FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

FAQ's

We noticed that the dates are May  19 through 21. Do we have to be there all days?

I do not know which section to place my child in. Can you help?

Why do all the sections start with K?

Which U.S. Chess Federation rating will my child play under?

What does the $5 team discount on the application mean?

My child is not a member of any school team can s/he compete?

My child is home schooled, can s/he compete for a team?

How do I know that my child is registered?

Are there special rules that apply to this tournament?

Does my child have to use a chess clock?

Does my child have to write down (notate) his/her games?

Is Financial Aid Available?

When we arrive at the tournament site on May 20 what should we do?

What about the Awards Ceremony?

What are tie-breaks? Which will be used?

We noticed that the dates are May 19 through 21. Do we have to be there all days?
No! Friday, May 19 is a very optional day with Bughouse (team) Chess. Most major tournaments offer these special events to provide those individuals who enjoy Bughouse chess an opportunity to compete and win trophies.

Students in grades four and up are expected to compete on both Saturday and Sunday. However, a half point bye-a game you do not show up for and is recorded as a draw-may be provided for any round if requested in advance of round number one. Players may also request zero point bye's for any other round. So if a player in grades four could not attend on Saturday, they could play on Sunday with a half point credited if asked in advance. Obviously it would be near impossible to obtain one of the 20 place trophies under this scenario.

Students in kindergarten through third grade play only on Saturday, May 20.

I do not know which section to place my child in. Can you help?
I can try! If your child is in kindergarten, s/he would normally play in the Kindergarten Division. If your child is in first grade through third grade-these grades are referred to as Primary--s/he has three possibilities: Primary Novice (unrated or with a US Chess Federation Rating of UNDER 500)--If your first, second or third grade child has never competed in a United States Chess Federation tournament then s/he would be unrated and this would be the section of choice. Primary Junior Varsity(unrated or with a US Chess Federation Rating of UNDER 800)--If your first, second or third grade child has competed in US Chess Federations tournaments, but their rating is below 800 they probably should compete in this division. Primary Varsity(open to any k-3 player)--The Primary Varsity(open/Championship) section is mainly for experienced first, second or third grade players whose USCF ratings are above 800. However, since it is an open division, any kindergarten, first, second or third grade player, experienced or not, is welcome to enter this division. If your child is a USCF member, you can check their rating at http://www.uschess.org/ms/MbrLst.php.  Please remember that all children must join the USCF (http://www.USChess.org) to compete in this tournament.

The same basic information applies to the Elementary School sections. Elementary School is used in tournaments to refer to students attending fourth, fifth and sixth grade. So this is the division of choice for these students. Any unrated fourth, fifth or sixth grade student or one with a rating under 600 should register for the Elementary School Novice (unrated and under 600) section. Any fourth, fifth or sixth grade student with a rating under 900 should register for the Elementary School Junior Varsity (under 900) section.Those players in fourth, fifth and sixth grades with rating above 900 would want to enter the Elementary School Varsity (open/Championship) section. Once again, this later division is open and that means that if a player unrated or under 800 who is in kindergarten through sixth grade wants to compete here, they are welcome.

The same principles can be applied to the Junior High School and High School divisions. If you have any other questions about which division of the CalChess State Scholastic Championships is correct or best for your child, please do not hesitate to call me at (510) 659-0358 or send e-mail to Alan.Kirshner@comcast.net

Why do all the sections start with K?
We follow the national scholastic guidelines. These are designed to permit school teams to enter students from lower grades in upper division competition to aid their teams if they so wish. Candidly, this is not something that is done very often and many coaches discourage movement of players to a much higher division. However, for a few players this provides them with the opportunity to compete against experienced players that would provide them with better competition. We already have one third grade player who entered the Elementary School Varsity division as his rating and ability are equal, if not superior, to our top sixth grade competitors.

Which U.S. Chess Federation rating will my child play under?
If your child has played in more then three USCF rated tournaments before the April rating supplement s/he can no longer be considered unrated.  The rating that will be used must be the April Rating Supplement as that posts the official rating.  While the June Rating Supplement may be available online before the May 20-21 States, those ratings do not become official until June 1.  While in small competitions directors, like myself, often use the most recently posted rating, to be fair to players and Team coaches and so there is minimal confusion in to which section an individual should be placed, the Co-Chief TD's have agreed to follow the USCF rule.  All players will be listed by their official rating as of the April USCF Rating Supplement.  If a different rating is posted online, this rating and if need be, the section, will be changed and posted withjin a couple of weeks of the tournament.

What does the $5 team discount on the application mean?
The $5 discount per application is awarded only to those forms sent in by a chess coach in packets of five or more. We have found that the coaches check the applications for errors in ratings and for proper sections and that saves our secretaries a lot of time and so the discount.

My child is not a member of any school team can s/he compete?
Definitely! Chess is an individual sport and teams only add another flavor to the competition.

My child is home schooled, can s/he compete for a team?
I am afraid not. However, as noted above, home school students can compete as individuals similar to the majority of the entrants.

How do I know that my child is registered?
Entries are posted every few days at http://www.CalChessScholastics.org/States2006/entries.html
The posting lists each players division, USCF rating, grade and school.

