the number of rounds, the TD will consider using accelerated pairings.
   2. The combined total of the top four scoring players from the same school determines that team’s score.
   3. Players from the same team will not be paired together unless no other reasonable natural pairing can be made.
   4. When conflicts occur between individual pairings and team considerations – and where the top awards are at stake – individual pairings shall have higher priority.
   5. Points from unrated games shall compile toward team score as such:  1 win = 1 point, 1 draw = 0.5 point
   6. Points from RATED games shall compile toward team score as such:  1 win = 2 points, 1 draw = 1 point

Therefore, RATED play will count MORE toward your team score!

 

5. RATING SUPPLEMENT
   1. For events starting before the 10th of the month, the previous month’s Rating Supplement will be used.
      1. For events starting on or after the 10th of the month, the current month’s Rating Supplement will be used.

 

6. CHESS NOTATION
   1. Chess notation is not required in unrated sections but it is required for the rated sections (until one player has under 5 minutes, then notation for both can stop)
      1. The use of approved electronic notation devices is permitted.

 

7. TIE-BREAKS
   1. Computer programs are used to determine pairings, standings and tie-breaks for all scholastic events.
   2. All players tied for first place are considered co-winners, but trophies will be awarded based on tie-breaks.
   3. Tie-breaks are used only to award trophies. Players or teams with like scores are equal and may change the plate on their trophy to reflect this (at their own cost).
   4. When individual or team scores are equal, the following order of tie-break systems will be used to designate awards:
      1. Modified Median
      2. Solkoff
      3. Cumulative Score
      4. Opposition Cumulative Score
      5. Head-to-Head
      6. Coin Flip