NLSCA March 2022 Online Chess Tournament

As everyone is aware, COVID-19 has presented us with many challenges in the local chess community such as the suspension of in-person chess tournaments and chess clubs. 

In preparation for the Canadian Chess Challenge National Final in June 2022, we will be planning to run several online tournaments through Lichess.  As the National Final takes place online, we have made the decision to conduct our tournaments online as well to best prepare our players.

We will run one tournament each in March and April, followed by the Provincial Final in May 2022. The top player in each grade from the Provincial Final will be invited to represent Team Newfoundland and Labrador at the online national competition. 

Our team is working hard behind the scenes to run these tournaments for you, and we hope that they will be good experiences for all participants and parents. There will be no in-person tournaments for the remainder of the school year. We are optimistic that we will be able to resume in-person activities in the new school year. I encourage you to spread the news of the tournaments to anyone who may be interested in participating.

We have a Facebook page (Newfoundland and Labrador School Chess Association) where you can stay up-to-date with the latest information and news.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation throughout these difficult times and we look forward to seeing you all! Feel free to contact me at chess.nlsca@gmail.com if you have any questions or concerns.

Christopher Qiu

Tournament Director

Date: Saturday, March 26, 2022

Registration Deadline: Wednesday, March 23, 2022 at 11:59 PM

Time: 11am-4pm (approx.)

Platform: Online via Lichess and Zoom. All players must register with a Lichess account. Lichess is free to signup.

Fee: There is no registration fee to play in the tournament

Medals and Awards: Due to the challenges of medal distribution and circumstances, there will be no medals awarded. Players will be given certificates.

All players from grades K-12 in Newfoundland and Labrador are invited to attend. Players will be separated into 4 sections.

·      Primary (K-3)

·      Elementary (4-6)

·      Junior High (7-9)

·      Senior High (10-12)

Tournament will be scholastic rated. Tournament format is 5 rounds Swiss System pairings, or Round Robin depending on registration numbers per section. A decision will be made once registration is finalized.

Games are 25-mins plus 5-second increment per player. Tiebreakers will be played at 10-mins plus 5-second increment per player if necessary. Please notify the tournament director if you are unable to play all 5 rounds. 

Tournament Director: Christopher Qiu (chess.nlsca@gmail.com)

The responsibility of the tournament organizers will be limited to ensuring fair competition in accordance with NLSCA tournament rules. More details on all NLSCA chess events are available at: http://www.chess.nl.ca/