Wisconsin Scholastic Varsity Championship

March 19 - 20, 2022

Register  Entry List

WISCONSIN SCHOLASTIC CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

 

March 19-20, 2022

 

Please note important changes to the Varsity Section

 

Masks required in all UW-Oshkosh buildings

 

SCHEDULE:  The Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Championship is a four-section event open to any Wisconsin high school, middle school, junior high school or elementary school team or individual.  Players of all abilities are encouraged to participate.  Please note that US Chess membership is not required for this event nor is it US Chess rated.  US Chess ratings will be used for pairing purposes if the player has one.

 

The single Varsity section is a five-player boarded team, team Swiss tournament based on match points.  Accelerated pairings will be used for the first two rounds.  Schools may enter multiple teams in the Varsity section.  For prize purposes only, the Varsity section will be divided into three equally sized divisions based on team rating which is the average of your five players’ US Chess ratings.

 

The Varsity section will play 5 rounds. 

 

    Varsity    

Saturday:    Round 1 -  9:30

                   Round 2 -  1:15

                   Round 3 -  5:00

Sunday:      Round 4 -  9:00 

                   Round 5 - 12:30

Awards Ceremony

In varsity playing room at approximately 4:00 P.M.

 

The time control for Varsity is Game in 60 minutes plus a 30 second increment (not delay).  This necessitates taking notation for the entire game.

Clocks will be available for checkout.  Please have your players bring a student ID, US Chess membership card, driver's license or other form of ID to check out these clocks.

 

US CHESS TEAM RULES:  Please refer to section 31 of the US Chess’ Official Rules of Chess for a full explanation of team rules.  In particular, players must play in rating order (Rule 31B).  Unrateds may play on any board (Rule 31B2).  Players within 50 rating points of each other may permanently switch positions prior to the tournament.  Teams will be seeded based on a team rating derived from the rating average of the five players.  Rule 31C1 will be used to calculate team ratings when unrateds are involved.  The March rating supplement will be used.  March ratings should be available at www.uschess.org/msa in late February.

 

ELIGIBILITY:  All Varsity teams must be composed of entirely 9th through 12th graders or 8th graders and below.  All players must be from the same school unless that school does not have students covering all the grades in any section.  If a high school does not have a 9th grade, then they may tap 9th graders from eligible feeder schools.  Students in grades K-8 may play as a team in a Varsity section if from the same school or in the individual Junior Varsity, K-8 or K-5 sections.  Only Wisconsin students are eligible.

 

A home school or virtual school student may play on either a public or private school team.  To play on a public school team the student must live within the attendance boundary (not district) from which that public school draws.  Any private school seeking to have these students on their team must use the same public school attendance boundary in which their school building is located.  Players from outside their boundaries are not allowed to play on that school’s team.  Home schooled students are considered to be in 9th grade when they are 14 as of September 1st of the school year.  Players must be under age 19 as of September 1st of the school year.

 

PLAYING SITE:  The playing site is the Reeve Memorial Student Union, UW-Oshkosh, 800 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh, WI.  The Varsity divisions will play in rooms 227B and C.  The skittles room will be Reeve Union cafeteria.  Please bring your own sets and boards for the skittles room.  Room 221 will be the Tournament Director’s room with limited skittle’s seating.  Day parking can be found in lot 15 across the street from Reeve Union and is free on the weekend.  The Reeve Union Marketplace Sub Connection will be open both days 8:30 am – 1:30 pm.  The Pizza Hut will be open 11 am – 1:30 pm.  The Titan Underground will be open 10 am – 2 pm both weekend days.

 

PRIZES:  Trophies will be awarded to the top eight Division I teams, top six Division II teams and the top four Division III teams; first place team members and their coach and each board champion (including all ties!).  If a tie exists in the Varsity section, a speed chess playoff will determine the champion.  If a tie in the playoff exists, an Armageddon speed playoff between one representative from the two teams will determine the champion.  Any non-trophy winning Varsity individual who scores at least 3 points will be awarded a medal.  

