SCHOLASTIC CHESS TOURNAMENT FAQ
Who can play?
Any student in grades K-12 is eligible. You do not have to have played in a chess tournament before. Many of our Region 8 tournaments have many players participating in their first chess tournament on any given event.
How many games will I play?
All scholastic local tournaments in Region 8 are five rounds. Everyone plays in all rounds (unless there is an odd number in which case players take turns sitting out). Nobody is eliminated. We strongly encourage players to compete all of the way through the tournament rather than withdraw (quit) from the tournament.
Who will I play?
Many tournaments are divided up into sections with players only playing in their own section. A tournament without sections is called an “open.” There are two common ways of dividing a tournament into sections. One is by grade-level and the other by player strength. The tournament announcement will contain this information. A player’s strength is estimated using a national rating system and based solely on performance against other players in past tournaments.
Most chess tournaments are known as "Swiss-System" events. This means that players are paired against others with similar scores. In short, the Swiss System operates by ordering the players by rating, and pairing the top player with the player just under the half-way mark. The second player is paired against the next player under the opponent of the top player, and so forth. Players earn one point for winning, a half point for drawing. In each round after the first round, the players compete with others who have the same number of points. If there are an odd number of players in a score group, the lowest ranked player in the group is paired against the top available player in the next group down. Players never compete against the same opponent twice in a tournament, and efforts are made to alternate the color of the pieces the player uses each round. Nobody is eliminated in a Swiss System tournament.
How do I register?
A tournament announcement will identify the contact information of the person with whom you may register to play. You may do this in advance of the tournament or you may register at the tournament site on that day. However, on-site registration usually ends at least a half hour prior to scheduled start of the first round (so you have to arrive earlier). If registered but not paid, then you should check in prior to the start of the first game so that the Tournament Director (TD) does not pair anyone against an opponent who did not show. It is in the interest both of the organizer and the players to register early. That is, you want to avoid long lines of players who have waited until the last minute to sign up.
Who is the Tournament Director?
The Tournament Director (TD) runs the tournament. The TD’s duties include making the pairings each round and settling any sort of rule dispute that arises during a game. TDs have the authority to punish bad behavior or other rules violations by adding or subtracting time from a player, or by forfeiting a game. The TD also submits the results of the tournament to the United States Chess Federation (USCF) should the tournament be advertised as a USCF rated event.
Byes
A player with a bye in a particular round does not play that round. There are two types of byes. When a tournament has an odd number of players, the bottom player does not play one round. Instead, that player is awarded a “full-point bye,” meaning that the player receives a point, as if he or she won a game. A player receiving a full-point bye will see “please wait” or "See TD" written across from his name on the pairing sheet. No player receives more than one bye per tournament. Sometimes, the player receiving the bye will be paired against someone else, who either is not enrolled in the tournament or is enrolled in a different section that also has an odd number of players. In a rated tournament the game will count for ratings, but the players both receive a point for the tournament. In a rated tournament, a player competing in his or her first tournament will not receive a bye, except in very unusual circumstances. This is because a player will not earn a publishable rating until he or she has played four games, and we want players to earn ratings as fast as possible.
Players unable to be at the tournament for a certain round may request a “half-point bye.” This second type of bye awards a player the same score as would a draw. In most tournaments, half-point byes must be requested before the player begins to play in the event. In some cases, byes are taken 30 minutes before the start of a round, when a player cannot get to the tournament by the time it begins.
Ratings and the United States Chess Federation (US Chess)
Many of the chess tournaments here in Region-8, and most tournaments elsewhere, are sanctioned by the U.S. Chess Federation (US Chess). Most of our scholastic tournaments require a US Chess membership in order to participate. Annual membership dues for players vary by age but range from $20 to $27, which is good for one year varying based on age. The fee for the US Chess membership does not include the fee for entering the tournament which is between $5-$20. Those tournament registration fees include things such as the cost of trophies, custodial fees, and rating the tournament with the US Chess Federation. Membership in the US Chess may be purchased at any time when registering or online at the US Chess website, www.uschess.org.
US Chess developed, and is constantly modifying, a sophisticated rating system for its members. By playing in tournaments, players earn a rating, which rises each time a player wins, and falls each time a player loses. The rating of the opponent is the major component of the formula.
How do I find out about upcoming tournaments?
The Region 8 chess tournament schedule is posted on the Region 8 Website at www.txchessregion8.com. For even more chess tournament information, I will link the Brownsville, San Benito, Harlingen, Los Fresnos, and La Feria scholastic chess websites once they become available
What if I have other questions?
I am happy to help answer any questions about scholastic chess. I direct many tournaments in the area. Please see the contact information on this page to reach out to me.