2019-2020 MS16Q Test
Monday 21 January 2019, 09:30am - 05:00pm
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Contact tournaments@mdchess.com

Open to all K-12 players from anywhere & their parents/guardians

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

Skittles Rooms: Auditorium & Gym
Tournament Room: Cafeteria

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

SECTIONS
Section US-Chess Rating Grades Rounds Time Control Individual
Prizes
Team
Prizes
Varsity 1600+ K-12 2SS G90 +30 *
Top Under 1800
**
Junior Varsity 1000-1599 K-12 4SS G30 +30 *
Top Under 1400
**
Intermediate HS & MS under 1000
or unrated
6-12 5SS G30 d5 *
Top Under 800
**
Intermediate ES 500-999 K-5 5SS G30 d5 *
Top Under 800
**
Novice ES under 500
or unrated
K-5 5SS G25 d5 *
Top Under 300
**
Parents G75 any rating or unrated 13+ 2SS G75 d5 ****  
Parents G50 any rating or unrated 13+ 3SS G50 d5 ****  
Parents G30 any rating or unrated 13+ 4SS G30 d5 ****  
Parents G25 any rating or unrated 13+ 4SS G25 d5 ****  

 

SCHEDULE
8:15 - 9:00 Players, parents, & coaches settle in the skittles room(s) and then help set up boards & pieces in the tournament room(s).
9:00 - 9:10 Pairing notification: individual pairings texted & emailed; pairing sheets taped beneath section headings & beside wallcharts.
9:10 - 9:20 Players to their board in the tournament room(s). Parents & coaches are welcome.
9:20 - 9:30 Tournament announcements. Parents & coaches are welcome.
9:30 Round 1 begins for all sections. Parents & coaches return to the skittles room(s).
Scheduled Rounds
Section
Round
1
Round
2
Round
3
Round
4
Round
5
Awards Ceremony
Varsity 9:30 12:15       3:00 — or sooner ***
Parents G75 9:30 12:15        
Junior Varsity 9:30 11:30 1:30 3:30   5:30 — or sooner ***
Parents G50 9:30 11:30 1:30      
Intermediate HS & MS 9:30 10:45 12:00 1:15 2:30 3:45 — or sooner ***
Intermediate ES 9:30 10:45 12:00 1:15 2:30 3:45 — or sooner ***
Parents G30 9:30 10:45 12:00 1:15    
Novice ES 9:30 10:30 11:30 12:30 1:30 2:30 — or sooner ***
Parents G25 9:30 10:30 11:30 12:30    

 

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 (highest-finishing) 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 (highest-finishing) 4 players
*** Each section's separate awards ceremony will begin ASAP after its final round has ended.
**** If only 2 players compete in a Parents section, then only their 1st game will be submitted to US Chess for rating; all remaining games will be unrated. Why? If only 2 players compete in a section with multiple games, then the section must be submitted to US Chess for rating as a match that is a separate tournament from the scholastic tournament, rather than as a section that's part of the scholastic tournament—which would be too much administrative work.

 

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 (highest-finishing) 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 (highest-finishing) 4 players
*** Each section's separate awards ceremony will begin ASAP after its final round has ended.
**** If only 2 players compete in a Parents section, then only their 1st game will be submitted to US Chess for rating; all remaining games will be unrated. Why? If only 2 players compete in a section with multiple games, then the section must be submitted to US Chess for rating as a match that is a separate tournament from the scholastic tournament, rather than as a section that's part of the scholastic tournament—which would be too much administrative work.

