Virginia Scholastic Chess Association Newsletter

September 16, 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.



Meadowdale Scholastic and Quads (Grades K-12 and Adults)

Wednesday is the last full day to register for the Meadowdale Scholastic and Quads tournament, to be held Saturday, September 20, 2014 at Meadowdale Library in Chesterfield County (Richmond area). Advance registration is online only, and closes at 7:00 AM Thursday MORNING, September 18.

This tournament is open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, 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. Trophies will also be awarded to the top 3 school teams in each of the scholastic sections. There are cash prizes for the Open Quads, with no trophies or team competition.

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



Grafton Fall Scholastic and Quads (Grades K-12 and Adults)

Registration is now open for the Grafton Fall Scholastic and Quads tournament, to be held Saturday, October 4, 2014 at Grafton Middle School in York County. Advance registration is online only, and closes at 7:00 AM Thursday MORNING, October 2. New for this tournament: one-half point will be added to each team's final score for each girl on the team, with a maximum of one additional point.

This tournament is open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, 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. Trophies will also be awarded to the top 3 school teams in each of the scholastic sections. There are cash prizes for the Open Quads, with no trophies or team competition.

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



Other Upcoming VSCA Tournaments

Two VSCA tournaments are scheduled for November. The Old Donation Center Fall Scholastic and Quads (grades K-12 and adults) is November 1 in Virginia Beach, and the Maggie L. Walker Fall Scholastic (grades K-12) is November 15 in Richmond. The annual VSCA membership meeting will be held during the Maggie Walker tournament. A calendar of VSCA events as well as other scholastic events in Virginia is available at www.vschess.org/chess-calendar.



VSCA Membership Meeting

The annual Virginia Scholastic Chess Association membership meeting will be held during the Maggie L. Walker Fall Scholastic tournament in Richmond on Saturday, November 15, 2014. The primary purpose of the meeting is to elect new board members and to discuss the spring and summer tournament schedule. The parents of all players who have participated in one or more VSCA events during the past 12-month period, including the November 15 Maggie L. Walker event, are VSCA members and are eligible to vote in the election.



Virginia Beach National Chess Day Festival

The Virginia Beach National Chess Day Festival will be held outdoors at Virginia Beach Town Center on Saturday, October 11, 2014. The event is organized by the Hampton Roads Chess Club, and will include USCF-rated and Not-rated tournament sections for all ages and abilities, a simultaneous chess exhibition by Virginia State Champions Dan Miller and James Schuyler, and free chess lessons for beginners. Spectators are welcome. Advance registration for the tournament and the simul is now open. For more information, and to register online, visit the event website at www.hrchessclub.org/chessday.



Maggie L. Walker Free Chess Clinics

The Maggie L. Walker Governor's School Chess Club in Richmond holds chess clinics at the school on one Monday evening each month from 5 to 7 pm. The clinics are free to scholastic players of all experience levels, from beginner to advanced. The next clinic is Monday evening, October 6. For more information, visit the chess club's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MLWGSChess.



Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club

The Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club, organized by VSCA Board Member Christina Schweiss, has merged with the Hampton Roads Chess Club and the Virginia Beach Chess Club, and meets on Tuesday evenings at Virginia Beach Volunteer Rescue Squad Station #8. Scholastic players meet from 5:00 to 7:30 pm, and adults and advanced scholastic players meet from 7:00 to 10:30 pm. Meetings feature rated tournament play and/or instruction. The next scheduled meeting is Tuesday evening, September 23. For more information, visit the chess club's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HRScholasticChessClub.



Going the Distance for Scholastic Chess

Dan Lucas, the editor of the U.S. Chess Federation's Chess Life magazine, is running in this year's New York City Marathon and is hoping to raise $3,750 for scholastic chess. You can support Dan's marathon participation by making a charitable tax deductible donation to the USCF, a 501(c)(3) organization. For more information and to donate, visit www.crowdrise.com/uschessfederation/fundraiser/uscf.



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 has recently posted an analysis of his own games in the June 2014 Virginia Senior Open.

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 on a trial basis. Players who pay online do not need to check in at the tournament. Please read the following brief instructions:

All Players: If you are registering and/or paying at the tournament: If you are paying online:


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.