Tag: scholastic

Would you like to be an Austin area scholastic chess champion? Here’s your chance!

Scholastic chess tournament in multiple sections to be held on February 21, 2026. G/25, +5 inc. Trophies and medals awarded.

Full pairings and standings can be found at the registration link below (click on the blue “Live” text to get to them).

Register HERE! When you click the link, scroll to the bottom for registration.

Basics

USCF rated chess tournament in multiple RATED scholastic sections: K-3 U400, K-3 U700, K-5 U600,  K-5 U1000,  6-12 U600, 6-12 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 event pairings will be posted only online.  

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 US Chess 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

NYOS Charter School
12333 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78753

Eligibility

This is a rated tournament. You must have a USCF ID and your membership can be purchased/renewed online with US Chess in advance of registration. You can verify your US Chess membership ID and expiration by visiting the US Chess Member Services Area. Anyone can become a USCF member. Players new to tournament chess are welcome to play. Your US Chess membership cannot expire before February 28, 2026. (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.

Please note: February 2026 ‘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 January 21st will not affect your February supplement rating, as those events takes place after February 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:
round 1 – 9:00am, rd 2 – 11:00am, rd 3 – 12:45 pm, rd 4 – 2:30 pm, rd 5 – 4:00 pm
Awards in the cafeteria as each section finishes.

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 details coming soon.  Only water bottles allowed at the chess board.

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 (3.0 & 3.5 points). Trophies to players scoring 4.0 and above. 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

*$35 thru Saturday, 1/31/2026.
*$45 thru Saturday, 2/14/2026.
*Late entry $50 begins Sunday, 2/15/2026 and ENDS at midnight on Wednesday, 2/18/2026, at which time online entry closes.
*$60 Onsite entry receives 1/2pt bye in round 1, and begins play in round 2.

Withdrawals requested via email before online registration closes (midnight on Wednesday 2/18/26) 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 by adding a note when you register. 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 2/20/2026. All 1/2-point byes must be requested/removed before the end of round 2.

Email Sarah Brauner (austinchesstournaments@gmail.com) with other questions. No phone calls, please. Emails will be returned promptly.

Organized by Rocks & Rooks