2016 Maryland Sweet 16 (INVITATIONAL)

From Saturday 05 March 2016 - 10:00am
To Sunday 06 March 2016 - 07:00pm

The Maryland Sweet 16 is an annual, 2-day invitational tournament. Only strong Varsity players (rated 1600+) who qualify for the tournament may compete in it. MCA will issue invitations by email after the final MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier: MCA Poly & Western February on 2016.02.20. Players may not purchase a registration for this tournament.

The March Supplement will be used to determine the Final Rosters, regardless of whether the MD Sweet 16 will be held in February or in March.

[*] If the Qualifier were to withdraw from the MD Sweet 16, then the Qualifier would still retain the Qualifier's place in the roster, but be replaced by an Alternate (in descending order of US Chess rating).

[**] If the Qualifier were to qualify by US Chess rating (the primary path to qualification) and/or were to withdraw from the MD Sweet 16, then the Qualifier would still retain the Qualifier's place in the roster, but be replaced by an Alternate (in descending order of US Chess rating).

2 Alternates (MD-Sweet-16 FINAL ROSTER)
(REQUIRED to be in the Tournament Room at 9:30 AM on the Saturday of the MD Sweet 16 to replace any withdrawn or no-show Qualifiers.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.)
1. | Name | US Chess ID # | US Chess Rating
2. | Name | US Chess ID # | US Chess Rating

The Initial Rosters will be updated periodically & renamed as Updated Rosters until they are set as the Final Rosters. (Typically each year there are 1+ Qualifiers and 1+ Alternates who do not commit to the MD Sweet 16. Consequently, typically each year 1+ Alternates becomes a Qualifier, and 1+ Backup Alternates becomes an Alternate.)

Welcome to the 2015-2016 qualifying season for the 2016 Maryland Sweet 16 on 2016.03.05-06. Since 1995 this annual, 2-day 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 crosstables of all previous MD Sweet 16s are below.) Players in the Varsity section at MCA's MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers who are Maryland players (Maryland residents or non-residents of Maryland who attend a school in Maryland) can earn MD-Sweet-16 Varsity Points to qualify for the MD Sweet 16. 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. The Top 16 players who compete in at least 1 of MCA’s 9 scheduled MD-Sweet-16 qualifying tournaments from September - February, will qualify for the MD Sweet 16. The first scheduled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier will be MCA Roland Park September on 2015.09.12 in Baltimore, & the final scheduled one will be MCA Poly & Western February on 2016.02.20 in Baltimore. (The MD-Sweet-16 Qualification Rules & MD-Sweet-16-Qualifier Scoring Rules are below.) The MD-Sweet-16 Champion will receive a MD-Sweet-16 UMBC Chess Scholarship: a fixed-dollar scholarship valued at $44,024, spread over 4 years. (The scholarship covers tuition & fees, but not room & board.) (There are 2 types of UMBC Chess Scholarships for which high-school seniors from any state are eligible.)

The current MD-Sweet-16 Standings are posted in the most recent MD-Sweet-16 article on MCA's home page. The archive of MD-Sweet-16 articles is available via the MD-Sweet-16 tab in the sidebar on the left-hand side of MCA’s home page.

Within 48 hours of being informed by email of their MD-Sweet-16 status, the INITIAL ROSTER of 16 Qualifiers, 2 Alternates, & 4 Backup Alternates must inform MCA by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. whether they are willing to commit either to competing in all 4 rounds of the tournament (if they have qualified or were to qualify for it), or to being in the Tournament Room at 9:30 AM on Saturday to replace any withdrawn or no-show Qualifiers (if they are or were to become 1 of the 2 Alternates). (There is no registration fee for the MD Sweet 16.) Any of the 16 Qualifiers or 2 Alternates who is unable and/or unwilling to participate in the MD Sweet 16, must inform MCA by email of the player's declination of MCA's invitation, so MCA can replace the player with an Alternate. Any Qualifier or Alternate who fails to inform MCA of the player's declination of MCA’s invitation within 48 hours of receiving the invitation, will be banned from participating in future MD Sweet 16s—or from MCA’s open tournaments for 2 years, if the player is a high-school senior. If a player accepts MCA’s invitation to compete in the MD Sweet 16, then the player must commit to playing all 4 rounds, because each game will affect tiebreaks & pairings. Absent a medical emergency or other extraordinary circumstance (such as a death in the family), a Qualifier who commits to participating in the MD Sweet 16 but fails to compete in all 4 rounds, will be banned from participating in future MD Sweet 16s—or from MCA’s open tournaments for 2 years, if the player is a high-school senior. The 2 Alternates must commit to being on site by 9:30 AM on Saturday, to replace any Qualifier who withdraws or is a no-show. Absent a medical emergency or other extraordinary circumstance (such as a death in the family), an Alternate who commits to being on site by 9:30 AM on Saturday but fails to fulfill that commitment, will be banned from participating in future MD Sweet 16s—or from MCA’s open tournaments for 2 years, if the player is a high-school senior. MCA encourages the 2 Alternates to compete for free on Saturday & Sunday in the simultaneous UMBC Open in the same building, in case 1+ of the Qualifiers is unable to play on Saturday or Sunday. (MCA will cover the UMBC Open registration fee for the 2 Alternates. Unlike the MD Sweet 16, the UMBC Open offers cash prizes.)

