Just the Rules: Scholastic Chess Regulations

US Chess tournaments have their rules. FIDE tournaments have their separate rules. And then we have the US Chess Scholastic Regulations, via the Scholastic Council and the Executive Board. Kids are not adults. Kids are not mini adults, either, despite how they look. Their brains are struggling to connect the dots so that the world around them makes sense. Their chess universe is filled with individual/team chess, coaches and chess parents. Our national scholastic chess scene leans heavily on the US Chess rulebook, adjusted to meet the needs of youthful wood-pushers, also known as the US Chess Scholastic Regulations. Let’s do some exploring:

Truth in Advertising: The Scholastic Regulations govern US Chess National Scholastic Tournaments only. They are not requirements for state, county, district or local scholastic events. However, these regulations are an excellent guide for handling any kind of scholastic event at any level.

Bughouse: National Scholastics Regulations have something that none of our main rulebooks have ever had: Bughouse rules. With some adjustments, these rules also work pretty well in non-scholastic events. Check them out. 

Blitz: National Scholastic Regulations have their own set of Blitz rules. The basic concept of Blitz is Chapter 11 of the 7th edition US Chess rulebook. The scholastic document takes that chapter and sets a few more “must follow” standards without a lot of wiggle room.

Team/individual prizes: National Scholastics are paired as individual events. Unlike the US Amateur Team where one team of four wood-pushers directly face off against another four-player team. Scholastic teams may have any number of players, but only the top finishing scores — three or four, depending on the tournament — are summed together to generate a team score. Those top scores don’t always come from the highest-rated players. There are a lot of sections in scholastic tournaments based on grade and age. Prizes and titles are awarded to the top individuals and top teams in each separate category. Avoiding pairing team members against each other is one of the main pairing rules.

No Spectators: Still. This policy has been around for a few years now. Spectators at scholastic events are a good example of the 80-20 rule: 20% of your customers cause 80% of the problems for everyone else.

Air Tags: Bringing electronic gear into the playing hall is more than frowned upon in our main rulebook. The Scholastic Regulations are now going to allow air tags. Yes, there are a few hoops to jump through to allow this specialized electronic gear onto the playing field. Why allow air tags? The “No Spectators” policy means there is no direct line of sight between a player and the grownup responsible for them. With thousands of youngsters pushing wood, parents and coaches are concerned about their safety. They get legitimately uneasy when their wards can’t be easily located, especially after the game ends.

Notation: We all know that our 7th rulebook edition — along with earlier versions — requires game notation. There is an entire group of young wood-pushers — mainly, but not exclusively, kindergarteners plus first graders — that are exempt from taking notation. Why? Those young’uns  are still struggling with mastering their own signatures. Notation is way out of their ballpark. As you can imagine, TDs in those sections have a tough job settling disputes without a score card.

30-Minute Tardy Policy: New this go-around is the 30-minute no-show policy. If you are not there to play within that 30-minute window, you forfeit the game and are withdrawn from the tournament. To get back into the event there are some hoops to jump through, including permission from the tournament officials.

Click here for Scholastic Regulation details.

Want more? Past columns can be found here or by searching the Chess Life Online archives. 

Plus, listen to Tim when he was a guest on the podcasts “One Move at a Time” and “The Chess Angle.”

Tim Just is a National Tournament Director, FIDE National Arbiter, and editor of the 5th, 6th, and 7th editions of the US Chess Rulebook. He is also the author of My Opponent is Eating a Doughnut & Just Law, which are both available from US Chess Sales and Amazon/Kindle. Additionally, Tim revised The Guide To Scholastic Chess, a guide created to help teachers and scholastic organizers who wish to begin, improve, or strengthen their school chess program. US Chess awarded the 2022 Tournament Director Lifetime Achievement Award to Tim. He is also a member of the US Chess Rules Committee plus the Tournament Director Certification Committee (TDCC). His new column, exclusive to US Chess, “Just the Rules” will help clarify potentially confusing regulations.