 

ENTRY FEE:  The early bird entry fee is $20 per player if received by the director by March 12.  Entries received March 13 - March 18 are $25.  If you’re not sure of your exact order of players, please send a tentative list and then finalize it with an evening phone call or e-mail before the tournament or during at-site registration.  The at-site registration fee is $30 per player.  At site registration session I will be held 7-9 P.M. Friday, March 18 in the Conference Room in Gruenhagen for teams arriving Friday night.  At site registration session II is from 7:30-8:30 A.M. Saturday, March 19 in room 221 of Reeve Union.  Rosters need to be finalized by 8:30 A.M. Saturday, March 19 to ensure the first round starts at 9:30 A.M.  No need to check in if there are no changes to what was sent in.  If possible, PLEASE register in advance by using the enclosed form.  Phone inquiries can be made before Friday, March 19 to Mike Nietman at (608) 467-8510 or via e-mail at mike.nietman@charter.net.  Players who pre-register but then cannot play will have their entry fee refunded only if the director is notified before the end of at-site registration.  Up-to-date entries will be viewable on the Wisconsin Scholastic Chess Championship website.  Sorry, I’m not able to accept credit cards or PO’s, cash or check only.

 

EQUIPMENT: Please bring boards and sets for your Varsity players. Boards and sets for the JV, K-8 and K-5 sections will be provided.  Please bring clocks for all main and side events.  Please bring sets and boards for your players to use in the skittles area.  Please mark all of your equipment for ease of returning lost and found equipment.

 

ACCOMMODATIONS:  Dorm rooms are available at Gruenhagen Conference Center, about a four minute walk from Reeve Union.  Dorm rooms are available for $40 single or double plus a 10% room tax.  Dorm rooms include two towels, a washcloth, soap and linens per bed.  To reserve your rooms, please call Gruenhagen directly at (920) 424-1106.  Mention chess.  Gruenhagen asks that one person per team pay for the rooms and pick up the keys.  Please note that Gruenhagen charges $25 for lost keys.  There is a 5 P.M. Friday, March 11 cutoff for lodging room reservations.  Making this deadline will better assure you of having your team stay together or even to get a room!  Reserve rooms early.  Due to UW-O students housing in Gruenhagen, space may be limited.  Make lodging checks out to “UW-Oshkosh”.  A 24-hour cancellation policy exists.  You will be charged one night’s lodging for rooms booked but not taken upon check in.

 

PARKING:  For parking around Gruenhagen cars should use the High Avenue ramp on the corner of High and Osceola Streets.  Please use level 1 or 3.  Level 2 is reserved for resident students.  Other possible parking locations include Lot 30 at the end Gruenhagen.  Day parking is free on the weekend but UW-O now charges $5 for overnight parking.  Purchase permits in advance at:  Parking Services (aimsparking.com).  Click on:  ‘Purchase a Permit’ then ‘Weekend Visitor Permit’.  Day parking can be in lot 15 on Algoma Blvd. across from Reeve Union.

 

TEAM ROOMS:  A limited number of team rooms are available in Reeve Union.  To book a room, contact Reeve Reservations / 920-424-2435 / reevereserve@uwosh.edu.  For team rooms at Gruenhagen, contact Sarah Martin Kriha at 920-424-1121.

 

CHAPERONES:  All teams staying in the dorms are required to have a chaperone staying in the dorms.  Gruenhagen policy states: “Conference groups utilizing Gruenhagen Conference Center and composed of minors must be supervised by adults who are responsible for the behavior and activities of the participants.  Chaperones will be responsible for upholding the standards of behavior and policies as determined by the University.  Within Gruenhagen Conference Center this includes compliance of the policies regarding window screen removal, excessive littering, disturbing noise, abuse to elevators, use of alcohol and drugs and damage of University property.”  Please note that that among other violations, Gruenhagen charges for furniture that has been moved between rooms, screen removal and for tampering with the smoke detector.  Serious offenses will disallow a student from staying at the conference center in the future.

 

CHECK IN/OUT POLICY:  All coaches or their adult designee are responsible for checking out each and every lodging room assigned to their team upon check in and check out.  A check in form will be provided to each team for each room and should be returned to the desk as soon as possible.  Any damages discovered by Gruenhagen in your rooms will be billed to your school.

 

WISCONSIN SCHOLASTIC CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

 

   The Varsity Division I, Division II and Division III team winners will be determined by match points. One match point for a win, 1/2 point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.  A match is won by the team scoring the most game points.  Game points will not be weighted and all boards count equally.

 

Varsity teams tied in match points will have their ties broken using the US Amateur Team tie break system.  If tied, the championship title will be determined by a blitz playoff.

