Maryland Sweet 16

by Chris Kim & John D. Rockefeller V

Welcome to the 2016-2017 qualifying season for the Maryland Sweet 16 2017 on 2017.03.04-05. 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 $45,056. (There are 2 additional types of UMBC Chess Scholarships for which high-school seniors from any state are eligible.)

7 of the 9 originally scheduled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers in this qualifying season have been completed, but there will be no more Qualifiers.  The standings are current through MCA Severn on 2016.12.03 & US Chess's January Supplement.

Even if the player did not compete in a Maryland-Sweet-16 Qualifier during the 2016-2017 qualifying season, a K-12 player who is rated 1600+ and is a MD resident (or a student at a school in MD), may qualify by rating for the MS16, if the player contacts MCA at tournaments@mdchess.com by 2017.02.16. 

Click below for the current MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers, 2 Alternates, Backup Alternates, & Full Standings.

Why did MCA decide to grant this rare exception?  The end of the MS16 qualifying season has been anomalous: the final 2 previously scheduled MS16Qs have been cancelled for unorthodox reasons—that is, reasons not directly related to dangerous weather on the days of those MS16Qs. First, MCA Poly & Western February (originally scheduled for 2017.02.25) was cancelled in November when MCA decided to replace it with the resuscitated Mid-Atlantic Team Scholastic Championships. Second, MCA Poly & Western January (originally scheduled for 2017.01.07) was cancelled in December when MCA decided to replace it with Greater Baltimore Scholastic Championships 2016, which had been cancelled because of dangerous weather on its originally scheduled date (2016.12.17).

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 $750), the Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions (for which the MD Middle-School Chess Champion will receive an MCA stipend of up to $750), & the National Girls Tournament of Champions (for which the MD Girl Chess Champion will receive an MCA stipend of up to $750). MCA sets the Varsity floor at 1600 to keep the sections reasonably sized & competitive.

Ratings are from US Chess's January Supplement. (Players' published/official US Chess ratings in March 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 MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers by US Chess Rating
(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 MD-Sweet-16 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 MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers by US Chess Rating (0-16 players)
(Players qualify either because 1+ of the Current 8 MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers by US Chess Rating is also 1 of the Current 8 MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers by Varsity Points and/or has withdrawn from the MD Sweet 16, or because 1+ of the Current 8 MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers by Varsity Points has withdrawn from the MD Sweet 16.)

Current 2 MD-Sweet-16 Alternates by US Chess Rating
(The FINAL 2 MS16 Alternates are required to be in the Tournament Room at 9:30 AM on the Saturday of the MD Sweet 16, ready to replace any Qualifier who were either to withdraw at the last minute or not show up for Round 1. MCA will pay for the 2 MS16 Alternates' entrance fee to the UMBC Open, which runs concurrently with the MD Sweet 16. In case a Qualifier were to withdraw from a later round of the MS16, MCA prefers (but will not require) that the 2 MS16 Alternates compete in every round of the UMBC Open that overlaps with a round of the MS16.)

Current MD-Sweet-16 Backup Alternates (in descending order of US Chess Rating)
(The FINAL MS16 Backup Alternates are not required to be on site at the MS16, as MCA will not pay for their entrance fee to the UMBC Open. MCA will contact a MS16 Backup Alternate shortly before the MS16 only if the Backup Alternate is needed to replace a withdrawn Alternate.)

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

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)