McDonogh School
Edward St. John Student Center
Lamborn Road
Owings Mills, MD 21117
Recent History of the Tournament, Site, and/or Date
Open to all K - 12 players from anywhere.
The individual & team winners of the Championship section will be the 2015 Mid-Atlantic Junior Chess Champion. The highest-finishing Maryland resident in the Championship section will be the 2015 Maryland Junior Chess Champion, will receive the 2015 MCA Junior Chess Champion Stipend of up to $500 to compete at the North American Youth 2015 in the summer, & will receive free entry to MCA’s Maryland Open 2015 on 2015.05.01-03.
6 Sections
- Round 1 for all sections: 9:30 AM. Subsequent rounds: as soon as possible.
- Sections are listed primarily in order of rating strength & secondarily in order of grade range.
- A player's eligibility by rating for a section is determined primarily by the player's official/published USCF rating during the month in which a tournament will be held. A player's official rating remains the same number throughout a month, because the US Chess Federation calculates a player's official rating only once per month. That is, a player's official rating does not change during a month, because a player's official rating throughout a month is what the player’s unofficial/unpublished rating was on the 3rd Wednesday of the previous month. Conversely, a player's unofficial rating can change an unlimited number of times per month, because USCF calculates a player's unofficial rating a few hours after the conclusion of every USCF-rated tournament in which a player competes. When registering a player for a tournament in month X, apply the player's official rating in month X. When registering a player for a tournament in month X+1, apply the player's unofficial rating on the 3rd Wednesday of month X. Look up a player's official & unofficial USCF ratings here.
- Sections have a marginally flexible floor (at MCA scholastic tournaments), but an inflexible/hard ceiling (at all USCF-rated tournaments). So, a player may play up in a higher section, if the player's official rating is ≤ 50 points below that section's floor, and/or if the player's unofficial rating either is ≤ 50 points below or is above that section's floor. However, even if a player's unofficial rating is below a section's ceiling, the player may NOT play down in that section, if the player's official rating is above that section's ceiling.
- If a player is registered for a section for which the player is ineligible by rating, then MCA (without notification) will move the player to the lowest section for which the player is eligible.
- If there's a discrepancy between the grade & the grade-restricted section selected for a player during registration, then MCA (without notification) will pair the player in a section according to whichever is higher by grade: the grade or the section. For example, a player designated as a 3rd grader but registered in a HS-&-MS section, will remain in that section; conversely, a player designated as a 9th grader but registered in an ES section, will be moved to a HS-&-MS section. Why? Because MCA considers it more fair to err on the side of pairing a player in a low grade against players in much higher grades, than of pairing a player in a high grade against players in much lower grades. To prevent your player from being paired in an incorrect section (by grade) because of a registration error, please review both the registration-confirmation email you received from MCA & the Wallcharts below. Send corrections to MCA at tournaments@mdchess.com.
Championship
- Rated 1400+
- Grades K - 12
- Trophies: top 10 individuals, top under-1500 individual not receiving a place trophy, top 1 team
- 4-SS, G/60 d/5 (4-round Swiss system, 60-minute game per player & 5-second delay per move)
Junior Varsity
- Rated 1100 - 1399
- Grades K - 12
- Trophies: top 7 individuals, top under-1200 individual not receiving a place trophy, top 1 team
- 4-SS, G/60 d/5 (4-round Swiss system, 60-minute game per player & 5-second delay per move)
Advanced
- Rated 800 - 1099; or strong, unrated high-school players
- Grades K - 12
- Trophies: top 11 individuals, top under-900 individual not receiving a place trophy, top 3 teams
- 4-SS, G/60 d/5 (4-round Swiss system, 60-minute game per player & 5-second delay per move)
Intermediate: High-School & Middle-School
- Rated under 800 or unrated
- Grades 6 - 12
- Trophies: top 8 individuals, top under-500 individual not receiving a place trophy, top 3 teams
- 5-SS, G/45 d/5 (5-round Swiss system, 45-minute game per player & 5-second delay per move)
Intermediate: Elementary-School
- Rated under 800 or unrated
- Grades K - 5
- Trophies: top 14 individuals, top under-500 individual not receiving a place trophy, top 5 teams
- 5-SS, G/45 d/5 (5-round Swiss system, 45-minute game per player & 5-second delay per move)
Novice: Elementary-School
- Rated under 400 or unrated
- Grades K - 5
- Trophies: top 18 individuals, top under-200 individual not receiving a place trophy, top 4 teams
- 5-SS, G/30 d/5 (5-round Swiss system, 30-minute game per player & 5-second delay per move)
91 Trophies: 74 Individual & 17 Team
For more information about MCA tournaments, contact MCA at tournaments@mdchess.com.
