Round Rock ISD tournaments are paired using a Swiss system tournament format. There are no eliminations. Students participate in all rounds.
As the tournaments progress pairings are made based on game play. In theory, the final rounds should be the players most equal pairings, especially with novice players.
Our tournaments run on an "As Soon As Possible" schedule. Once a section finishes we post pairings and start the next round as soon as possible. You can follow the progress of your section throughout the day using our Chess Tournament Section Status tracker.
You should stay on site for the duration of the tournament. Our tournaments run on an "As Soon As Possible" Schedule. This means once a section's games are all completed we will start the next round as soon as pairings are posted. If you and your player are off site you might miss a round or arrive late.
Additionally, students are expected to have a guardian present at all times. Games end at different points throughout the round and players should return to their guardian's supervision.
Sometimes families and players would like to leave early due to other commitments or a few matches not going well. We strongly encourage you to have your player participate in all rounds of play. As the day progresses your player should be matched more evenly with their opponents.
Players who place in the top 6 of their sections will receive recognition in an awards ceremony as soon a their rounds have completed. These players typically receive a certificate recognizing their accomplishment, but occasionally we have small trophies or medals.
The ratings reports from our tournaments are typically submitted to the USCF the first District business day after the tournament. The USCF is normally able to rate events within a few hours of submission.
The USCF updates and issues rating lists 12 times a year. As of September 1, 2013, the cutoff for a monthly ratings list is 11:45 PM Central Time on the 3rd Wednesday of the month before that list becomes official. For example, the October 2013 list will be created on Wednesday, September 18th. Events that have been received and rated by the cutoff are included in that ratings list.
For more information on how the USCF handles ratings please visit their FAQ page which is linked below.
https://new.uschess.org/frequently-asked-questions-member-services-area
Our tournaments use either a game in 20 time control or a game in 30 delay 5 time control.
A game in 20 time control means each player has 20 minutes in which to make their moves.
A game in 30 delay 5 time control means that each player has 30 minutes to make their move. The delay portion of the control means that the clock delays 5 seconds before beginning to count time whenever the paddle is pressed.
To learn more about time controls please visit the link below to chess.com.
Please review the video linked below in order to better understand how to read a standings chart.
Please review the video linked below in order to better understand Tie Breakers.