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Regulations
U8, U11 & U15 divisions will be USCF Rated and USCF Rules will be strictly enforced. U21 division will be USCF & FIDE rated. FIDE Laws of Chess will be followed for this division.
USCF August 2026 Supplement ratings will be used for Pairings and Prize Eligibility. In the event of ties, non-monetary awards for individuals and teams will be determined by US Chess tiebreaks (MSCO).
This event is open to players Under the age of 21 as of August 15th, 2026. Each section’s age eligibility will follow the same criteria respectively (e.g. A 7-year old player as of August 15th, 2026 may be eligible for the U8, U11, U15 division.)
Playing in a higher age category is allowed for U11 and U15. Please scroll below to view the Qualifications and Restrictions for the U21 division.
Accelerated Pairings may be used at TD's discretion.
Club Team Scores will consist of the top 3 scorers. There is no limit to how many students can play in a Club Team. Players DO NOT have to be from the same school but it is allowed.
Players may request one half-point bye before the end of Round 2. All subsequent byes will be zero points. Cell phones must be turned off and put away during tournament games. Any phone that rings or is visible during a game will result in a forfeit.
Any electronic device capable of transmitting or receiving information related to chess, calculating potential moves, or looking-up moves from a database, is not allowed in the tournament playing area. This restriction applies to players and all other personnel in the playing area except the TD/Arbiter and the event support staff.
No electronic devices shall be in the possession of a player, regardless of the player’s location, while that player’s game is in progress.
Prohibited devices include, but are not limited to, cell or smart phones, tablets, computers, Meta Glasses, and smart watches.
Chess notation is required by all players, move-by-move, for the duration of all games in the U21 section (no exceptions). U11 & U15 divisions will be required to notate until either player is below 5 minutes on the clock. Any player who wishes to not notate in these sections will have ⅔ (two-thirds) of their original starting time deducted from their remaining time (e.g. if a player in the U15 stops notating with 79 minutes left on their clock, then 60 minutes, or two-thirds of their original starting time, will be deducted from those 79 minutes and be left with 19 minutes) U8 division is not required to notate.
Any players playing in a higher division will follow that section’s notation policy, regardless of age.
Forfeit Rule: Players who fail to appear within 30 minutes of round start forfeit the game unless the Chief TD otherwise provides for good cause.
U21 Qualifications & Restrictions
Open to players Under 21 years old as of August 15th, 2026 with a FIDE rating of 2399 and below.
Players the age of 14 and under (U15 players wishing to play in this section) must have an established Standard FIDE rating for the month of August 2026 OR prove to have an unofficial current USCF Live Regular rating of at least 1400 (In this case, the unofficial Live rating will be used instead of the Supplement if different.) Note: Players with a Regular August 2026 Supplement rating of 1400 or greater automatically qualify for this requirement, regardless of unofficial ratings
Additional $30 “playing-up” surcharge fee must be paid upon initial registration for each qualifying participant Under 15 years of age as of August 15th, 2026. (Players waiting too long to pay this additional fee may be subject to a 1st round half-point bye.)
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