Virginia Scholastic Chess Association Newsletter

November 19, 2019

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 vsca.entries@gmail.com to subscribe, unsubscribe or change your address.


We wish all of our players, families and volunteers a Happy Holiday Season!


Upcoming VSCA Tournaments

Registration is currently open for two VSCA tournaments. Registration is now open for the Granby Winter Scholastic tournament, to be held at Granby Elementary School in Norfolk on Saturday, December 7, 2019. Registration is also open for the Hopkins Scholastic at Hopewell tournament, to be held at Hopewell High School in Hopewell on Saturday, December 14, 2019. See below for details about each of these events.

The first VSCA event of 2020 will be held at Maggie L. Walker Governor's School in Richmond on January 11. The Maggie Walker tournament will be open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and will include rated and non-rated scholastic sections.

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


Granby Winter Scholastic (Grades K-12)

Registration is now open for the Granby Winter Scholastic, to be held Saturday, December 7, 2019 at Granby Elementary School in Norfolk. Advance registration is online only, and closes at 7:00 AM Thursday MORNING, December 5.

This tournament is open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, and includes rated and non-rated sections, with a special K-3 Not-rated section for younger players. There will be no Open Quads at this event.

The K-3 Not-rated (grades K-3), K-5 Not-rated (grades 4-5) 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 (grades K-5) 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 entry fee is $10 for advance (online) registrations, and $15 for onsite registrations. Please read our Tournament Check-in Policy.

Trophies will be awarded to the top 5 individuals and the top 3 school teams in each section.

The Granby Elementary School PTA will offer food and drink concessions at the tournament.

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


Hopkins Scholastic at Hopewell (Grades K-12)

Registration is now open for the Hopkins Scholastic at Hopewell tournament, to be held Saturday, December 14, 2018 at Hopewell High School in Hopewell. The tournament is named in memory of VSCA founder and longtime president Peter Hopkins. This will be the 27th consecutive year of scholastic chess tournaments at Hopewell High School, beginning in 1993. Advance registration is online only, and closes at 7:00 AM Thursday MORNING, December 12.

Players are divided into four sections based on their grade in school: Current membership in the U.S. Chess Federation (US Chess) is required for all players. All sections are US Chess-rated. There will be no Open Quads at this event.

Coach Mike Callaham will be on hand to offer free game analysis and notation training, as well as moderately-priced chess books for all skill levels.

Food and drinks will not be sold at this event. Please bring your own lunch and snacks, or plan to visit one of the fast food restaurants in the area. We will have a lunch break during the tournament.

The entry fee is $10 for advance (online) registrations, or $15 for onsite registrations. Please read our Tournament Check-in Policy.

Trophies will be awarded to the the top 5 individuals and to the top 3 school teams in each section.

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


What If It Snows?

Snow and other winter weather is always a possibility at this time of year. We make every effort to hold our tournaments as scheduled, but occasionally we need to postpone an event due to safety concerns. If we have to cancel or reschedule a tournament, we will post a notice on the VSCA website vschess.org as soon as a decision is made, and we will also email a notice to everyone who has registered. Please register with an email address that you check regularly in case we need to contact you. If you have already paid your entry fee online, we will refund your payment if the event is postponed, or if you let us know that you are unable to attend the event.


Grafton Tournament Results

47 scholastic players and 4 adult players participated in the Grafton Fall Chess Festival, held at Grafton Middle School in York County on September 28, 2019.

There were four scholastic sections: K-5 Not-rated, K-12 Not-rated, K-5 Open and K-12 Open. There was also one Small Swiss section for adults and advanced scholastic players.

In the K-5 Not-rated section, Mannat Sabharwal won the first-place trophy with a perfect score of 4.0 points in 4 rounds. Old Donation School from Virginia Beach won the K-5 Not-rated first-place team trophy.

In the K-12 Not-rated section, Sanjana Gatadi won the first-place trophy with a score of 3.0 points in 4 rounds. Veritas Preparatory School from Williamsburg won the first-place team trophy in K-12 Not-rated.

In the K-5 Open section, Darsh Shetty won the first-place trophy with a score of 3.5 points in 4 rounds. Old Donation School from Virginia Beach won the K-5 Open first-place team trophy.

