New Awards at US Chess National Scholastics

US Chess has introduced new awards to be distributed at national scholastic events. They are designed to be distinctive and elegant. This article will explain those changes, along with the reasons for instituting them.

What has been changed?

For the 2020 Spring Nationals, most individual awards at National Scholastics will be custom medals. This change impacts the following events and sections:

• National High School (K-12) Championship—all sections
• National Junior High (K-9) Championship—all sections
• National Elementary (K-6) Championship—all K-6 sections and all K-5 sections

The first place team award in each section that signifies a national championship title will be custom made as well. Its unique design will make it instantly recognizable. These awards will be the only team awards with the words “National Champions” in the engraving.

What do the medals look like?

The new individual medals are custom made, with bright finishes, and a unique design for every event. The front shows the logo for the event. The back has the US Chess logo engraved, the section, and the place. The lanyard for each medal is custom made for the specific event as well. The top three medals for each section are gold, silver and bronze. All other place medals are a copper color. The gold medal in the Championship sections bears the words “National Champion.”

Why was this change made?

There are several reasons for this change.

1. There has been a tradition of large trophies at National Scholastics. Many national level school-age competitions do not work this way, especially in the higher grades. The focus should be on the players’ efforts and achievements.
2. Many school-age extracurricular competitions offer medals for individual achievement and trophies for team achievement. This is true for athletics as well as academics.
3. US Chess has, for years, fielded complaints from parents about how difficult it is to get large trophies home. Switching to custom medals will eliminate the cost of shipping and make awards easier to handle. Players can even wear their awards home or to school. They still carry the same meaning and significance.
4.  Since medals cost less than trophies, this will result in the ability to invest these savings back into the event by offering special features which will help Nationals improve into a better experience for players and spectators alike. We will also have additional guest grandmasters offering lectures during the weekend and interacting with their fans. We are also looking at providing an increased number of electronic boards for broadcasting games which involves investing more into that equipment. In addition to this live streaming of top games, commentary is now being provided for audiences to enjoy.
5. As part of the move to emphasize the educational benefits of chess, at the National Elementary this year, for example, there will be a seminar on chess in education by Dr. Jeffrey Bulington, a member of the Scholastic Council and the chair of its Chess in Education subcommittee.

How was this decided?

The idea was first discussed at the 2018 U.S. Open. Subsequent discussion among members of the Executive Board and Scholastic Council, along with Trophies Plus (the official provider of awards for our national scholastic events) and senior leaders of US Chess, took place between August 2018 and August 2019. At the 2019 U.S. Open, the Scholastic Regulations for 2019-2020 were proposed, and the Scholastic Council approved language permitting the awards change. The language was subsequently ratified by the Executive Board. This was a deliberate process, involving numerous parts of US Chess leadership, including significant input from the Scholastic Council, which is the primary advisory body for scholastic affairs. Based on feedback from the 2019 Grade Nationals, additional modifications were made to the awards in the K-1 and K-3 sections of the 2020 Spring Nationals.

Ongoing Improvement

Through these enhancements, US Chess is seeking to continually improve the experience and educational value of attending the National Scholastics. We are dedicated to ensuring that the Spring Nationals continues to be the premier culminating events for chess programs around the country. Feedback from the greater scholastic chess community is vital to the success of this process.