General Scholastic Chess Information
As soon as a Coach/Sponsor attends their first tournament they are a voting member of this organization. The annual meeting is held during the State Championship.
The KSCA is authorized by the Kansas Chess Association to be the responsible governing body for Scholastic Chess in
Kansas Scholastic Chess tournaments in
1) all are held on Saturday;
2) all, except the State Championship, have an advance entry fee, normally $5.00 per player - to be eligible for this rate you must email your entry to the appropriate person by Thursday evening;
3) 3) all, except the State Championship, have on-site registration 8:15-8:45am the day of the tournament for a higher fee;
4) all have no limit on the number of students that may represent that school, but team scores are figured on the top four players from a school based on their results that day;
5) most have six rounds (every player will play six games) with the first round starting at 9:30;
6) most tournaments have the first round at Game-20 or Game-25 and each other round at Game-30 (each player has 20-30 minutes to make all of their moves);
7) all are run by
United States Chess Federation Rules.8) State Championship Qualifier:
a. K-12 (high school): Attendance at a minimum of two tournaments with a record of two or more wins at each tournament.
b. K-8 (junior high/middle school), and K-5(elementary): Attendance at a minimum of two tournaments.
www.uschess.orgImportant notes:
1. Players may be registered in advance through email (see the information under that tournament on the tournament schedule page for the email address for that tournament) with payment due on-site. Registering on-site is from 8:15 to 8:45am. Those registering after 8:45 will pay a higher fee and also will not be paired for the first round.
2. Players who register in advance through email, but do not show at the tournament and are not withdrawn prior to 8:45 will still be expected to pay the entry fee. No player from that school will be allowed to attend another tournament until the non-show player(s) pay the entry for the tournament they missed.
3. Each round is paired using the "Swiss-system" of pairing players. After the first round each player is paired against another player with the same score. A player will never be paired against a player from their own school, except during the last round when all players in the top score group are from the same school and no other school could tie or beat that school for the team tournament. Except for the State Championship, all tournaments will have students in three sections: K-5, K-8, and K-12. Tournaments that have are organized differently must be stated before the tournament in the general information statement. Rarely, due to attendance, this may be changed but must be announced prior to tournament play.
4. In 2009 The State Championship has six sections, K-3, K-5, K-6, K-8, K-9, K-12. The section in which you play will be determined by the grade levels taught at your school. K-6 is for elementary schools that include 6th grade; K-9 is for junior highs that include 9th grade.
5. Each school is requested to bring enough chess clocks and
6. All tournaments have a minimum of 3 team trophies and 20 individual medals per section. Many tournaments have up to 50 medals for individuals per section.
7. New parents and players are encouraged to check out the FAQ page for information on how tournaments work.
8. The host tournament director and organizer are responsible for announcing other rules or requirements for running the event. This may include if spectators are allowed in the playing area, when and if flash photography is allowed (generally within the first 5 minutes of each round), how results will be collected, and any other procedural requirements specific to the location.
9. At the discretion of the TD and organizer the following additional rule may be in use: When one player in a game has less than five minutes remaining on their clock neither player is required to keep score. However, if a player in that game desires to have a completed score sheet for that game for educational purposes then that player may request anyone to continue keeping score for them. The person who is requested to keep score may not be a tournament director at this tournament or another player who still has a game in progress. After another person begins keeping score that score sheet may no longer be used for any type of draw claims. The person keeping score may not interfere in the game in any manner (no talking, making noises, etc.).
10. At many tournaments K-2 students are not required to take notation. Coaches and parents should check to make sure about this rule when pre-registering by e-mail and/or at registration before the first game starts. It should also be announced before the 1st game.