Maryland Chess Association

Open to all K - 12 players from anywhere.

Roland Park Elementary/Middle School
5207 Roland Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21210

Recent History of the Tournament, Site, and/or Date

• MCA Roland Park September 2015: US-Chess Crosstables—138 players
• MCA Roland Park September 2015: MD-Chess Crosstables
• MCA Roland Park September 2014: US-Chess Crosstables—145 players
• MCA Roland Park September 2014: MD-Chess Crosstables

Tournament-Registration Fee (additional fee for mandatory current US-Chess membership)

• Registration will open 1 month before the tournament. Click on Register Now! at the bottom of this page.
• $15—if completed by 11:59 PM, Tuesday, 2016.09.06 (Early)
• $30—if completed by 7 PM, Thursday, 2016.09.08 (Regular)
• $60—if completed by 5 AM, Saturday, 2016.09.10 (Last-Minute; ½-point bye possible in Round 1)
• $80—8 - 9 AM, Saturday, 2016.09.10 (At-the-Door: if space is available; ½-point bye likely in Round 1)

Registered Players & Wallcharts

• Individuals (Attendees)—includes ALL players registered currently
  [Click on Attendees, change the # displayed to All, & sort by Purchaser's Name or Date Registered.]
• Individuals (alphabetically)—includes players registered by 2016.09.09 17:37—127 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

• A player must have a current US-Chess membership to compete in a US-Chess-rated tournament.
• During a tournament a player without 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 new US-Chess membership or renews an expired one, by filling out MCA's US-Chess-membership form in the Tournament Directors' room. A 0-point bye reduces a player's ability to win an individual trophy and a school's ability to win a team trophy.
• A US-Chess membership can be purchased with online registration for the tournament. For Registration Type select the 2nd option: Tournament Registration & US-Chess Membership (new or renewal).

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. Look up a player's official & unofficial US-Chess ratings here.
• Sections have a marginally flexible floor (at MCA 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 MCA'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) MCA 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 MCA will take 1 of 2 steps. If MCA thinks a player has been registered intentionally so as to play up or down in a grade-inappropriate section (in the hope of either stronger or weaker competition), then (without notification) MCA will move the player to a grade-appropriate section. (MCA might also impose punitive measures.) Conversely, if MCA thinks a player has been registered accidentally with a discrepancy that, given the player's designated grade, renders the player ineligible for the player's selected section, then (without notification) MCA will pair the player in a section according to whichever is higher: the designated grade or the selected section. For example, a player designated as a 3rd grader but registered in a HS-&-MS or 9th-grade section, will remain in the HS-&-MS or 9th-grade section; conversely, a player designated as a 9th grader but registered in an ES or 3rd-grade section, will be moved to a HS-&-MS or 9th-grade section. Why? Because MCA considers it wiser to err on the side of accidentally letting a player in a low grade play against players in a higher grade or grades, than of accidentally letting a player in a high grade play against players in a lower grade or 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 MCA sent you & the Wallcharts below. Send corrections to MCA at tournaments@mdchess.com.

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 might be available for purchase at the tournament.
• Food (pizza, candy, soda, etc.) can be purchased at the tournament.

MCA's PROVISIONAL Scholastic-Tournament Calendar 2016-2017

• The tournament-announcement page of a tournament listed in MCA's PROVISIONAL Scholastic-Tournament Calendar 2016-2017 might not yet appear at the top of MCA'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 MCA's home page, click on MCA'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.
• Locate & click on the desired tournament.

$45,000 College Scholarship Will Be Awarded at Maryland Sweet 16 2017

• 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 MCA’s 9 scheduled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers from September, 2016 - February, 2017, will qualify for the MD Sweet 16, an annual invitational tournament next scheduled for 2017.03.04-05.
• 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 $45,056.
• 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 MCA 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?
• MCA’s Scholastic Team Policy
• MCA’s Scholastic Bye Policy
• MCA'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 MCA Scholastic Tournament
• Increment Time Control
• 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 (live results updated every 60 seconds)
• Current Standings: Teams (live results updated every 60 seconds)
• How MCA Determines the Individual Winner of a Section when There’s a Tie for 1st Place

Results of the Tournament

• 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 an MCA Scholastic Tournament
• If MCA's Photographer takes photos of players at the board & in the Skittles Room, then they will be available for purchase at the MCA Photographer's website.

MCA's Social-Media Profiles

• MCA's Facebook page
• MCA's Tournament Photos page
• MCA's YouTube page
• MCA's Tumblr page
• MCA's Scholastic Twitter feed
• MCA's Open & Scholastic Twitter feed
• Players' blogs

For more tournament information, contact the Maryland Chess Association at tournaments@mdchess.com.