Virginia Scholastic Chess Association Newsletter

July 1, 2014

This newsletter is sent to families who participate in Virginia Scholastic Chess Association tournaments. The VSCA is a non-profit, all-volunteer organization dedicated to promoting scholastic chess in central and southeastern Virginia. Please email news@vschess.org to subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address.

Eastern Shore Summer Scholastic and Quads (Rising Grades K-12 and Adults)

Registration is now open for the Eastern Shore Summer Scholastic and Quads tournament, to be held Saturday, July 26, 2014 at Kiptopeke Elementary School in Northampton County. Advance registration is online only, and closes at 7:00 AM Thursday MORNING, July 24.

This tournament is open to students who will be entering kindergarten through 12th grade this coming fall, and also adult players, and includes both rated and non-rated sections.

The K-5 Not-rated and K-12 Not-rated (grades 6-12) sections are designed for beginning tournament players (first, second or third chess tournament, with exceptions on a case-by-case basis). Games in these sections are NOT RATED by the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) and players do NOT need to be USCF members.

The K-5 Open and K-12 Open (grades 6-12) sections are USCF-rated sections. All players in these sections must be current USCF members.

The Open Quads sections are USCF-rated sections open to advanced scholastic players (USCF rating 1000+) and adult players. Quad entries will be divided into groups of 4 (quads) by rating. Each quad will play a 3-round round robin with a time control of G/60.

The entry fee for the scholastic sections is $7 for advance (online) registrations, or $14 for onsite registrations. The entry fee for the Open Quads is $20 for all players, whether registered online or onsite.

Please read our New Tournament Check-in Policy.

Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 individuals in grades K-3 and to the top 3 individuals in grades 4-5 in the K-5 Not-rated section and the K-5 Open section. Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 individuals in grades K-8 and to the top 3 individuals in grades 9-12 in the K-12 Not-rated section and the K-12 Open section. There are no team awards at our summer tournaments. There are cash prizes for the Open Quads, with no trophies or team competition.

On-site refreshments will be available for purchase.

Please visit the VSCA website at www.vschess.org for more tournament information and to register online.

Maggie L. Walker Summer Scholastic (Rising Grades K-12)

Registration is still open for the Maggie L. Walker Summer Scholastic tournament, to be held Saturday, July 12, 2014 at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in Richmond. Advance registration is online only, and closes at 7:00 AM Thursday MORNING, July 10.

This tournament is open to students who will be entering kindergarten through 12th grade this coming fall, and includes both rated and non-rated sections.

The K-5 Not-rated and K-12 Not-rated (grades 6-12) sections are designed for beginning tournament players (first, second or third chess tournament, with exceptions on a case-by-case basis). Games in these sections are NOT RATED by the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) and players do NOT need to be USCF members.

The K-5 Open and K-12 Open (grades 6-12) sections are USCF-rated sections. All players in these sections must be current USCF members.

The entry fee is $7 for advance (online) registrations, or $14 for onsite registrations.

Please read our New Tournament Check-in Policy.

Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 individuals in grades K-3 and to the top 3 individuals in grades 4-5 in the K-5 Not-rated section and the K-5 Open section. Trophies will be awarded to the top 3 individuals in grades K-8 and to the top 3 individuals in grades 9-12 in the K-12 Not-rated section and the K-12 Open section. There are no team awards at our summer tournaments.

Please visit the VSCA website at www.vschess.org for more tournament information and to register online.

Other Upcoming Tournaments

The final VSCA tournament of the summer will be held Saturday, August 9 at Grafton Middle School in York County. The first tournament of the new school year will be Saturday, September 20 at Meadowdale Public Library in Chesterfield County. Each of these tournaments will have K-5 and K-12 Not-rated and Open (rated) sections, and Open Quads for adults and advanced scholastic players. For more information, visit the VSCA website at www.vschess.org.

Chess Camps and Classes

Championship Chess RVA is hosting summer chess camps and classes in July and August at several locations in the Richmond area. For more information, visit the Championship Chess RVA website at championshipchessrva.net/upcoming-events/camps/.

Chess Days in the Park

The Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club, organized by VSCA board member Christina Schweiss, is hosting two Chess Days in the Park: Tuesday, July 10, 3:00-7:30 pm and Thursday, August 12, 3:00-7:30 pm at Shelter 1, Mount Trashmore Park in Virginia Beach. For more information, visit the club's facebook page at www.facebook.com/HRScholasticChessClub.

Updated VSCA Tournament Rules

The VSCA Board of Directors recently voted to adopt a revised version of the VSCA Tournament Rules, effective September 1, 2014. The revisions align the rules with current practice at VSCA tournaments. The major changes include: (1) home-schooled players, (2) responsibilities of the VSCA and tournament organizers, (3) tournament sections, (4) registration procedures, and (5) electronic notation devices.

It's Your Move!

