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We will play
4 or 5 Rounds
of chess in Blitz (probably 4).
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Time Control is
Game-in-5 minutes, with NO TIME DELAY.
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Players play
two games each round,
one game as White and one game as Black. It does not matter who plays
White in Game 1 of the round.
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You may not request a Bye, although a Bye will be assigned by the computer if
your
section has an odd number of players.
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The Tournament has four (4) Sections
... with all Sections playing at the same time. Round 1 is at 6:30
PM. Follow-on rounds will occur for all sections as soon as
possible after the previous round ends.
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Scholastic K-5:
K-5 players may choose "play-up" into
the 6-12 Section.
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Scholastic 6-12
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College:
Only for college students.
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Parents & Friends:
This side event is open to any player who is NOT otherwise eligible to play in the
Scholastic or College sections. Prizes are Gift Certificates to
the Chess Bookstore and may not be exchanged for cash. There are
no "teams" in this section.
Blitz will be played using
TOUCH-MOVE RULES
in all sections. It's just like standard chess, except a
valid claim of an Illegal Move is an instant win for a claim
validated by the Tournament Director. The
standard penalty for other infractions a player commits is One
Minute, not two, added to the opponent's clock.
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If players discover their board was incorrectly set up, and both
players have made 4 or fewer moves, then the players may re-start
that game unless Checkmate occurs on or before move 4. After each
player has completed their 4th move, if an illegal position is
created or an illegal move made without the opponent making a claim,
the position stands and a claim is not allowed after the opponent has
determined the next move (e.g. has released their piece on its
destination square).
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All Players will be paired using the higher of their US CHESS
over-the-board and online ratings for REGULAR
and BLITZ play from the March 2026 US Chess Rating
Supplement.
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You need a CHESS CLOCK
to play Blitz!! Every Blitz game MUST
have a chess clock at the board.
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ALL BLITZ GAMES WILL BE PLAYED ON FRIDAY
EVENING.
Round 1 is at 6:30 PM
SHARP, follow-on Rounds will start 10-15 minutes after the
previous round ends. Blitz should be done between 8:30 and 9PM
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Player Eligibility: YOU
DO NOT NEED TO BE A RESIDENT OF VIRGINIA to play.
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Players not registered and paid for Blitz
by 6 PM Friday
March 6th
will
not be paired for Round 1 of the Blitz tournament. Players arriving too late to enter by 6PM can still enter for
Round 2.
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Awards:
Will be handed out
on Saturday during the Afternoon rounds. The
following awards will be distributed for Blitz in the Scholastic & College
Sections:
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K-5 and 6-12
Scholastic Sections: 1st-5th Individuals and
Teams.
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College Section:
1st to 3rd Place individual; 1st Place Team.
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Parents & Friends:
Bookstore vouchers plus trophies to the
TOP THREE PARENT-CHILD Teams
(e.g., Parent's score plus top score from among their children
playing in either the K-5 or K-12 Blitz sections). Value of
vouchers based upon entries in the P&F Blitz section.
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Team Scoring: For the scholastic
and college Blitz sections, only the
TOP 3 PLAYERS points count toward Team
Points. Team and player eligibility rules are the same as those used in
the Main Event. There are no teams in the Parents & Friends
tournament.
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Chess Sets and Boards
are provided at
the tournament for all players, but
YOU MUST HAVE A
DIGITAL CHESS CLOCK TO PLAY BLITZ!! We do not have enough clocks
to loan them out for the tournament.
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Chess Notation
is
NOT required
in Blitz. Aren't you glad!