Qualifiers' & Alternates' replies to MCA by email should employ this format:
Player’s name
Player commits to playing all 4 rounds: YES or NO
Player’s grade
Player’s school (include ES, MS, or HS)
Player’s complete mailing address
Player's and/or parent's mobile phone #(s)
Player's and/or parent's email address(es)
(The Director of UMBC’s Chess Program, Alan T. Sherman, requires all of this information.)

After the FINAL ROSTERS of 16 Qualifiers & 2 Alternates are set, MCA will inform those 18 players. They do NOT need to communicate further with MCA.

After the Final Rosters have been posted & emails to the final 16 Qualifiers & 2 Alternates have been sent out by MCA, if a Qualifier or Alternate will not be in the Tournament Room at 9:30 AM on Saturday, then he/she MUST contact everyone below immediately:

MCA: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;
MCA's MD-Sweet-16 Supplies & Trophies Deliverer Chris Kim: 410.794.6312 (M), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;
UMBC Open Tournament Director Sathish Nath: 301.257.2108 (M), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.;
UMBC Open Tournament Director Wilbert Brown: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Check UMBC's website for a site closing.

MCA will provide boards, pieces, increment clocks, & scoresheets for all players in the MD Sweet 16. (Nonetheless, each player should bring a digital clock that supports increment as a backup, in case the batteries in 1 of MCA's clocks run out of power.) The MD-Sweet-16’s time control is G/90 +30, which differs from the UMBC Open’s time control. MCA thinks it’s valuable for players to play with an increment time control (rather than with a delay time control), as the Denker, Barber, & NGIT use the G/90 +30 time control. Furthermore, increment time controls are the international standard.

Increment Time Control

MD Sweet 16: Tournament Site
Room 317
The Commons
UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County)
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21227

MD Sweet 16: Parking
Commons Drive Garage
UMBC (University of Maryland, Baltimore County)
1000 Hilltop Circle
Baltimore, MD 21250
(Free parking all weekend. 10-minute walk to the Tournament Room.)

MD Sweet 16: Campus Maps & Visitor Information
UMBC campus maps & visitor information
(Commons Drive Garage is located on the f7 square, & the entrance to The Commons is located on the f6 square.)

SATURDAY
9:30 AM—Room 317: Mandatory check-in for all 16 Qualifiers & the 2 Alternates who have committed to being on site. A withdrawn or no-show Qualifier will be replaced by the top Alternate. If 1+ of the 2 Alternates will not be playing in the MD Sweet 16, then the Alternate should inform a UMBC Open Tournament Director whether the Alternate plans to compete in the UMBC Open. MCA encourages any of the 2 Alternates who will not be playing in the MD Sweet 16, to compete in the UMBC Open, in case 1+ of the Qualifiers is unable to play either on Saturday or on Sunday. MCA will cover the UMBC Open registration fee of any of the 2 Alternates who decides to compete in it. Unlike the MD Sweet 16, the UMBC Open offers cash prizes. (An Alternate who plays in the UMBC Open should inform a UMBC Open TD whether the Alternate wants a bye for the UMBC Open’s Round 3 at 7:30 PM.)
9:45 AM—Photo taken of participants that will be posted on MCA's home page
9:55 AM—Announcements from a UMBC Open TD
10:00 AM—Round 1
3:00 PM—Round 2 (*)

SUNDAY
(Click here to see whether Daylight Savings Time begins today—that is, whether the time advances 1 hour at 2 AM)
10:30 AM—Round 3 (**)
3:00 PM—Round 4 (***)(*)

* For Rounds 2 & 4 only, players may start their game up to 30 minutes before the scheduled start time, as long as all of the following conditions are met:

the previous round has been completed,
the next round’s pairings have been posted,
both players agree to start early.

