Five sections offered: K-3 for U500 & unrated players, K-3, K-5/6, K-12, & Open(restricted)

Basics:

This will be a Swiss-system tournament, so everyone plays all day—there is no “elimination.” Players must know how to play the game of chess! We will follow USCF rules including: touch-move, mandatory clocks if available, and notation. Primary players will be excused from taking notation.

Eligiblity:

Review carefully for section eligibility! Students who are enrolled in the 6th grade are NOT eligible for K-5/6 if they attend a Middle School or are homeschooled. Exception: Sixth graders rated under 600 may request to play K-5/6.

The Open Section is open to all ages. All scholastic players entering the Open Section must have reached 1200 at some point in their rating history. Contact the registrar if you have questions about this restriction. Ineligible entries will be placed in appropriate section and $5 refunded. With enough registrations, the Open group may be divided into two sections.

This is a rated tournament. All sections require a current USCF membership. Your USCF membership must not expire before January 31, 2011. JTPs ok for new K-3 players in either K-3 section. USCF memberships can be renewed/purchased at check-out.

Schedule:

8:15 - 8:45 a.m. On-site registration. Pay on-site fees, plus USCF dues if needed. Any on-site entry may receive a half-point bye for Rd 1.
8:30 – 9:00 a.m. Problem desk open. Any remaining preregistration problems should be addressed at this time. No check-in is necessary for preregistrations. We will make every attempt to contact you in advance if we see a problem with your registration. Note: If there is a problem with your entry and you arrive after the problem desk is closed, you may not be paired for Round 1. Verify your entry ONLINE!
9:00 a.m. Open section begins. Open has 4 rounds, Round 1 is G.45. Rounds 2-4 are G/60.
9:10 a.m Pairings go up. Find your seats!
9:15 a.m. Tournament annoucements in playing halls. All players and coaches should be present.
9:30 a.m. First round begins. Scholastic sections have 5 rounds, Game/30. All players, even those with problems or on-site registrations, should be present at the start of Round 1 in the playing hall for their section!

Round Times:

Scholastic Sections:
round 1 - 9:30am, round 2 - 11:00am, round 3 - 12:30pm, round 4 - 2:00pm
round 5 - 3:30pm
Open Section:
round 1 - 9:00am, round 2 - 10:45am, round 3 - 1:00pm, round 4 - 3:15pm

Note:

There will be some “down time” between rounds since many games will finish early. We will provide an area (outside the tournament room) for casual “skittles” chess and/or other indoor activities. Parents and/or coaches, please provide age-appropriate activities during the time between rounds. You are responsible for your players between games! The organizers cannot baby-sit. No child should be left unattended!!!

Awards:

Trophies & Medals to Top Contenders! Ribbons to all participants! Trophies to the top individuals and the top teams in each scholastic section. One set of K-3 team awards, combined sections. Number of trophies will depend on number of entries. Chess medals will go to all players (excluding Open section) that finish the tournament with a positive score (at least 3.0 out of 5.0) but do not trophy. No teams in Open section, but special trophies will be awarded to the highest scoring Parent & Child teams.

Registration Information:

Online registration preferred. Click on the blue starburst to "Register Now"! Early entry pricing (scholastic - $18, open $25) in effect until Thursday, 1/27/2011, 11:59pm. Late online registration open until Friday, 01/28/2011, 4pm for late price (scholastic - $30, open $35). Online late entries guaranteed a first round pairing. Onsite regististration available at the late price, but 1st round pairing not guaranteed!

Email Lori Balkum, registrar with questions,
or call 512-417-9008.

Make checks payable to "Rocks & Rooks".
Mail checks to: PO Box 1386, Round Rock, TX 78680.
If you wish to pay by check, please register online and choose 'check' when you hit submit. Do not postmark after 01/17/2011!
Cash & checks accepted onsite. No credit cards onsite.

Organized by Rocks & Rooks. Gary Gaiffe, tournament organizer.