In the K-12 Open section, Liam Cowell, a fifth grader playing up, won the first-place trophy with a perfect score of 4.0 points in 4 rounds. Old Donation School from Virginia Beach, with two players playing up, won the K-12 Open first-place team trophy.

The winner of the Small Swiss section was Mr. Jason Romsak.

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


Meadowdale Tournament Results

47 scholastic players and 4 adult players participated in the Meadowdale Fall Scholastic & Quads tournament, held at Meadowdale Library in Chesterfield County on October 5, 2019. The VSCA sincerely thanks the library manager, Mr. James Hudson, and his staff for hosting the event.

There were four scholastic sections: K-5 Not-rated, K-12 Not-rated, K-5 Open and K-12 Open. The K-5 Not-rated section and K-12 Not-rated section were combined, with separate awards. There was also one Open Quad for adults and advanced scholastic players.

In the K-5 Not-rated section, Jasper Drummond won the first-place trophy by tiebreaks over Shaun George. Jasper and Shaun each finished with a score of 2.5 points in 4 rounds. There were no teams in K-5 Not-rated.

In the K-12 Not-rated section, Joseph Olbrych won the first-place trophy with a perfect score of 4.0 points in 4 rounds. Veritas Preparatory School from Williamsburg won the first-place team trophy in K-12 Not-rated.

In the K-5 Open section, Nicholas Kokhan won the first-place trophy with a score of 3.5 points in 4 rounds. Rivers Edge Elementary School from Henrico County won the K-5 Open first-place team trophy.

In the K-12 Open section, Berkley Smith won the first-place trophy by tiebreaks over Anusree Marikkannan. Berkley and Anusree each finished with a score of 3.5 points in 4 rounds. George H. Moody Middle School from Henrico County won the K-12 Open first-place team trophy.

The winner of the Open Quad was Mr. Everett Kalafatis.

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


SCBC Saturday Swiss

Scholarship Chess Business Center (SCBC), formerly Richmond Chess Initiative, a US Chess affiliate headed by VSCA Secretary and Board Member Mike Callaham, hosts monthly tournaments for all ages at Scholarship Chess Business Center, 607 Wickham Street, Richmond, featuring free parking and many nearby restaurants. All games are US Chess-rated. The next tournament will be held on Saturday, November 23. The SCBC calendar and event information is available at richmondchessinitiative.wordpress.com/last-saturday-swiss-schedule-and-details/.


Championship Chess Richmond Cross-round Tournaments

Championship Chess Richmond, headed by VSCA Board Member Brian Garbera, hosts monthly "cross-round" tournaments for grades K-8 at locations in the Metro Richmond area. The tournaments feature Quick-rated play for U.S. Chess Federation members and Non-rated games for non-members. Quick-rated Quads for adults and advanced scholastic players are also available. For more information and the next tournament date and location, visit the Championship Chess Richmond website at richmond.championshipchess.net/richmondtournamentsupcoming/.


Scholarship Chess Business Center Workshops

The Scholarship Chess Business Center (SCBS), formerly Richmond Chess Initiative, headed by VSCA Secretary and Board Member Mike Callaham, meets for chess every Monday-Thursday, 6:30-9:00 pm, at the Scholarship Chess Business Center, 607 Wickham Street, Richmond. Optional chess lessons are 6:30-7:00 pm Monday-Thursday, followed by free play from 7:00 to 9:00 pm. Sets and clocks are provided, and there is free onsite parking. For more information, visit the SCBC website at richmondchessinitiative.wordpress.com/clubs-and-places-people-meet. If you plan to arrive later than 7:30 pm, please call 804-426-6058 to let Mr. Callaham know.


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 vschess.org/chess-resources/games.

Mr. Callaham is the CEO and founder of the Scholarship Chess Business Center (formerly Richmond Chess Initiative) and the coordinator and head coach of the Richmond Middle School Chess League. Mr. Callaham currently coaches chess clubs at Boushall, Lucille Brown, Thomas Henderson and Thompson Middle Schools in Richmond; Armstrong High School 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.


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 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 the following check-in policies:

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 vschess.org for the latest news and information.