We noticed that there are three dates for the States. Do we have to be there all days? No!
Friday is an optional day with Blitz (speed) Chess. Most major tournaments offer Blitz special event to provide those individuals who enjoy Blitz chess an opportunity to compete, have fun, and win trophies.
Players in sections with one-day schedule play only on Sunday. These sections are Kindergarden, Grade 1-3 Rookie, Grade 1-3 Beginner, Grade 1-3 Jr Varsity, Grade 4-6 Rookie, Grade 4-6 Beginner, Grade 4-6 Jr. Varsity, Grade 7-8 Beginner, Grade 9-12 Beginner.
All others play on
Saturday and
Sunday.
If you need to miss a game, please see
here.
For example, if a player in 7th grade could not attend on Saturday, they may play on Sunday with one half point credited if asked in advance. Obviously it would be near impossible to obtain one of indvidual trophies but if it possible to help their team win a trophy.
I do not know which section to place my child in. Can you help? If you have a coach, please ask them first so the coach does not get upset at me! Otherwise, I can try!
If your child is in Kindergarten, s/he would normally play in the Kindergarten Division.
If your child is in first grade through third grade (these grades are referred to as Primary) s/he has four possibilities:
Primary (K-3) Rookie (unrated)-- If your first, second or third grade child has never competed in a United States Chess Federation rated tournament or does not have a rating, then s/he would be unrated and this would be the section of choice. S/he can also compete in 4-6 unrated or both this section and 4-6 unrated. Alternatively, s/he can compete in any higher section except the Primary Beginner (under 500) or Elementary Beginner (under 600).
Primary (K-3) Beginner (rated under 500 only)-- If your child is in first, second, or third grade, and has a rating under 500 this would be the section of choice.
Primary (K-3) Jr Varsity (rated 500-799)-- If your first, second or third grade child has competed in US Chess Federations tournaments, but their rating between 500 and 799, inclusive, then s/he would usually compete in this division.
Primary (K-3) Championship (rated 800 or higher)-- The Primary Championship section is mainly for experienced Kindergaren, first, second or third grade players whose USCF ratings are 800 or higher. However, since it is an open division, any kindergarten, first, second or third grade player, unrated or rated, experienced or not, is allowed to enter this division.
If your child is a USCF member, you can check their rating at USCF website link
http://www.uschess.org/datapage/player-search.php.
Please remember that all players must be USCF members to compete in this tournament if they are playing in any section other than KG, K-3 Rookie, K-3 Beginner, and Bughouse.
If you are not a USCF membership as of 5/5/2015, please join through our online registration so we have proof of current membership. Otherwise, you may have to pay for USCF membership again.
Please, check your USCF status using the link above.
The same basic information applies to the Elementary School sections (fourth, fifth and sixth grade). So this is the division of choice for these students.
Elementary (4-6) Rookie (unrated)-- If your fourth, fifth or sixth grade child has never competed in a United States Chess Federation tournament or does not have a rating then s/he would be unrated and this would be the section of choice
Elementary (4-6) Beginner (rated nder 500 only)-- If your fourth, fifth, or sixth grade child and has a rating under 500 this would be the section of choice.
Elementary (4-6) Jr Varsity (rated 500-799)-- If your fourth, fifth, or sixth grade child has competed in US Chess Federations tournaments, but his/her rating between 500 and 799, inclusive, then he/she would normally compete in this division.
4-6 Elementary Championship (rated 800 or higher)-- The Elementary Championship section(also know as Open and Championship section) is mainly for experienced first, second or third grade players whose USCF ratings are 800 or higher. However, since it is an open division, any kindergarten, first, second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth grade player, unrated or rated, experienced or not, is welcome to enter this division.
4-5 Elementary Championship (rated 800 or higher)-- See above except 6th graders may not play in this section.
The same principles can be applied to the Junior High School and High School divisions except the Rookie section is merged into Beginner section. If you have any other questions about which division of the CalChess State Scholastic Championships is correct or best for your child, please do not hesitate to contact us at this link.
What is meant by a bye? And, can you clarify why there is only one half point bye and the other byes are zero points?
Basically, a bye means you get to pass on playing a game.