** The MD Sweet 16’s Round 3 at 10:30 AM on Sunday does NOT coincide with UMBC Open’s Round 3 at 7:30 PM on Saturday.

*** The MD Sweet 16’s Round 4 starts 30 minutes before the UMBC Open’s Round 5, in case extra time is needed for a playoff to determine the MD-Sweet-16 Champion.

At 12 AM on Sunday the tournament-announcement page for the MD Sweet 16 might disappear from under the category of Local Scholastic Tournaments toward the top of MCA's home page; however, the page can still be accessed. On the lower, left side of MCA's home page, click on the icon for the MCA Calendar. To adjust which events are displayed, click on the following at the bottom of the page: All Categories, Local Scholastic, or Major Scholastic. Then locate & click on the appropriate tournament-announcement page.

Although the ratings in US Chess’s March Supplement will be used to determine the Top 8 Qualifiers & the 2 Alternates, the UMBC Open's BackRoom TD will use the US Chess Supplement of whatever month in which the tournament will be held (February or March) to determine MD-Sweet-16 pairings.

Clocks must be arranged to face in the same direction, in case multiple games are in time trouble and a TD wants to watch the clocks. Therefore, if Black does not wish for the clock to be on Black's right, then Black must rotate the board accordingly.

Spectators (parents & UMBC Open players) will be allowed in the Tournament Room to observe games. However, parents will NOT be allowed to camp out (remain in 1 space) in the Tournament Room for the vast majority of a round, as the room is small and there is limited spectator space. US Chess rules prohibit spectators from making any comments or from distracting any player during a game. If a player considers a spectator to be distracting, then the player should pause the clock and find a TD to handle the situation. If a spectator’s mobile phone makes a disturbing noise in the Tournament Room, then the spectator will be expelled from the Tournament Room for the remainder of the tournament.

16 Awards: 1 Trophy & 15 Plaques

Recent History of the Tournament

Procedures, Rules, and Etiquette for Players and Spectators at an MCA Scholastic Tournament
P20. If there is a tie for first place, and if the prize can be divided and shared, then it will be. (For example, a title like MD Scholastic Chess Champion or a stipend for travel to a national tournament can be divided and shared.) If there is a tie for first place, and if the prize cannot be divided and shared, then a tiebreak procedure will determine the winner. (For example, trophies, the Maryland-Sweet-16 Scholarship to UMBC, and the opportunity to be Maryland’s sole representative to the Denker Invitational cannot be divided and shared.)

P20A. Format for Determining a Champion, when there is a Tie for First Place at the Maryland Sweet 16

If there is a tie for first place, then the Maryland Sweet 16 Scholarship to UMBC will not be divided and shared between those tied for first place, because there is only 1 scholarship.

If there is a tie for first place between 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion. The player who is ahead on tiebreaks after the tournament’s scheduled final round, chooses color. If the player chooses White, then he plays G/15 +5 (where Black plays with 5 fewer minutes: G/10 +5) and can win only by the standard means of winning: checkmate, winning on time, etc. If Black draws White, however, then White loses, because Black has draw odds as compensation for playing with 5 fewer minutes. If the player chooses Black, then he plays G/10 +5 (where White plays with 5 more minutes: G/15 +5) and can win with a draw against White, because Black has draw odds as compensation for playing with 5 fewer minutes.

P20B. If there is a tie for first place among 3+ players, then a double round robin of a G/5 +3 Blitz playoff will determine the champion. (In a single round robin, each player plays 1 game against each opponent; conversely, in a double round robin, each player plays 2 games [both as White and as Black] against each opponent.)

After the double round robin of a G/5 +3 Blitz playoff, if there is a tie for first place between 2 players, then they play 1 round of a G/5 +3 Blitz playoff. After the 1 round of a G/5 +3 Blitz playoff, if there is still a tie between the 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion.
After the double round robin of a G/5 +3 Blitz playoff, if there is still a tie for first place among 3+ players, then the 2 players who finished ahead on tiebreaks after the tournament’s initially scheduled final round, play 1 round of a G/5 +3 Blitz playoff. After the 1 round of a G/5 +3 Blitz playoff, if there is still a tie between the 2 players, then 1 Armageddon Quick game will determine the champion.