This tournament is supported generously by the Baltimore Kids Chess League.
Registered Players & Wallcharts
- Individuals (Attendees)—updated automatically after registration
- Individuals (alphabetically)—updated manually on 3/13/2015, 9 am
- Individuals (by section)—updated manually on the date & time above
- Teams (by section)—updated manually on the date & time above
Tournament Registration Fee
- $20 (Early), if completed by 11:59 PM, Tuesday (NEW), 2015.03.10 (online or received mail)
- $30 (Regular), if completed by 7 PM, Thursday, 2015.03.12 (online)
- $40 (Last-Minute), if completed by 6 AM, Saturday, 2015.03.14 (online) (half-point bye possible in Round 1)
- $50 (At-the-Door), 8:30 - 9 AM, Saturday, 2015.03.14 (only if space is available; half-point bye likely in Round 1)
Registration by Mail
- Include: player's name, USCF ID #, USCF expiration date, section, grade, school, phone #, email address, & check (written in ink & made payable to Maryland Chess Association).
- Mail to: Maryland Chess Association, 1827 Thornton Ridge Road, Towson MD 21204-1841.
US Chess Federation Membership
- Players must have a current USCF membership at USCF-rated tournaments; MCA tournaments are USCF-rated.
- Players without a current USCF membership are ineligible to play and will not be paired. They will receive a half-point bye in Round 1 and 0-point byes in subsequent rounds, until they purchase a new USCF membership or renew an expired one. Half-point and 0-point byes reduce a player's ability to win an individual trophy and a school's ability to win a team trophy.
- A USCF membership can be purchased online or by mail, along with registration for the tournament. If you’re purchasing by mail, then include: player's name, date of birth (mm/dd/yyyy), home address, gender, and USCF ID # (if available). Select 1 of the options listed below [ages refer to the member’s age on the day of the tournament]:
- ages 1 - 12, $17, Scholastic: Regular (12 months), Chess Life for Kids (online)
- ages 13 - 15, $22, Youth: Regular (12 months), Chess Life for Kids (online)
- ages 16 - 24, $26, Young Adult: Regular (12 months), Chess Life (online)
Which Players Are Required to Record Their Games?
- Players in grades 4 - 12 must record (notate) their games, unless they are unable to. K - 3 players in all sections are exempt from the recording requirement.
- Recording affords several benefits:
- it helps to resolve disputes;
- it discourages cheating;
- it enables players to improve their skills through post-game analysis.
Do Players Need to Bring Anything?
- Players do NOT need to bring any equipment. MCA will provide all necessary supplies: boards, pieces, scoresheets (for recording), and pencils. (MCA’s pencils might be dull and do not have erasers. If you want a sharp pencil with a good eraser, then bring your own.)
- Players do NOT need to bring a clock; however, we encourage them to bring one. A game may be started without a clock, if neither player brings a clock to the board. Clocks can be purchased at the tournament.
- Food (pizza, candy, soda, etc.) can be purchased at the tournament.
How to Register Online for an MCA Scholastic Tournament
Which USCF Rating Determines the Section(s) in which a Player May or Must Play?
MCA's Refund Policy & Fees for Registration Changes
Tournament Announcements before Round 1 & Section Schedules
Procedures, Rules, and Etiquette for Players and Spectators at an MCA Scholastic Tournament
Even when More Than 1 Player in a Section Can Achieve a Perfect Score, There Will Be No Major Variations; However, There Might Be Minor Variations. The following might be changed for any section, according to the number of players in the section: whether there are natural pairings (the norm at a Swiss-system tournament) or accelerated pairings in Rounds 1-2, and the number of trophies. In the rare instance of a section having an exceptionally low turnout, it might be merged with another section.
Tournament Results
Current Standings: Individuals (all individual scores in all sections on 1 screen) (live results updated every 60 seconds)
Current Standings: Teams (all team scores in all sections on 1 screen) (live results updated every 60 seconds)
Final Standings: MCA's Crosstables (tied players in order, according to tiebreak—ORDER of TROPHIES)
Final Standings: USCF's Crosstables (tied players in order, according to subsequent unpublished rating)
How MCA Determines the Individual Winner of a Section when There’s a Tie for First Place
How to Find a Player’s New USCF Rating after an MCA Scholastic Tournament
For further information, contact the Maryland Chess Association at tournaments@mdchess.com.