1) Half-point byes: Most players play all the games in their section. However, you should request a half-point bye before the tournament starts if you do not intend to play in any any round. Half-point bye request enables you to get half-point (equivalent to a draw) for an unplayed game if requested in advance. In the States we only give no more than one half point bye and never in the last round. These must be asked for before the tournament begins.
2) Zero-point byes: Players may also request zero-point byes for any round at any time so that they do not get dropped out of the tournmant for not showing up. Zero point byes are given for any round a player requests to skip.
3) Full-point byes: Full-point byes generally given only when there is an odd (not even) number of players in a section. Someone simply doesn't get a game because there is no one to play. The person who doesn't get to play, but gets a point as if (s)he won a game, is the lowest rated in the section with the least points. Unrated players seldom receive full point byes.
Note: The United states Chess Federation does not rate byes.
I noticed that my child(ren) must be a member of the United States Chess Federation (USCF). What is that? Why do they have to be members? What is this rating that the application requests?
The United States Chess Federation is the national governing body of chess in the United States. Membership is required of all players in order to have our tournament sanction as well to provide a rating that compares all players in the United States. This rating is done at the USCF headquarters in Tennessee after the event. The rating is then used to properly place players in future events. The rating is not consider quite accurate until after an individual has completed 25 official tournament games. Until that time the rating is called provisional. Individuals who have not completed three USCF tournament games are considered unrated.
A technical description of the USCF ratings system can be viewed from http://math.bu.edu/people/mg/ratings/rrating.system.pdf. A less technical description explaining approximating formulas can be viewed from http://math.bu.edu/people/mg/ratings/approx/approx.html.
If you are NOT a USCF member, then you must join USCF on the entry form unless you are only playing in KG or K-3 Rookie (unrated) sections. You can check your membership status and rating at: www.uschess.org/datapage/player-search.php.
I also see that there is another organization called CalChess. Do I have to be a member of CalChess as well? Is there any benefit for my child(ren) to join?
You are also required to be a member of CalChess. You can join CalChess on the entry form for a minimal fee of $5. If you are already a CalChess member, you do not need to add the CalChess membership fee at the registration.
Check if you are a CalChess member here: http://calchess.org/membership_list/membership_list.txt
CalChess is the State Affiliate of USCF and the organizer Bay Area Chess (a silver affiliate of USCF) are two separate organization. This tournament is eligible for payments and discounts through Bay Area Chess since Bay Area Chess bears the financial responsibility for this tournament.
Northern California is listed as a separate state in the USCF. CalChess provides an interactive web site that includes an online journal, articles about chess in Northern California and throughout the world, a list of the top scholastic players in Nor Cal as well as a current list of all scholastic and adult tournaments being held in our area. The purpose of CalChess is to broaden and develop chess as art, recreation, and as a significant element of culture in Northern California and to cooperate with chess clubs, schools, the public and other groups throughout Northern California in chess instruction and in conduct of chess competitions and exhibitions of all types. Funds go to support these activities as well as to provide stipends to scholastic players attending national and international events.
Another benefit of membership includes discounts at some scholastic tournaments.
CalChess and the organizer Bay Area Chess (a silver affiliate of USCF) are two separate organizations. This tournament is eligible for payments and discounts through Bay Area Chess membership and gold pass programs since Bay Area Chess bears the financial responsibility for this tournament.
Which U.S. Chess Federation rating will my child play under?
The rating that will be used must be the May 2015 (yes May not April) Rating Supplement as that posts the official rating. While in small competitions directors, like myself, often use the most recently posted rating, to be fair to players and Team coaches and so there is minimal confusion in to which section an individual should be placed, the May Supplement will be used. All players will be listed by their official rating as of the May 2015l USCF Rating Supplement. If a different rating is posted online when I post the entries, this rating and if need be, the section, will be changed and posted within one month of the tournament.
My child is not a member of any school team can s/he compete?
Definitely! Chess is an individual sport and teams only add another flavor to the competition.
My child is home schooled, can s/he compete for a team?
Yes. Your child can compete for a team in the same school district as long as you can provide proof of homeschooling and school district compatibility. This option is not available to children who are NOT home schooled. The proof of this must be provided at least thirty days before the start of the tournament and approved by the Chief TD before the start of the tournament.
