RESCHEDULED to 2018.02.17 at Same Site.
Open to all K - 12 players from anywhere
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly High School) & Western High School
1400 W. Cold Spring Lane (off I-83)
or
4600 Falls Road (for local commuters east of Falls Rd.)
Baltimore, MD 21209
Skittles Rooms: Western HS's Cafeteria & Auditorium
Tournament Rooms: Poly HS's Cafeteria (adjoining Western HS's Cafeteria) & Room A-28 (top players only)
Recent History of the Tournament, Site, and/or Date
SECTION DETAILS | ||||||
Section | US-Chess Rating | Grades | Rounds | Time Control | Individual Prizes |
Team Prizes |
Varsity | 1600+ | K-12 | 2SS | G90 +30 | * Top Under 1800 |
** |
Junior Varsity | 1200-1599 | K-12 | 4SS | G30 +30 | * Top Under 1400 |
** |
Advanced | 800-1199 or strong unrated HSers |
K-12 | 4SS | G50 d5 | * Top Under 1000 |
** |
Intermediate HS & MS | under 800 or unrated |
6-12 | 5SS | G30 d5 | * Top Under 600 |
** |
Intermediate ES | 400-799 | K-5 | 5SS | G25 d5 | * Top Under 600 |
** |
Novice ES | under 400 or unrated |
K-5 | 5SS | G25 d5 | * Top Under 200 |
** |
SCHEDULE | |||||||
8:15 - 9:00 | Parents, coaches, & players settle in the Skittles Room(s). | ||||||
9:00 - 9:10 | Pairing notification (texted, emailed, & posted). | ||||||
9:10 - 9:20 | Parents & coaches walk with players to their board in the Tournament Room(s). | ||||||
9:20 - 9:30 | Tournament announcements. (Parents & coaches are welcome to listen.) | ||||||
9:30 | Round 1 begins for all sections. (Parents & coaches return to a Skittles Room.) | ||||||
Scheduled Rounds | |||||||
Section |
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
Round 3 |
Round 4 |
Round 5 |
Awards Ceremony | |
Varsity | 9:30 | 12:15 | 3:00 — or sooner *** | ||||
Junior Varsity | 9:30 | 11:30 | 1:30 | 3:30 | 5:30 — or sooner *** | ||
Advanced | 9:30 | 11:15 | 1:00 | 2:45 | 4:30 — or sooner *** | ||
Intermediate HS & MS | 9:30 | 10:45 | 12:00 | 1:15 | 2:30 | 3:45 — or sooner *** | |
Intermediate ES | 9:30 | 10:30 | 11:30 | 12:30 | 1:30 | 2:30 — or sooner *** | |
Novice ES | 9:30 | 10:30 | 11:30 | 12:30 | 1:30 | 2:30 — or sooner *** |
LEGEND | ||||||
#SS | # of rounds in which a player plays 1 game against an opponent determined by Swiss-system pairings (SS) | |||||
G# | Base time: # of minutes per game (G) each player has to complete all of the player's moves | |||||
d# | Delay time: # of seconds of delay (d) that elapse before a player's base time begins to elapse, when the player is on move | |||||
+# | Added time: # of seconds of increment (+) added to a player's base time for each move | |||||
* | Trophies: top ≈ 25% of players or players with ≈ ≥70% of available points (3.5+/5, 2.8+/4, 1.4+/2) | |||||
Top Under X | Trophy: top player with a published rating under X who does not earn a place trophy (1st, 2nd, etc.) (Unrated players are ineligible for class prizes.) | |||||
** | Trophies: top ≈ 35% of teams or teams with ≈ ≥50% of available points (10+/20, 8+/16, 4+/8)—based on top 4 players | |||||
*** | Each section's separate awards ceremony will begin ASAP after its final round has ended. |
Tournament-Registration Fee (choose additional fee, if player lacks a current US-Chess membership)
- Register at the bottom of this page, starting 1 month before the tournament
- $15—Tuesday, 2018.01.02, if completed by 11:59 PM (Early)
- $30—Thursday, 2018.01.04, if completed by 11:59 PM (Regular)
- $60—Saturday, 2018.01.06, if completed by 5 AM (Last-Minute: ½-point bye possible in Round 1)
- $80—Saturday, 2018.01.06, 8 - 9 AM (At-the-Door: if space is available; ½-point bye likely in Round 1)
Registered Players & Wallcharts
- Individuals (Attendees)—includes players registered currently (updated automatically)
After clicking on the link above, click on Attendees beneath a specific scholastic tournament. At the top of the page, enter into the Search bar the player's first or last name (but not both), or the purchaser's first or last name (but not both). Or, at the bottom of the page, change the # of players displayed to All ; sort by clicking on Player's Name, Purchaser's Name, etc. - Individuals (alphabetically)—includes players registered by 2018.01.05 16:20—102 players
- Individuals (by section)—includes players registered by the date & time above
- Teams (by section)—includes players registered by the date & time above
US-Chess Membership
- To compete in this US-Chess-rated tournament, a player must have a US-Chess membership that is current (not yet expired).
