Maryland Sweet 16

Updated on 2016.02.05 by Chris Kim & John D. Rockefeller V

Welcome to the 2015-2016 qualifying season for the 2016 Maryland Sweet 16 on 2016.03.05-06. Since 1995 this annual invitational tournament has featured 16 of the top K-12 Maryland players competing in a separate section of the UMBC Open at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. The MD-Sweet-16 tournament-announcement page contains all tournament details, including qualification rules & Varsity-Points scoring rules. The MD-Sweet-16 Champion will receive a MD-Sweet-16 UMBC Chess Scholarship, valued at $44,024. (There are 2 additional types of UMBC Chess Scholarships for which high-school seniors from any state are eligible.)

7 of the 9 scheduled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers in this qualifying season have been completed. The standings are current through MCA Severn on 2015.12.05. The next scheduled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier will be MCA Roland Park January on 2016.01.30 in Baltimore (postponed) & the final scheduled one will be MCA Poly & Western February on 2016.02.20 in Baltimore.

Click below for the current 16 Qualifiers, 2 Alternates, & Full Standings.

MCA schedules only 2 rounds of G/90 +30 games in the Varsity section at MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers (a.k.a. Local Scholastic Tournaments), to give elite scholastic players the opportunity to compete in games with the same time control used at the Maryland Sweet 16, the Denker Tournament of High-School Champions (for which the MD High-School Chess Champion will receive an MCA stipend of up to $500), the Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions (for which the MD Middle-School Chess Champion will receive an MCA stipend of up to $500), & the National Girls Invitational Tournament (for which the MD Girl Chess Champion will receive an MCA stipend of up to $500). MCA sets the Varsity floor at 1600 to keep the sections reasonably sized & competitive.

* Ratings are from US Chess's February 2016 Supplement.
* The March Supplement will be used to determine the Final Standings, regardless of whether the MD Sweet 16 will be held in February or in March.

Current 8 Qualifiers by US Chess Rating (February 2016)
(Primary path to qualification. Total # of Varsity Points is immaterial. The player's place would be retained, even if the player were to withdraw from the MD Sweet 16.)

Current 8 Qualifiers by Varsity Points
(Secondary path to qualification. US Chess rating is immaterial. The player's place would be retained (**), even if the player were to qualify by rating [the primary path to qualification] and/or were to withdraw from the MD Sweet 16.)

Additional Current Qualifiers by US Chess Rating (0-16 players)
(Players qualify either because 1+ of the Current 8 Qualifiers by US Chess Rating is also 1 of the Current 8 Qualifiers by Varsity Points and/or has withdrawn from the MD Sweet 16, or because 1+ of the Current 8 Qualifiers by Varsity Points has withdrawn from the MD Sweet 16.)

Current 2 Alternates by US Chess Rating
(REQUIRED to be in the Tournament Room at 9:30 AM on the Saturday of the MD Sweet 16 to replace any withdrawn or no-show Qualifiers. MCA will pay for their entrance fee to the UMBC Open, which runs concurrently with the MD Sweet 16.)

MD-Sweet-16-Eligible Varsity Players Who Do Not Qualify Currently for the MD Sweet 16 (in descending order of US Chess Rating)

Varsity Players Ineligible for the MD Sweet 16
(Non-Maryland residents who attend non-Maryland schools, former MD-Sweet-16 Champions, & disqualified players)

None

All MD-Sweet-16-Eligible Varsity Players (in descending order of US Chess Rating)

All MD-Sweet-16-Eligible Varsity Players (in descending order of Varsity Points)