How do I know that my child is registered?
Entries are posted every few days about a month before the States at these links (Alpha - Section - Team). The posting lists each players division, USCF rating, grade and school.
How would I go about finding a hotel room for this event?
Unfortunately, all rooms at hotels provided at the group rate has been reserved.
What should my child and I bring to the tournament?
We suggest that you bring a chess set and a chess clock if you have one. Food is sold at the site for reasonable prices and outside food is not allowed. We cannot allow soda or fruit drinks in the playing hall and so we suggest you provide your child with bottled water. We will have water stations, but children hate leaving their games to hydrate as much as they should to maintain adequate health during games that can go as long as three hours (in the championship sections).
You may consider bringing pencils if your child is going to record the game. We will note here that we will have pencils, recording sheets, as well as chess sets for the players in the tournament hall and a few extra clocks. See Does my child have to use a chess clock?
When we arrive at the tournament site what should we do?
You should arrive at the tournament about a 45 minutes before the first round is scheduled to begin. We will post pairings 30 minutes before the start of the first round. The pairings will indicate the chess board number of your child's game, the color of their pieces, and their opponent's name. The chart will look something like the one below.
| Player |
Color |
Opponent |
Board |
| Azhar, Aamir |
White vs. |
Yieh, Pierson (580) |
on board 6 |
| Azhar, Yousef |
Black vs. |
Hsu, Kevin (1384) |
on board 5 |
| Bharath, Ranu |
White vs. |
Langland, Jordan (982) |
on board 2 |
| Hsu, Kevin |
White vs. |
Azhar, Yousef (957) |
on board 5 |
| Kaushik, Ramya |
White vs. |
Narayan, Akshay (958) |
on board 4 |
| Kumar, Aditya |
White vs. |
Tu, Jonathan (1053) |
on board 1 |
| Kwok, Eugene |
White vs. |
Leong, Kevin (1263) |
on board 3 |
| Lakshminarayan, Anand |
|
Full point bye |
|
| Leong, Kevin |
Black vs. |
Kwok, Eugene (1100) |
on board 3 |
| Narayan, Akshay |
Black vs. |
Kaushik, Ramya (922) |
on board 4 |
| Langland, Jordan |
Black vs. |
Bharath, Ranu (968) |
on board 2 |
| Langland, Steele |
White vs. |
Uesato, Jonathan (1096) |
on board 7 |
| Tu, Jonathan |
Black vs. |
Kumar, Aditya (1019) |
on board 1 |
| Uesato, Jonathan |
Black vs. |
Langland, Steele (997) |
on board 7 |
| Yieh, Pierson |
Black vs. |
Azhar, Aamir (1600) |
on board 6 |
You will note that the first column lists the player alphabetically by the last name. This is where you should look for your child's name. The color indicates whether your child plays white or black. Then comes the child's opponent and his or her rating. The Board is the Board number that the child plays on in his or her section.
You may note that one player has a full point bye. This occurs when there is an odd number of players in the section. The lowest rated player with the lowest score gets the full point bye (equivalent to a win) for that round. Unrated players are generally not given byes. Half-point byes may be given upon the request of a player to miss a round. No half-point byes can be given in the last round of the tournament.
Once you know what board number of your child's game, please seat them at that board at the proper color, wish them the best, and inform your child where you will meet him or her when s/he is done with the game.
Please make sure that your child is in the correction section/division. You will be asked to leave the playing room when the round is ready to begin.
Please exit the playing room immediately. Please do not crowd the exit doors. Young children will be asked to remain in a holding area outside the exit doors until the parents, coach or person responsible for the child picks them up.
Will there be food sold at the site? Yes! Including many options for under $10. Outside food is not allowed.
As noted in an answer to an earlier question, we strongly urge you to bring bottled water for your child's use in the tournament room. As stated above: "We will have water stations but some children hate leaving their games to hydrate as much as they should to maintain adequate health during games that can go as long as two and a half hours."