Are there special rules that apply to this tournament?
The tournament is run under the US Chess Federation's Fifth Edition Rule Book.  However, a few modifications have been made.  Please see the following links for these modifications and clarifications:

2002 Regulations & Modifications

2003 Update

Interpretations of Regulations and our Code of Conduct

Does my child have to use a chess clock?
Chess rules require that all players use a chess clock due to having time controls.  Admittedly, many children are done with their games as soon as the Director says, "Begin your games!" :0)  If your child does not have a clock, a tournament director may place one at the board.  In the vast majority of sections we will not have enough clocks available.  If your child's game is still going on and a clock becomes available, the TD may place a clock at his/her board and split the remaining time between the two competitors.  The TD, if the child does not know how to use a clock, will explain to the player(s) how the clock works.  Basic information for using clocks: http://www.wholesalechess.com/resources/use-chess-clocks.html  Information on using chess clocks and related rules for more advanced players: http://www.hydeparkchess.com/Chess-Clock-Use.htm.

Does my child have to write down (notate) his/her games? Our rules, following national scholastic regulations, state that no one in K-3 sections have to record the games, although we always recommend that the player does.  In the 4-6 grade sections, only the Varsity, Championship, Open section must record.  The K-6 Junior Varsity and Novice Division does not have to record.  All players in Junior High School and above MUST write down (record/notate) their games.  A TD after warning a player that is suppose to keep score who fails to do so, may add time to the opponents clock or reduce time from the offending party.  TD's may also decide to penalize the offending player in another manner  and in extreme case can give the opponent of the offending player a forfeit win.

Is Financial Aid Available? Yes, information can be found at http://www.calnorthyouthchess.org/FinancialAid.html

When we arrive at the tournament site on May 20 what should we do? 
You should arrive at the San Jose Convention Center (main site--not the site across the street where I held the CalNorth Regionals last year) about a half hour before the first round is scheduled to begin.  Look for the sign (there will be three postings in different locations to try and prevent crowding) in which section/division (eg. Primary School Varsity/ K-3 Championship) your child will be playing--you should know this by having checked the entries online.  There may be a list of all section entries under that sign early Saturday morning.  By 10:40 AM the chess board your child will be playing at and the color they will play as well as their opponent will be posted.  The chart will look something like the one below.  You will note that the first column lists the player alphabetically by the last name.  This is where you should look.  The color indicates whether your child plays white or black.  Then comes the child's opponent and his or herrating.  The Board is the Board number that the child plays on in his or her section. You will note that one player has a full point bye.  This occurs when there is an uneven number of players in the section.  The lowest rated player with the lowest score gets the full point bye (equivalent to a win) for that round. Unrated players are generally not given byes.  Half-point byes may be given upon the request of a player to miss a round.  No half-point byes can be given in the last round of the tournament.

Once you know what board your child is playing on, please sit them at that board at the proper color.  PLEASE BE SURE THE CHILD IS IN THE CORRECT SECTION/DIVISION.  Confusion may arise if your child is in the Primary School Novice Division and s/he sits at the correct number board but in the Primary School Varsity Division.  You will be asked to leave the playing room once the round is ready to begin.  Please exit the room immediately after wishing your child good luck Inform your child where you will meet him or her when s/he is done with the game.     Please do not crowd the exit doors.  Young children will be asked to remain in a holding area outside the exit doors until the parents, coach or person responsible for the child picks them up.

What about the Awards Ceremony?
First, all players will receive a tournament pin. Second, we have nearly 600 trophies, plaques and medals to give to the players(please see the application for details). If possible we will distribute these after each section is completed, however, the main awards ceremonies for all k-3 players will start at 6:30 PM on Saturday in their playing hall.  We will present the awards for 4-12 grades, hopefully by 6:30 PM on Sunday or within 15 minutes after all the games are complete.  These will take place in the area where the k-3 played.  A special section of chairs will be set aside to the right of the stage for all award winners.  The children should not sit in this section until we are ready to give out the awards for their section/division.  We hope we will be able to post the winners under the section signs in the hallways before the ceremonies so the players will know to sit in the special section.

What are tie-breaks? Which will be used?
Tie-breaks are used when their are ties in position for the awarding of the trophies.  In adult tournaments where money is awarded they can divide the money, however, we, obviously cannot split a first place trophy when two people tie for first.  Section 34 of the US Chess Federation Rules of Chess says: "There is no perfect tie-break system; each has its faults."  We will adhere to the tie-break order listed on page 199 of The Rules of Chess:*

1. Modified Median:  The Median system evaluates the strength of a player's opposition by summing the final scores of his or her opponents and then discarding the highest and lowest of these scores.

2. Solkoff: The Solkoff system is the same as the Median system except that no opponent's scores are discarded.

3. Cumulative: To determine cumulative tie-break score, simply add up the cumulative (running) score for each round.

4. Cumulative of Opposition: The cumulative tie-break points of each opponent are calculated and these are added together.

The computer program calculates these automatically.

Team tie-breaks will be based on Cumulative.

*The head TD's and the State Scholastic Oversight Committee decided that the Rule Book should be followed here rather than the special rules set up for scholastics as the Sonneborn-Berger is not really designed for swiss tournaments and better suited for Round-Robins.