Official Chess 1st Annual New York Metro Area Scholastic Chess Championships

Championship Chess is BACK in NYC - at the Crossroads of the World in Times Square!  

Start the New Year off right at the New York Marriott Marquis, the largest hotel in NYC, as we host the first major scholastic chess tournament in the city since before the pandemic.

Thousands of the best and brightest young chess players will gather in Times Square to showcase their mastery of the 64 squares.

The Metros promises an unforgettable weekend of competition, learning, and community.

TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT EARLY BIRD PRICES!

Tournament registration link: 

https://officialchess.org/event/2026metros/

Eligibility: Open to any students K-12 from anywhere

Location: New York Marriott Marquis, Times Square (1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036)

Dates: January 3-4, 2026

Format:

• 5 Championship Sections = 6 Round Swiss System, G/75 d5 or G/60 d5 for  - over 2 days
• 9 Under Sections = 5 Round Swiss System, G/35 d5 - over 1 day

Half Point Byes: 2 maximum; must be requested before start of Round 2

Marriott Marquis Room Rates: Rooms are a heavily discounted $299 per night (telephone reference code: Official Chess) but are extremely limited - please email [email protected] if rooms are no longer available

Hotel Room link:  https://book.passkey.com/e/51089712?utm_source=1322&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=298072543&trkid=602065868&linkid=3745580102

Coach's Corner:

No personal coach to review your games and no Team Room?  We have you covered! (Register for "Entry PLUS" at checkout)*

- Upgrade your experience and improve your chances at a title!

- Dedicated MASTER-level players and coaches will be on-site in the Coach's Corner, offering real-time game reviews, tips, and personalized advice in between rounds

• Gain insights in real time while your moves and reasoning is still fresh
• Quickly uncover critical mistakes and missed opportunities to strengthen your play and boost your chances in the very next round
• There’s no faster or more effective way to build both short-term results and long-term chess skills

• The list of coaches can be found at the end of this posting and will be continuously updated at the officialchess.org listing

   

🎟 Current Early Bird Pricing (through 10/31/25)

• Basic: $100 (1-day) / $120 (2-day)

• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $140 (1-day) / $180 (2-day)*

   

📅 Prices after 10/31/25

• Basic: $125 (1-day) / $145 (2-day)
• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $165 (1-day) / $205 (2-day)*

📅 Prices after 11/30/25

• Basic: $175 (1-day) / $195 (2-day)
• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $215 (1-day) / $255 (2-day)*

📅 Prices after 12/31/25

• Basic: $225 (1-day) / $245 (2-day)
• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $265 (1-day) / $305 (2-day)*

📅 On-Site Prices

• Basic: $275 (1-day) / $295 (2-day)
• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $315 (1-day) / $355 (2-day)*
• Tickets will be available for purchase at the venue. However, to avoid pairing delays and ensure a smooth start to the event, all on-site registrations will automatically receive a ½-point bye for Round 1, even if purchased before Round 1 begins. Players will be paired normally starting with Round 2.

Format and Section Scheduling (December 2025 Published USCF Ratings will be used):

Unrated players allowed in all sections

6 rounds - Two-Day Section Round Start Times - Saturday Jan 3rd (9:30am, 1pm, 4pm) Sunday Jan 4th (9am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm) Awards (~6:30pm)

• High School Championship - 12th grade or below, G/75 d5
• Junior High Championship - 8th grade or below, G/75 d5
• Elementary Championship - 5th grade or below, G/75 d5
• Primary Championship - 3rd grade or below, G/60 d5
• K-1 Championship - 1st grade or below, G/60 d5

5 rounds - Saturday-Only Section Round Start Times - Jan 3rd (10am, 12:30pm, 2pm, 3:30pm, 5pm) Awards (~6:30pm)

• High School U1900 / U1200 -  12th grade or below, G/35 d5
• Elementary U1500 / U1100 / U700 - 5th grade or below, G/35 d5

5 rounds - Sunday-Only Section Round Start Times - Jan 4th (9am, 10:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm) Awards (~5:30pm)

• Junior High U1300 - 8th grade or below, G/35 d5
• Primary U1000 / U600 - 3rd grade or below, G/35 d5
• K-1 U400 - 1st grade or below, G/35 d5

NOTE - Playing in TWO “Under” sections on BOTH Saturday and Sunday WILL BE ALLOWED. Please treat as two tickets and purchase entries separately. If playing in any Championship sections, players will be limited to that one section entry.