VSCA secretary and Class A player Mike Callaham has generously offered to analyze and comment on VSCA tournament games which players send him. If you have a game that you're proud of, or a game where you feel you could have played better, and would like Mr. Callaham to take a look at it, all you need to do is send him a copy of your complete and legible scoresheet (game notation). He will respond by email, and games which are especially interesting or instructive will be published on the VSCA website. For complete details, visit the VSCA website at www.vschess.org/chess-resources/games

Mr. Callaham currently coaches chess clubs at Thompson Middle School in Richmond and Tuckahoe Elementary School in Henrico County, and he has visited many other Virginia schools. He would like to visit as many other school chess clubs as possible on behalf of the VSCA. Parents and coaches, if you would like to have Mr. Callaham visit your school club for a free simul, chess clinic or lecture, please contact him at waterman2010kir@aol.com. Be sure to provide contact information for the school chess sponsor/coach. This is a wonderful opportunity for your school to benefit from the help of an experienced chess player and teacher.

Visit Us on Facebook

Check out the VSCA Facebook page at www.facebook.com/vascholasticchess, managed by parent and board member Christina Schweiss.

Tournament Registration and Entry Fees

Advance registration for VSCA tournaments is ONLINE ONLY at www.vschess.org, and closes at 7:00 AM on the Thursday before the tournament. In order to accurately process entries, we cannot accept mail, phone or e-mail registrations. The scholastic advance registration entry fee of $7 may be paid online through PayPal (preferred) or at the tournament. Players who do not register before the 7:00 AM Thursday deadline can register at the tournament between 8:00 and 9:00 am on Saturday, but they will need to pay the late entry fee of $14. Players who register later than 8:30 am on Saturday may or may not be paired for the first round, depending on the number of late registrations.

The entry fee for Open Quads sections is $20 for both advance registrations and on-site registrations.

Please note that the above information applies only to Virginia Scholastic Chess Association tournaments, and does NOT apply to the Virginia Scholastic and Collegiate Championships or other Virginia Chess Federation events.

Tournament Check-in

In order to start our tournaments on time, we are implementing a new check-in policy this summer on a trial basis. We need your help and cooperation. Please read these instructions carefully.

If you pay your entry fee online before the tournament, you do NOT need to check in at the Registration Desk on Saturday morning. In order to make this work, you need to follow two simple rules: (1) Pay no later than 5:00 pm Friday so that we have time to process your payment, and (2) Notify us no later than 9:00 am Saturday if you find out that you are NOT coming.

Plan to arrive at the tournament by 9:30 am for the first round. (If you are a new player or parent, arrive by 9:00 am for the orientation meeting.) As soon as the pairings are posted, you can go directly to your board.

Check the Online Registration List before the tournament to be sure you are marked Paid. (There is a link on our home page, and also on your entry confirmation email.) If you are NOT marked Paid on the registration list, either email us or check in at the Registration Desk by 9:00 am to confirm your payment. Otherwise we may have you marked as Not Paid, and you won't be paired.

If you have paid, but are NOT coming to the tournament, either email us at bart.mebane@gmail.com or TEXT 804-387-5689 by 9:00 am on Saturday (no voice calls, please). If you let us know you're not coming, we will refund your entry fee in full. If you don't let us know, we will not be able to refund your entry fee, and you will have to check in by 9:00 am at your next tournament. If we pair you for the first round and you aren't there, your opponent will be left without a game.

If you have paid, but will arrive later than 9:30 am, you will need to decide if you want to be paired for the first round. Each player has 40 minutes to complete all of his or her moves. We will put a clock on your board if you aren't there when the round starts. If you are 30 minutes late, for example, you will only have 10 minutes left to play. If you decide not to play the first round, you need to email us at bart.mebane@gmail.com or TEXT 804-387-5689 by 9:00 am on Saturday (no voice calls, please) in order to request a half-point bye. If you will only be a few minutes late and still want to play the first round, and have already paid, you don't need to tell us. We will pair you, and we will start your 40-minute clock when the round starts.

If you are paying your entry fee at the tournament (cash or check payable to VSCA), you need to check in and pay by 9:00 am in order to be paired for the first round. If you arrive later than 9:00 am, you may not be able to play until the second round.

Thank you for your cooperation. Please remember: If you pay in advance, you MUST let us know by 9:00 am if you are NOT coming. If you pay at the tournament, you MUST check in and pay by 9:00 am.

USCF Membership

Current membership in the U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) is REQUIRED in order to play in VSCA tournaments, except for sections specifically designated as non-rated. In order to avoid delays on Saturday, please join or renew directly with USCF at www.uschess.org/webstore. Please do not mail a paper application form or check to USCF, since this may cause delays in processing your membership. If you are unable to join or renew online, please plan to fill out a membership application at the tournament. You can check membership status at www.uschess.org/msa. The U.S. Chess Federation maintains a national database of ratings (relative playing strengths) for adult and scholastic players. In order to update the ratings following each tournament, all players in rated sections of a tournament must be current USCF members.

Please visit our website at www.vschess.org for the latest news and information.