 

Registration Fee for Tournament (extra for US-Chess membership)

      • To register for this tournament (starting 1 month beforehand), click on Register at bottom of page.
      • To register for any upcoming tournament run by MD Chess, click on View All Events at bottom of page.
      • If player's US-Chess membership will be current, then select 1st option for Registration Type: Tournament Registration (player's US-Chess membership will be current / will not have expired).
      • If player will lack current US-Chess membership, then select 2nd option for Registration Type: Tournament Registration & US-Chess Membership (new or renewal).
      • $15—Tuesday, 2018.09.04, if completed by 11:59 PM (Early)
      • $30—Thursday, 2018.09.06, if completed by 11:59 PM (Regular)
      • $60—Saturday, 2018.09.08, if completed by 8 AM (Last-Minute: ½-point bye possible in Round 1)
      • $80—Saturday, 2018.09.08, 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.??.?? ??:??—? 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 will lack a current US-Chess membership during the tournament, then select the 2nd option for 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.

For Which Section Should a Player Register?

      • 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 new unofficial rating after every tournament in which the player competes—usually only 2 hours after the completed tournament has been submitted for ratings’ calculations. 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.
      • With regard to a player's official rating, sections have a hard, inflexible ceiling at all US-Chess-rated tournaments, but a marginally flexible floor at MD Chess's scholastic tournaments. So, on the 1 hand, whenever a player's official rating is > a section's ceiling, the player may not play down in the section—even if the player's unofficial rating is ≤ the section's ceiling. So, for example, if a player wants to play in an Under 400 section (which has a ceiling of 399), but the player's official rating is 400+, then the player may not play in the section—even if the player's unofficial rating is 399-. But, on the other hand, if a player's official rating is ≤ 50 points below a section's floor and/or the player's unofficial rating is ≤ 50 points below or ≥ the section's floor, then the player may play up in the section—unless the Chief Tournament Director and/or MD Chess's Scholastic Director were to decide it would not be in the tournament's best interests. So, for example, a player may play up in a 400-799 section, even if the player's official rating is below the section's floor of 400, as long as the player's official rating is 355-399 and/or the player's unofficial rating is 355-799. In short, then, a player's unofficial rating may be used only to play up in a higher section—not to play down in a lower section. (Note that if a player uses the player's unofficial rating to qualify to play up in a section, then that unofficial rating will likely be assigned to the player for pairing order—without notification.)
      • If an unrated player (that is, a player without an official rating) has an unofficial rating (because the player competed for the first time or completed only 3- games before ratings became official for the month in which the tournament will be run), then the player's most recent unofficial rating might be assigned to the player to determine section eligibility and pairing order—without notification. That is, the unrated player might have to play up in a higher section or down in a lower section, based on the player's unofficial rating.
      • If a player is registered for a section for which the player is ineligible by rating, then the player will be moved to the lowest section for which the player is eligible—without notification.
      • 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—without notification.

$47,000 College Scholarship Will Be Awarded at Maryland Sweet 16 2019

      • 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 9 scheduled MD-Sweet-16 Qualifiers from September, 2018 - February, 2019, will qualify for the MD Sweet 16, an annual invitational tournament next scheduled for 2019.03.02-03.
      • 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 $47,112.
      • 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

Do Players Need to Bring Anything?

      • Players do not need to bring any equipment. MD Chess will provide all necessary supplies: boards, pieces, notation sheets (for recording moves), and pencils. (Players are encouraged to bring sharpened pencils with erasers, because MD Chess's pencils lack erasers and might have dull points.)
      • 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.
      • Which Electronic Devices (including Notation Devices) May a Player Bring to the Board?
      • Food (pizza, candy, soda, etc.) should be available for purchase at the tournament. If there isn't a concession stand on site, then walk 2 minutes south on Roland Avenue to Starbucks Coffehouse or Eddie's Supermarket, which sells deli sandwiches.

Playing at the Tournament

Results of the Tournament

MD Chess's PROVISIONAL Scholastic-Tournament Calendar 2018-2019

      • The tournament-announcement page of a tournament listed in MD Chess's PROVISIONAL Scholastic Tournament Calendar 2018-2019 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 dangerous 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, email Maryland Chess at tournaments@mdchess.com.

Location Roland Park EMS