Awards:

Trophies to top 12 individual players in each Championship and top 10 in all other sections

• First-place winners in every section will also receive 50% off entry fees for next year's Metros (discount off of early bird pricing)
• Second through fifth place winners in every section will also receive 30% off and sixth through 10th place winners will receive 15% off (discount off of early bird pricing) 
• Individual players with the same tournament score as lowest "podium winner" (12th or 10th place depending on the section) but falling lower due to tie-breakers will still receive an award
• Class Prize trophies will be awarded for the top 2 players (using tiebreaks) every 200 points below the rating ceiling (up to 3 thresholds) for Under Sections (e.g. HS u1900 section will be awarded Class Prizes for the top two scorers with ratings under 1700, 1500 and 1300 thresholds)
• Class Prize trophies in the Championship sections will be awarded to the top 2 players (using tie breaks) under the following rating thresholds
  • High School Championship (up to 12th grade) - under 1900, 1700 and 1500
  • Junior High Championship (up to 8th grade) - under 1800, 1600 and 1400
  • Elementary Championship (up to 5th grade) - under 1700, 1500 and 1300
  • Primary Championship (up to 3rd grade) - under 1400, 1200 and 1000
  • K-1 Championship - under 800, 600, and 400

Trophies to top 5 school teams in each section

• Team scores will be based on the top 4 scores from each school building in each section - teams of 2 or 3 allowed, but are at a disadvantage
• Teams with the same tournament score as lowest "podium winner" (5th place) but falling lower due to tie-breakers will also receive an award

Winners of final round will be awarded the actual tournament chess set (TD's will randomly determine chess set winner in case of a draw)

All participants will receieve commemorative award

Cancellations/Changes:

• $20 charge for any section changes after  11/15/25 - no changes allowed after 12/26/25 at 12pm ET
• $20 charge for any refunds - no refunds allowed after 12/15/25 at 12pm ET

Other Important Notes:

• Boards and pieces will be provided, but please bring your own clocks
• Notation books ok but cell phones must remain out of sight and turned off during tournament play
• A.I. or any electronic eyeglasses strictly prohibited in the tournament rooms
• Parents not allowed in tournament rooms during matches
• Parents do not need to stay in hotel during matches but must chaperone children in between matches
• K-5 children will not be sent into hallway when matches are finished - They will be sent to a separate chaperoned waiting room, at which time parents will be notified and must pick up children within 15 minutes of notification - Please keep cell phones close by

Tie Break Methods:

1) Modified Median - Total points scored by your opponents (half-points for early withdrawals), and disregards the least-significant (usually the lowest scoring) opponent.  The player with the highest total has played opponents with the best scores in the tournament‑‑ in theory, the hardest opponents.

2) Solkoff - Total points scored by your opponents (half-points for early withdrawals), including the lowest scoring opponents

3) Cumulative - Sum of your total points after each round (each rounds score is added to the previous rounds which means players who won in earlier rounds score higher than those won in later rounds)

4) Opponents Cumulative - Same as above except this method is based on your opponents' score

Team Rooms:

• Please email [email protected]
• There will be 14 (60-85 person) and 4 large (120 person) team rooms available

• Rooms can be combined to accommodate larger groups

   

Coach's Corner Roster (subject to change at anytime):

• Jon Edwards, Current Correspondence World Champion and Grandmaster
• Mark Paragua, Grandmaster
• Jonathan Subervi, FIDE Master
• Eric Fleischman, Original Life Master
• More coaches will be added as needed