Virginia Scholastic Chess Association Newsletter

May 31, 2016

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.


Richmond Spring into Summer Scholastic and Quads (Grades K-12 and Adults)

Wednesday is the last full day to register for the Richmond Spring into Summer Scholastic and Quads tournament, to be held Saturday, June 4, 2016 at the Richmond Public Library Main Branch. This event is co-sponsored by VSCA, Richmond Chess Initiative and the Richmond Public Library. Advance registration is online only, and closes at 7:00 AM THURSDAY MORNING, June 2.

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 (US Chess) and players do NOT need to be US Chess members.

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

The Open Quads sections are US Chess-rated sections open to advanced scholastic players (US Chess 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. Due to the library schedule, the time control for the quads at this tournament will be G/45;d5.

Please note that the onsite registration and payment schedule for this tournament is different from our usual tournament schedule. Onsite registration and payment will be available at the tournament from 8:45 to 9:15 am. Orientation for new players will be at 9:15 am, and the first round will begin at 9:30 am.

The entry fee for the scholastic sections is $10 for advance (online) registrations, and $15 for onsite registrations. The entry fee for the Open Quads is $20 for all players, whether registered online or onsite. Please read our Tournament Check-in Policy.

Trophies will be awarded to the top 5 individuals and 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

The first summer tournament will be July 16 at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in Richmond. The Maggie Walker tournament features a special K-12 Championship section for scholastic players with a US Chess rating of 1200 and above. At last summer's tournament this section attracted a number of players rated above 1500 and was very competitive. The tournament also includes K-5 Not-rated and K-12 Not-rated sections for new players (first three tournaments) and K-5 Under 1200 and K-12 Under 1200 sections for experienced players (US Chess-rated). Sections are based on the grade the player will attend beginning in the fall (2016-2017 school year).

A calendar of VSCA events as well as other scholastic events in Virginia is available at www.vschess.org/chess-calendar.


Grafton Tournament Results

55 scholastic and 17 adult players participated in the Grafton End of School Countdown tournament, held at Grafton Middle School in York County on May 21, 2016. Scholastic sections were K-5/K-12 Not-rated (combined section with separate awards), K-5 Open and K-12 Open. Sections for adults and advanced scholastic players were 5 quads and a 6-player Swiss.

In the K-5 Not-rated section, John Paul Sommer won the first-place trophy with a score of 3.5 points in 4 rounds. The Williams School from Norfolk won the first-place team trophy in K-5 Not-rated.

Corey Purnell won the K-12 Not-rated first place trophy with a score of 3.5 points in 4 rounds. There were no K-12 Not-rated teams.

Joshua Nichols won the first-place trophy in K-5 Open with a perfect score of 4.0 points in 4 rounds. Cape Henry Collegiate School from Virginia Beach won the K-5 Open first-place team trophy.

In the K-12 Open section, Joshua Felton won the first-place trophy with a perfect score of 4.0 points in 4 rounds. The first place team in K-12 Open was the Felton Homeschool.

The winners in the Quads and Swiss were Mr. Thomas Burgess; Ryan Balser (10th grade); Jordan Digges (7th grade) and Mr. Corey Hancock (tie); Santosh Dasari (10th grade) and Loyal Soles (11th grade) (tie); Trey Johnson; and Mr. James Berry.

Congratulations to all of these players and to all of our other tournament participants. Complete tournament results are available at www.vschess.org/results.


Richmond Metropolitan Grand Prix Tournaments

The Richmond Chess Initiative (RCI) and the Richmond Public Library are hosting a series of Saturday tournaments for scholastic and adult players. After the VSCA tournament on June 4 (see the announcement above), the next RCI tournament is July 2, 2016 at the Richmond Public Library Main Branch. For more information, visit the RCI website at richmondchessinitiative.wordpress.com/the-richmond-metropolitan-grand-prix/busline-grand-prix-schedule/.