- If a player has ever been a US-Chess member, then the player has a permanent US-Chess ID # that must be entered during tournament registration: player's US-Chess ID # and membership expiration date.
- If a player lacks a current US-Chess membership, then select the 2nd type of Registration Type during tournament registration: Tournament Registration & US-Chess Membership (new or renewal). (Until MD Chess processes purchases of US-Chess memberships, a new member's US-Chess ID # will be listed as TBD [To Be Determined ] in the wallcharts listed above. MD Chess might wait until the day of the tournament to process those purchases.)
- During the tournament a player who lacks a current US-Chess membership is ineligible to play, will not be paired in any round, & will receive a 0-point bye in all rounds, until the player purchases a US-Chess membership, by filling out MD Chess's US-Chess-membership form in the Tournament Directors' room.
Which Section is Right for Your Player?
- Sections are listed primarily in order of rating strength & secondarily in order of grade range.
- Players who have never competed in a US-Chess-rated tournament (the vast majority of unrated players) are not eligible for the strongest sections.
- A player's eligibility by rating for a section is determined primarily by the player's official/published US-Chess rating during the month in which a tournament will be held. A player's official rating remains the same number throughout a month, because US-Chess 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 US Chess calculates a player's unofficial rating a few hours after the conclusion of every US-Chess-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. Click here for a player's official & unofficial US-Chess ratings.
- Sections have a marginally flexible floor (at MD Chess scholastic tournaments), but an inflexible/hard ceiling (at all US-Chess-rated tournaments). If a player's official rating is below a section's floor, but the player's official rating is only ≤ 50 points below the floor and/or the player's unofficial rating is ≤ 50 points below, equal to, or any number of points above the floor, then the player may play up in that higher section—unless MD Chess's Scholastic Director and/or the Chief Tournament Director decide it's not in the tournament's best interests. (If a player uses the player's unofficial rating to qualify to play up in a section, then the player might be assigned that unofficial rating for pairing purposes.) However, if a player's unofficial rating is below a section's ceiling, but the player's official rating is above that ceiling, then the player may NOT play down in that section.
- If a player is registered for a section for which the player is ineligible by rating, then (without notification) MD Chess will move the player to the lowest section for which the player is eligible.
- If a player is registered for a section for which the player is ineligible by grade, then MD Chess will take 1 of 2 steps.
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. MD Chess will provide all necessary supplies: boards, pieces, scoresheets (for recording), and pencils. (MD Chess'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, MD Chess encourages them to bring one. MD Chess recommends the DGT North American digital chess clock ($36). Players may not refuse to play with a clock, if either player brings a clock to the board, or if a tournament director (TD) puts a clock on a game. A game may be started without a clock, if neither player brings a clock to the board.
- Food (pizza, candy, soda, etc.) should be available for purchase at the tournament.
$46,000 College Scholarship Will Be Awarded at Maryland Sweet 16 2018
- Today's Local Scholastic Tournament is a MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier, in which Varsity players who are MD residents will earn MD-Sweet-16 Varsity Points.