[US Chess requires Blitz games to be at least G/5 and no more than G/10. But that applies to a Blitz tournament or a tournament with a Blitz section, not to a Blitz playoff at the end of a tournament with longer time controls. So, if there’s a tie for first place after the final round at the Maryland Scholastic Chess Championships, then even a standard FIDE Blitz game (G/3 +2) would be a viable option for determining the Maryland Scholastic Chess Champions.]

How MCA Determines the Individual Winner of a Section when There’s a Tie for First Place

MD-Sweet-16 Qualification Rules

Qualifiers for the MD Sweet 16 must be full-time students in grades K-12 who are currently enrolled in school or home-schooled.
Qualifiers must be residents of Maryland, or non-residents of Maryland who attend a school in Maryland.
Qualifiers must have competed in all scheduled rounds of at least 1 MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier (a Local Scholastic Tournament) during that qualifying season. There are 3 exceptions to this rule:

1) If a player were to receive a 1-point bye because there were an odd number of players in a round at a MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier, then MCA would consider the player to have competed in that round & the player would receive Varsity Points, as if the player had competed in that round.
2) In the event of an emergency, a player may be excused from competing in at most 1 round of a MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier. The emergency-exemption claim must be approved both on site by the Chief Tournament Director & subsequently by the MCA Scholastic Director. After the tournament the player must submit to the MCA Scholastic Director documentation (such as a medical doctor’s note, a relative’s obituary, etc.) that affirms the legitimacy of the emergency-exemption claim.
3) If a player were to have registered for only the final scheduled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier of a qualifying season, if that tournament were cancelled, & if that tournament could not be rescheduled before the MD Sweet 16, then the player would have fulfilled the MD-Sweet-16’s tournament-participation requirement by virtue of being considered to have competed in the cancelled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier. However, the player would be considered to have competed in all scheduled rounds of that MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier for qualification purposes only; because the player will not receive any Varsity Points for having “competed” in the tournament, the player could qualify for the MD Sweet 16 only by rating.

Qualifiers must have an established US Chess rating by the cutoff day (the 3rd Wednesday of February) for the tournament results that will determine a player's published rating in US Chess's March Ratings Supplement. (This requirement will prevent players from qualifying by rating based only on a provisional rating—worst-case scenario: after having competed in only 4 Regular [≥ G/30] US-Chess-rated games.) (A provisional US Chess rating becomes an established US Chess rating immediately after the completion & submission of a player's 26th US-Chess-rated game.) (A foreign rating may NOT be used as a substitute for an established US Chess rating.)
The 16 MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers will consist primarily of the Top 8 players with the highest published US Chess ratings (according to US Chess's March Ratings Supplement, regardless of whether the MD Sweet 16 will be held in late February or in early March) & secondarily of the Top 8 players with the highest number of Varsity Points.
If a player were to qualify both by rating and by Varsity Points, then the player would occupy & hold a spot on both Top-8 lists simultaneously. Thus, a spot in the list of the Top 8 Qualifiers by Varsity Points (the secondary method of qualification) would NOT open up because the player qualified by rating (the primary method of qualification). Furthermore, even if a player who is a Top-8 Qualifier by rating and/or a Top-8 Qualifier by Varsity Points were not to participate in the MD Sweet 16, then the player would still occupy & hold the qualification spot. All remaining spots in the roster of 16 would be filled by Alternates (Varsity players in descending order of US Chess rating who are neither Top-8 Qualifiers by rating, nor Top-8 Qualifiers by Varsity Points). Theoretically, the Top 8 Qualifiers by rating (the primary method of qualification) could also be the Top 8 Qualifiers by Varsity Points (the secondary method of qualification). In that extremely unlikely scenario, no players would qualify by Varsity Points; the final 8 Qualifiers (Alternates) would also qualify by rating.
If there were a tie among the lowest-rated players with the 8 highest US Chess ratings, such that the number of players in position to qualify for the Top 8 spots by US Chess rating were to exceed 8, then all of those tied players would be Qualifiers, & the number of Qualifiers by rating would exceed 8 accordingly. Consequently, the number of Qualifiers by Varsity Points would be reduced accordingly, such that the combined number of Qualifiers by rating & Qualifiers by Varsity Points would remain 16. (The resolution of this scenario would be consistent with the prioritization of qualification by US Chess rating over qualification by Varsity Points.)
If there were a tie for the final (16th) Qualifying spot by Varsity Points, then the tiebreaker would be a player's published rating in US Chess's March Ratings Supplement—with the higher-/highest-rated player securing the final Qualifying spot. If a 2nd tiebreaker were required, then it would be the number of Varsity tournaments played—with the player who competed in the higher/highest number of MD-Sweet-16-qualifying tournaments securing the final Qualifying spot.
Any Qualifier who withdraws from or is a no-show at the MD Sweet 16 will be replaced by an Alternate in descending order of US Chess rating. (Alternates are Varsity players ranked in descending order of US Chess rating who are neither among the Top 8 Qualifiers by US Chess Rating, nor among the Top 8 Qualifiers by Varsity Points.) That is, Varsity Points will NOT determine which Alternate will replace a withdrawn Qualifier. Regarding the replacement of a withdrawn Qualifier by an Alternate according to rating, it is immaterial whether the withdrawn Qualifier qualified by rating or by Varsity Points.
Qualifiers must commit to competing in all 4 rounds of the upcoming MD Sweet 16.
Qualifiers who do not intend to participate in all 4 rounds of the upcoming MD Sweet 16 are required to contact MCA in a sufficiently timely manner at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Failure to do so will result in the player being banned from participating in future MD Sweet 16s—or from MCA’s open tournaments for 2 years, if the player is a high-school senior.
MD-Sweet-16 Champions are ineligible to compete in subsequent MD-Sweet-16s; however, they are welcome to compete in subsequent MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers.

