Purpose:

These rules describe how the tournament will be run. Read them carefully so that you can play well!!

Player Eligibility:

All players must be students currently enrolled in a public school within the Hanover County Public School (HCPS) School District or be a student who is Home Schooled in the HCPS School District.

Players from other schools and home schooled players from outside of HCPS are not eligible to compete.

Cost to Play:

None. This is a FREE chess tournament.

Start Time:

Round 1 of the tournament will begin at 12-noon. There will be a Pre-game Information Meeting for all players and parents at 11:30 AM before we start Round 1.

Number of Games, Time per Game, and Pairings:

Each player will play 4 games.  THIS IS NOT AN ELIMINATION TOURNAMENT.

• Round 1 is at 12-noon. In each round a player will have 20 minutes to complete all of their moves (e.g., each player has 20 minutes of "thinking time"). So, in theory, a game could last as long as almost 40 minutes (e.g., 20 minutes per player)!

• Rounds 2, 3, and 4 will begin as soon as the games are done in each of the 3 "sections" (grade groups) of the tournament. After Round 1 there are no "pre-announced start times" ... so DON'T leave the playing area after your first game is done.

• The chess games will not be rated by the US Chess Federation.

• Players will be paired Randomly unless the player is known to have an official rating in the US Chess Federation. Membership in the US Chess Federation is NOT required to play in this tournament.

Grade Groupings:

Players are organized in 3 "Sections" based on their current grade in school:

• High School Section (9th-12th)

• Middle School Section (6th-8th)

• Elementary School Section (K-5th)

• All players must play in their grade group and with their school. A player who attends Cool Spring Elementary cannot play with a friend or relative who attends Pearson's Corner Elementary or a different school. Home schooled players cannot play for an HCPS school.

Teams and Team Scoring:

What is a Team? A "team" is two or more players who attend the same public or home school, they are automatically considered a "team" for this tournament. Your school does need an official chess club or team to be considered a team. Players from different schools cannot combine to form a team. Home School players are not allowed to play on a public school team.
We will make every effort to NOT pair teammates against one another until the last or penultimate rounds of the tournament.

Team Scoring: Teams earn "points" based on the performance of their players. For this tournament, the performance of the 3 players from your school who score the most points will be counted toward your school's total score. So, for example, if a team has 7 players, only the scores of the Top 3 performers are counted for the team score--not all 7 players' scores. A school cannot have more than one Team in a Section of the Tournament.

Awards & Awards Ceremony:

Individual and Team Awards!

• Individual Trophies:

  • Grades K-5: 1st - 8th Place

  • Grades 6-8: 1st - 5th Place

  • Grades 9-12: 1st-3rd Place

• Team Trophies:

  • Grades K-5: Top 5 Teams

  • Grades 6-8: Top 3 Teams

  • Grades 9-12: Top 2 Teams

• Chess Medals to all players who do not win a trophy, but who score 2.0 points or more.

• Chess Ribbons to all players.

• The Awards Ceremony will start as soon as possible after Round 4 is complete.

Other Chess Rules:

The tournament will be played according to US Chess Federation Rules. A few of the more important rules are:

• Touch-Move Rules: When it is your turn and you touch one of your pieces, you must move that piece if it can make a legal chess move. If it cannot make a legal move, you may make your move with any other piece. Also, if you touch one of your opponents pieces, then you must capture that piece if any of your pieces can capture it with a legal move.

• You are not allowed to "Take Back" a move or "skip a turn" at any time. An opponent who makes a valid Illegal Move Claim against you is not the same as a "take back." (See below.)

• A Chess Clock will be used for every game: If your 20 minutes of thinking time runs out before you win or draw, then you will probably lose the game.

• Illegal Moves: If you make an illegal move and your opponent calls out your illegal move to the referee, then your opponent is likely to be awarded 2 minutes of additional time for identifying your violation of the rules of chess.

• Using Two Hands to Move: You may not use 2 hands to make ANY moves.

• The Chess Clock: You must press the chess clock using the same hand you used to make a move. You are not allowed to place one hand over the clock toggle, and use the other hand to make your moves. There will be a Chess Clock on every game in the tournament, the clocks are being provided by the tournament. You do not need to bring your own clock.

• Chess Notation: You are NOT required to write down the moves of your game.

• These Rules will be explained during the Pre-Event Information Meeting on Wednesday, April 18th 7 PM. There will be a link to this meeting on the Virginia Chess Federation home page (www.vachess.org).