Scholastic chess tournament in SOUTH AUSTIN in multiple sections to be held on April 27, 2024. G/25, +5 inc. Trophies and medals awarded. Early online registration is now closed.
You may still register onsite. (Click on the previous ‘register onsite’ link to input your info and pay. All scholastic registrations for sections playing in the gym will receive a 1/2 point bye in round 1. Registrations received before 10am will be paired for round 2.) You are welcome come early to the tournament, visit chess control and complete registration onsite (but will still have to do that on the link above).
Verify your entry on the Advance Entry (Pre-registration) list.
As the tournament progresses double check individual results and bye requests online by looking at your section’s Wall Chart. Current Team Standings are also listed online as each round begins.
Playing locations, etc: K-12 U1000, K-5 U600, and K-3 U400 will all be playing in the gym. The Open section plays in room 371. K-12 Elite will be playing in the gym or 371 – still TBD! The cafeteria has been reserved for waiting families, coaches, and friends. No spectators allowed in the playing room during the tournament games.
Concessions menu: Hot Dogs, Sausage Wraps, Frito Pie, Nachos, Chips, Sodas, Candy, Popcorn, Water, Powerade, and breakfast tacos. You are also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks.) Only water bottles allowed a the chess board.
Read the Full Player Reminders! You are responsible for this information!
Basics
USCF rated chess tournament on April 27th in multiple RATED scholastic sections: K-3 U400, K-5 U600, K-12 U1000, and K-12 Elite (for players rated 950-1399). Please note: all scholastic players rated 1400 and over must play in the Open section. View the Advance Entry List online. Please note, at the tournament basic pairings will be posted each round in print. However, please review the ONLINE standings link for pairings, wall chart info and team standings.
This is a Swiss-system tournament, so everyone plays all day—there is no “elimination.” Players must know how to play the game of chess! We follow USCF rules including: touch-move, mandatory clocks if available, and notation. K-3 and younger sections are excused from taking notation. Please review the Parent/Coach Responsibilities before registering
Location
Del Valle High School
5201 Ross Road
Del Valle, TX 78617
Eligibility
This is a rated tournament. You must have a USCF ID and your membership (can be purchased/renewed at check out or online with the USCF in advance of registration) . You can verify your USCF membership ID and expiration by visiting the USCF’s Member Services Area. Anyone can become a USCF member. Players new to tournament chess are welcome to play. Your USCF membership cannot expire before April 30, 2024. USCF memberships can be renewed/purchased at check-out. (New players in 3rd grade and below may request a non-member ID as a part of USCF’s Junior Tournament Player program during registration. JTPs ok in K-3 sections only.)
“Under” sections are only for students meeting the rating criteria. All players who are new to tournaments are eligible for their age appropriate ‘under’ section. (Look up your player’s rating here. Please email the registrar or ask your chess coach for placement information.
If your 6th grader attends an Elementary School, please contact the registrar for options. With enough registrations, any section may be divided into two sections so we can offer more prizes. Sections with fewer than 20 entries may be merged into a similar section to provide optimal pairings and competition. (Sections in this event have changed from the original tournament listing. Thank you for your patience.)
Please note: April 2024 ‘Regular’ OTB ratings will be used for pairing purposes. If no regular rating is available, then other USCF ratings (quick, blitz, online) can and will be considered for section placement. Requests to play down will not be honored. FYI: Any event that is rated after March 20th will not affect your April supplement rating, as those events takes place after April ratings are calculated.
All players in this event must be in 12th grade (or lower).
Schedule
No check-in necessary for preregistrations. We will make every attempt to contact you in advance if we see a problem with your registration. Verify your entry ONLINE!
8:00 a.m. Chess Control opens for onsite registration. Onsite registrations before 9:30am accepted, but must start play in round 2.
8:30 a.m Announcements begin in all scholastic playing rooms.
Players and coaches should be present.
9:00 a.m. Rd 1 begins. Scholastic sections have 5 rds, G/25, +5.
9:00 a.m. Open section (different event allowing adults) begins. Open has 4 rounds, all rounds are are G/45, +5.
9:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Chess control open for event issues. No changes for round 1 (bye or section) allowed after online registration closes. Requests for byes, withdrawals, and player or school information edits go in effect immediately if made via email before the close of online registration. Changes requested onsite go into effect as of round 2.
Approximate Round Times
Scholastic Sections (all in the gym):
round 1 – 9:00am
round 2 – 11:00am
free puzzle contest – 12:05pm
round 3 – 12:45 pm
round 4 – 2:30 pm
round 5 – 4:00 pm
Notes
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. The organizers cannot baby-sit. No child should be left unattended!
Concessions menu: Hot Dogs, Sausage Wraps, Frito Pie, Nachos, Chips, Sodas, Candy, Popcorn, Water, Powerade, and breakfast tacos. You are also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks.) Only water bottles allowed a the chess board.
Proper handwashing, please!
Awards
Trophies & Medals to Top Contenders! Ribbons to all participants!
Trophies to the top individuals in each scholastic section. Trophies to the top teams in all sections. Number of individual and team 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. Trophies to top players in each section. No teams in Open section, but special trophies will be awarded to the highest scoring Family & Child teams (Uncles, Aunts, Adult siblings, Parents, Grandparents, or coach paired with at least one scholastic aged player.)
Registration Information
Online Registration is still open.
*$35 thru Saturday, 3/16/2024.
*$40 thru Saturday, 4/13/2024.
*Late entry $50 begins Sunday, 4/14/2024 and ENDS at 9am on Friday, 4/26/2024, at which time online entry closes.
*$60 Onsite entry, if space is available . Receives 1/2pt bye in round 1, and begins play in round 2.
Withdrawals requested via email before 9am on Friday 4/26/24 are eligible for a refund (minus a $10 service fee). No exceptions. No refunds for USCF memberships after purchased from the USCF. NO email/phone entries.
Please request byes when you register if possible. First bye receives 1/2-point. Further byes receive 0-points. Email the registrar to make changes to your requested byes. Deadline to add or remove a 1st round requested bye is 9am Friday 4/26/2024. All 1/2-point byes must be requested/removed before the end of round 2.
Email Lori Balkum, registrar (registrar@AustinChessTournaments.com) with other questions. No phone calls, please. Emails will be returned promptly.
Organized by Rocks & Rooks. Gary Gaiffe, tournament organizer (ggaiffe@att.net).