Tournament Rules for BLITZ
to be played on Friday, March 8th at 6:00 PM
 As of October 21, 2018

If you were looking for the Main Event Rules, CLICK HERE.

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  • Blitz will be played using TOUCH-MOVE RULES in all sections.  It's just like Regular chess, except a valid claim of an Illegal Move is an instant win for the claimant. 

  • Updated!  CLICK HERE to see the US Chess Scholastic Blitz Rules.  One "round" of Blitz is two games, you play one game with each color.

  • You need a CHESS CLOCK to play Blitz!!  Every Blitz game MUST have a chess clock at the board.

  • To Register Online for Blitz, select the REGISTRATION TAB on the left or click the link below.  The Entry Fee for Blitz is $20 if you register and pay by midnight on Saturday, March 2nd, 2019.  Starting on Sunday March 3rd and at the tournament site, the entry fee increases to $30.
    Register NOW for Blitz      See Who's Playing 

    If you prefer to Register through the US Mail, click here, the Mail-in Registration Form is on Page 2 of the document you will open. Please put your registration in the mail by Saturday, March 2nd to ensure we receive it on time!!

  • ALL BLITZ GAMES WILL BE PLAYED ON FRIDAY EVENING.  Round 1 is at 6:00 PM SHARP, follow-on Rounds will start 10-15 minutes after the previous round ends.  Blitz should be done by about 8:30PM

  • UPDATED!  Player Eligibility:  ANY Scholastic or Collegiate player can play in the Blitz event.  YOU DO NOT NEED TO BE A RESIDENT OF VIRGINIA to play.  All other eligibility requirements (except for VA residency) apply to the Blitz tournament as given in the Main Event Rules.

  • Players not registered and paid for Blitz by 5:15 PM Friday March 8th will not be paired for Round 1 of the Blitz tournament.  Players who arrive too late to enter by 5:15 can still enter for Round 2.

  • Blitz Awards will be handed out Saturday evening in the main playing hall, 10 minutes before the start of Round 4 (e.g. 5:50 PM).  The following awards will be distributed for Blitz:

    • 1st-5th Individuals and Teams in the K5 and K12 Blitz Sections.

    • 1st and 2nd Individual and Teams in the College Blitz Section.

    • Blitz is an Individual Event with team points calculated as described on the Main Event Rules page. 

    • For Blitz, teams are formed in the same manner as for the main event ... but only the TOP 3 PLAYERS points count toward the Team Points.  (Last year it was the Top 4 Players.)

  • Blitz is played in 3 Sections:  K-5 and K-12, and College.  K-5 players can "play-up" into the K-12 Section, but no Scholastic player may enter the College Section. 

    • If the College Blitz Section has fewer than 5 players, or if all 5 players are from two or fewer teams, then the College Section will be combined into the High School Section ... but College awards will be kept separate from the K-12 awards.

  • We will play 4 or 5 Rounds of chess in Blitz, depending on how many players are registered.  More than 48 players in a section means that section will play 5 Rounds.

    • Time Control is Game-in-5 minutes, with NO TIME DELAY.

    • Players play two games each round, one game as White and one game as Black.

    • You may not request a Bye, although a Bye will be assigned by the computer if the section has an Odd Number of players.

    • UPDATED as of Jan 1, 2018:  For other Blitz rules, CLICK HERE to see the US Chess Scholastic Blitz Rules.

  • Chess Sets and Boards will be provided at the tournament.  YOU MUST HAVE A CHESS CLOCK TO PLAY BLITZ!!  We do not have enough clocks to loan them out for the tournament.

  • Chess Notation is NOT required in Blitz.  Aren't you glad!

Questions:  Contact Mike Hoffpauir by email, or phone 757-846-4805