- The top 16 K-12 MD residents who compete in the Varsity section of at least 1 of MD Chess's 8 scheduled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers from September, 2017 - January, 2018, will qualify for the MD Sweet 16, an annual invitational tournament next scheduled for 2018.03.03-04.
- The MD-Sweet-16 Champion will receive UMBC's MD-Sweet-16 Chess Scholarship, a 4-year scholarship to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County valued at $46,072.
- The MD-Sweet-16 tournament-announcement page contains all qualification & tournament details.
- (HS seniors from all states are eligible for 2 additional types of UMBC Chess Scholarships.)
Registering for the Tournament
- How to Register Online for an MD Chess Scholastic Tournament
- Which US-Chess Rating Determines the Section(s) in which a Player May or Must Play?—and/or see above the section entitled Which Section is Right for Your Player?
- MD Chess's Scholastic Team Policy
- MD Chess's Scholastic Bye Policy
- MD Chess's Refund Policy & Fees for Registration Changes
Playing at the Tournament
- Tournament Announcements before Round 1 & Section Schedules
- Procedures, Rules, and Etiquette for Players and Spectators at an MD Chess Scholastic Tournament
- MD Chess Scholastic Variations from US-Chess Rules: $20 fine for forfeiting a round; if players are not using a clock in a game with an increment time control of 10+ seconds, & if that game has lasted longer than the sum of the 2 players' base times, then a TD will add a clock set to G5 d5; etc.
- Increment Time Control
- Anti-Cheating Measures:
- 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.
- US Chess's Official Rules of Chess, 6th Edition (2014)
- US Chess's Official Rules of Chess, 6th Edition (2014)—search for rules & terms in GoogleBooks
- US Chess's Rulebook Changes (updated annually)
- Current Standings: Individuals & Teams (live results updated every 60 seconds)
Results of the Tournament
- Trophies Awarded to Tied Players in Order of Tiebreaks—Not in Order of Unpublished Ratings
- How MD Chess Determines the Individual Winner of a Championship or Varsity Section, when There’s a Tie for 1st Place
- Final Standings: US-Chess Crosstables (tied players in descending order of new unpublished rating)
- Final Standings: MD-Chess Crosstables (tied players in descending tiebreak order—TROPHY ORDER)
- How to Find a Player’s New Unpublished/Unofficial US-Chess Rating after a MD Chess Scholastic Tournament
- How to Ask US Chess to Revise a Player's Name in Future Crosstables, Wallcharts, & Pairings Charts
- Photos of players taken by MD Chess's Photographer will be available for purchase at MD Chess Photographer's website.
MD Chess's PROVISIONAL Scholastic-Tournament Calendar 2017-2018
- The tournament-announcement page of a tournament listed in MD Chess's PROVISIONAL Scholastic Tournament Calendar 2017-2018 might not yet appear at the top of MD Chess's home page, because that tournament is so many months in the future.
- Nonetheless, one can access that tournament-announcement page by alternate means:
- On the lower, left side of MD Chess's home page, click on MD Chess's calendar.
- Click on By Month (at the top of the page) to display all tournaments within a month.
- Click on All Categories (at the bottom of the page) to display all types of tournaments (major & local scholastic tournaments, major & local open tournaments)—as well as chess camps.
- Navigate to specific tournaments.
MD Chess's Social-Media Profiles
If the tournament were to be rescheduled or cancelled, then MD Chess would contact you (by email and/or text) and post an announcement at the top of this tournament-announcement page. The tournament will proceed as planned, if MD Chess neither contacts you, nor posts an announcement about a rescheduling or cancellation. Please do not contact MD Chess about a site's hypothetical closing because of bad weather, etc. A site closing would be announced separately by the public school's city or county administration, the private school, etc. If the tournament were to be rescheduled, then MD Chess would issue a refund, if a player were to withdraw from the rescheduled tournament. If the tournament were to be cancelled, then MD Chess would automatically issue a refund to all players within 1-2 weeks; there would be no need to inform MD Chess of a player's withdrawal from a cancelled tournament.
For more tournament information, contact Maryland Chess at tournaments@mdchess.com.