Are there special rules that apply to this tournament? The tournament is run under the
US Chess Federation's Sixth Edition Rule Book. However, a few modifications have been made. Please see the following links for these modifications and clarifications:
CalChess State Scholastic Regulations & Modifications and
Interpretations of Regulations and our Code of Conduct
Does my child have to use a chess clock? Chess rules require that all players use a chess clock due to having time controls. Admittedly, many children complete with their games very soon after the Director says, "Begin your games!" :0) If your child does not have a clock, a tournament director may place one at the board.
In the vast majority of sections we will not have enough clocks available. If your child's game is still going on and a clock becomes available, the TD may place a clock at his/her board and split the remaining time between the two competitors. The TD, if the child does not know how to use a clock, will explain to the player(s) how the clock works. Clocks will be on sale at the tournament, can be purchase from
Wholesale Chess, and you may find out more on how to use them at
here.
Does my child have to write down (record or notate) his/her games? Our rules, following national scholastic regulations, state that no one in K-3 sections have to record the games, although we always recommend that the player does. In the 4-6 grade sections, only the Championship (Open) section must record. Players in the 4-6 Jr Championship and Beginner Division do not have to record. All players in Junior High School and above MUST write down (record/notate) their games. A Tournament Director (TD) may add time to the opponents clock or reduce time from the offending party after warning a player who is supposed to, but does not, keep score.
TDs may also decide to penalize the offending player in another manner and in extreme case can give the opponent of the offending player a forfeit win.
What about my child using an electronic recording device similar to the MonRoi Note: Monrois are the only allowed electronic recording device allowed. All other electronic devices (iPhones, iPods, PDAs, etc.) are not allowed.
I understand that Rule 15A has been changed many times to read that a player must first make the move and then record it. We are going to enforce the Rule 15A on page 55 in the 5th edition of the rules. This allows the move to be written on the score sheet first unless a player is using an electronic recording device.
I heard that Southern California has its own State Championships. How can this be?
The United States Chess Federation, the governing body of chess, about 30 years ago divided California into two states--North and South. We gave the name CalChess to the Northern California State. So this is a legitimate State Championship run by CalChess and USCF sanctioned. Winners of the championship sections receive the title State Champion if they reside in Northern California.
In past years, the fame of this tournament and our outstanding competition drew players from other states. Some won their divisions, but despite obtain the first place trophy did not receive the title of State Champion. While we do not have a list of all the State Champions over the all the years of this event, you can view a list of individual and teams winning the title at the
champions link.
Is Financial Aid Available? Yes, information can be found by
contacting us.
What happens in the Awards Ceremony? Please note that all players will receive a tournament commemorative pin or medal.
We have over 800 trophies, plaques and medals to give to the players.The trophy ceremony will start promtply after the last game finished. A special section of chairs will be set aside to the right of the stage for all award winners. The children should not sit in this section until we are ready to give out the awards for their section/division. We hope we will be able to post the winners where we post the pairings and standings.
What is the difference between the Rookie and Beginner sections? The rookie section is only for players who are unrated and the Beginner section is for rated players under the cuttoff rating specified. Unrated players may not play in the Beginner section but may play in Jr Varsity and Championship sections.
What are tie-breaks? Which will be used? Tie-breaks are used when their are ties in position for the awarding of the trophies. In adult tournaments where money is awarded they can divide the money, however, we, obviously cannot split a first place trophy when two people tie for first. Section 34 of the US Chess Federation
Rules of Chess says: "There is no perfect tie-break system; each has its faults." We will adhere to the tie-break order listed on page 199 of
The Rules of Chess:* 1. Modified Median: The Median system evaluates the strength of a player's opposition by summing the final scores of his or her opponents and then discarding the highest and lowest of these scores.
2. Solkoff: The Solkoff system is the same as the Median system except that no opponent's scores are discarded.
3. Cumulative: To determine cumulative tie-break score, simply add up the cumulative (running) score for each round.
4. Cumulative of Opposition: The cumulative tie-break points of each opponent are calculated and these are added together.
The computer program calculates these automatically.
Team tie-breaks will be based on Cumulative Score.
1. Total individual Median
2 Total Solkoff
3 Total Sonneborn-Berger
4 Total Cumulative
The computer program calculates these automatically.
= regular/adult tournament; 
= kids only tournament