MD-Sweet-16-Qualifer Scoring Rules

The number of MD-Sweet-16 Varsity Points at stake at each tournament is weighted by the strength of the field thusly:

8 points: Expert+ (2000+)
4 points: Class A (1800-1999)
2 points: Class B (1600-1799)
1 point: Class C- (1599-)

A Class C- or unrated player will be permitted to play in Varsity under only 3 scenarios:
Varsity Players who do not meet the residency requirement count toward determining Varsity Points, but they do not count in the Varsity-Points standings for MD-Sweet-16 qualification. 
After the weighting system has been applied & the total # of Varsity Points at stake has been tallied, the following formula will be used to determine the allocation of Varsity Points at a particular tournament:
the # of Varsity Points allotted to each player who is not tied with other players = the total # of Varsity Points at stake + 1 - (the place the player finished).
Tied players share evenly the average of the total number of Varsity points they would earn cumulatively, if the scoring method were determined in a purely linear manner for each player—that is, if tied players were allotted Varsity Points purely according to their place, as determined by tiebreak. (If, for example, 2 players were tied for 3rd place, in a purely linear scoring system the 3rd-place finisher by tiebreak might receive 15 points, and the 4th-place finisher by tiebreak might receive 14 points. In MCA’s scoring system, however, each of the tied players would receive 14.5 points.)
Every MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier will be worth 10+ Varsity Points. That is, even if fewer than 10 Varsity points were at stake formulaically (that is, according purely to the cumulative allocation of points, based on the players’ various ratings classes), then the section would nonetheless be scored with 10 Varsity Points actually at stake. So, as long as the 1st-place finisher does not tie for 1st place, the 1st-place finisher at every MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier will earn a minimum of 10 Varsity Points; as long as the 2nd-place finisher does not tie for 2nd place, the 2nd-place finisher at every MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier will earn a minimum of 9 Varsity Points; etc. (This compensatory form of scoring distribution ensures that a significant number of Varsity Points will be at stake, even in the infrequent instance of a small Varsity section with few/no Class A+ players.)
If a player were to compete in only 1 round of a MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier because of an alleged emergency, & if the player’s emergency-exemption claim were not to be approved either on site by the Chief Tournament Director, or subsequently by the MCA Scholastic Director, then the player will earn Varsity Points for the single round in which the player competed, only if the player has already competed or subsequently competes in all scheduled rounds of the Varsity section of at least 1 MD-Sweet-16 Qualifier during that qualifying season.

MCA's Social-Media Profiles

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.

For further information, contact the Maryland Chess Association at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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