Tournament Director Seminar

National Tournament Director (NTD) Ernest Schlich, assisted by NTD and VSCA president Mike Hoffpauir, will present a free two-day seminar for current Tournament Directors (TDs) and anyone interested in becoming a TD. The seminar will be held at the Old Dominion University Regional Education Center in Virginia Beach on Saturday June 11 and Sunday June 12. For more information, visit hrchessclub.org/The_Chess_House/td_seminar.html.


Maggie L. Walker Summer Chess Camp

Dragon Chess Camp, organized by the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School Chess Club, will be held at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in Richmond the week of July 11-15, 2016, followed by a VSCA tournament at the school on July 16. The camp is open to rising 3rd-9th graders. For further information, visit the chess club's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MLWGSChess and the camp website at teachmechess.com/.


Championship Chess RVA Summer Chess Camps

Championship Chess RVA, headed by VSCA Board Member Brian Garbera, is hosting camps throughout the summer months at many locations across the Richmond metro area. The camps are open to rising 2nd-8th graders. For complete information and registration, visit the Championship Chess RVA website at championshipchessrva.net/camps.


Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club Summer Chess Camp

The Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club, organized by VSCA Board Member Christina Schweiss, is hosting a summer chess camp the week of July 25-29 at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach. The instructor is FIDE Master James Schuyler (2400). The camp is open to both club members and non-members. For further information, email Tina at cschweiss2@cox.net.


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 Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Virginia Beach. 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 include training as well as rated tournaments. For more information, visit the chess club's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HRScholasticChessClub.


Richmond Chess Initiative Free Chess Training

The Richmond Chess Initiative (RCI) and the Richmond Public Library host weekly chess training sessions, free and open to the public. Sessions are scheduled every Monday evening 6:00-7:30 pm at the North Avenue branch and the Westover Hills branch, and every Wednesday evening 6:00-7:30 pm at the Main branch and the Belmont branch. The CEO and founder of RCI is VSCA secretary Mike Callaham. For more information, visit the RCI website at richmondchessinitiative.wordpress.com/.


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 his analysis of an extremely interesting game from the Virginia Scholastic Championships in Ashburn.

Mr. Callaham is the CEO and founder of the Richmond Chess Initiative, the coordinator and head coach of the Richmond Middle School Chess League, and currently coaches chess clubs at Binford, Boushall, Lucille Brown, Thomas Henderson, Albert Hill, and Thompson Middle Schools in Richmond, J. B. Fisher Elementary School in Richmond, and Tuckahoe Elementary School in Henrico County. Coach Callaham has also met with chess clubs at many other Virginia schools, and 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.


Support Isaac Steincamp on the Road to New Orleans

Isaac Steincamp is a longtime VSCA player, volunteer, tournament organizer and recent board member. As president of the Maggie L. Walker Governor's School Chess Club, he revitalized the chess team, organized free monthly chess clinics for the community, and coordinated the Dragon Chess Camp the past 3 summers. His current US Chess rating is 2121. Now a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh, his goal is to win the 2016 U.S. Junior Open in New Orleans.

Isaac needs your support for his training and travel. For more information, and to find out how you can support Isaac's quest, visit https://www.gofundme.com/chesssummit.

Also check out Isaac's blog at chesssummit.com, which features a free game analysis section. If you would like Isaac to analyze one of your tournament games, email him at chess.summit@gmail.com.


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. Entry fees 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; entry fees may be higher for late entries. 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.

Please note that the above information applies to most Virginia Scholastic Chess Association tournaments. Some tournaments may have different registration schedules and/or entry fees.


Tournament Check-in

To help start our tournaments on time, we have implemented a new check-in policy. Players who pay online do not need to check in at the tournament, but they must let us know if they are not coming. Please read the following brief instructions:

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

US Chess Membership

Current membership in the U.S. Chess Federation (US Chess) is REQUIRED in order to play in VSCA tournaments, except for sections specifically designated as not-rated. In order to avoid delays on Saturday, please join or renew directly with US Chess at www.uschess.org/webstore. Please do not mail a paper application form or check to US Chess, 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 US Chess members.


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