 

RULES

 

  1. US Chess rules will be followed as closely as possible.

 

  1. Varsity teams are to be in US Chess rated order. In lieu of ratings, players are to be ranked from the best player on 1st board to the lowest ranked player on 5th board.  Any violation of this rule will result in the forfeit of that board and all succeeding boards.

 

  1. At the beginning of each round a team with less than five players must play the boards starting at board number 1.

 

  1. Touch move and all standard chess rules apply.

 

  1. Clocks must be used when available with a time control of Game/60 or Game/90 as outlined on the flyer.

 

  1. If no clock is used a time limit of 3 hours (2 hours, if applicable for Junior Varsity/K-8/K-5) will be enforced.

 

  1. As clocks become available during a match, they will be put on games that are moving too slowly.

 

  1. Teams must register as teams. No individual registrations.

 

  1. The coach will present all disputes to the Director for arbitration.

 

  1. The top rated board will act as coach for the team in absence of the regular coach.

 

  1. Any player or school may withdraw at any time upon notification to the Director. If a player forfeits a board; that player is dropped for the tournament and subsequent boards will also be declared forfeited.  If a TEAM forfeits their game, the entire team will be dropped from the tournament.  If the forfeited high school wishes to be invited to future State Tournaments the school must send a letter of apology to the school they were scheduled to play.  This will be a coach’s decision.

 

  1. No skittles play in the tournament rooms.

 

  1. No kibitzing! Basically, this means you can not talk about a game in progress within earshot of the players playing that game.  It is legal for the coach/captain to ask their own player to offer or accept a draw for “the benefit of the team” and not because the position on the board is drawish.

 

  1. JUNIOR VARSITY/K-8/K-5 Any number of players may enter the tournament.  The team trophies will be determined by the top four players representing that school.  If a team with less than four players achieves the highest score, that team will be declared the winner.  Trophies will be given to each of the top six teams and top ten players.

 

  1. Junior Varsity/K-8/K-5 players may enter individually or as a group.

 

  1. If a Junior Varsity member substitutes as a Varsity Player after the 1st round, any wins on Varsity are added to the wins on Junior Varsity; unless that player would be eligible for a Varsity board trophy.

 

  1. New US Chess rule 15A requiring a player to make a move on the board before writing it down is waived unless the player is using an electronic scorekeeping device. Players in grades K-3 are encouraged to keep notation but are not required to keep notation.

 

We will discuss and ratify all rules and changes at the coach’s meeting scheduled for the TD’s room (Reeve Room 221) after the 2nd varsity round starts.  Any rules change proposals need to be sent out one month before the event.  Any rules changes not sent out a month in advance need a super-majority to pass.

 

 

 

ADDED EXTRAS: 

Waupaca High School will sponsor the State Scholastic Bughouse Tournament Saturday night in the varsity playing room after the varsity competition is done.  For Bughouse information visit: State Bughouse Tournament 2022.  Please remain quiet in the playing room until all varsity games are completed.

Waupaca High School representatives will take Bughouse entries Saturday afternoon.  Note:  State Scholastic tournament directors are not involved in these events and don’t know the event particulars nor take any entries.  Please advise your players of this.

 

 

 

 

For information on other state tournaments please check out the Wisconsin Chess Association (WCA) web site at www.wischess.org.

Guide for Spectator Conduct *

 

  1. Unacceptable Conduct:
    1. Do NOT stand in front of or make eye contact with the player whose game you are observing.
    2. Do NOT talk on cell phones or walkie-talkies anywhere in the Playing Hall.
    3. Do NOT “camp out” at one game.
    4. Do NOT make faces or gestures or convey in any graphic way an opinion of a game being observed.
    5. Do NOT discuss or even whisper opinions of a game being observed.
    6. Do NOT speak privately with any player at or away from the board while his/her game is in progress.
    7. Do NOT assume the role of Tournament Director (TD) and intervene for any reason such as pointing out illegal moves, etc.
    8. Do NOT make any noise, such as opening a bag of potato chips, within earshot of a game in progress.
    9. Do NOT discuss a game at its conclusion if other games are being played in the vicinity, and do NOT analyze a game at a board in the tournament room.
    10. Do NOT take pictures after the first ten minutes when using flash or a camera with an audible shutter.
    11. Do NOT take pictures at any time from a location which makes you an obvious distraction to the players.
    12. Do NOT attempt to enforce rules yourself.
    13. Do NOT discuss instances of cheating or rules violations with the perpetrators.
    14. Do NOT stand in front of the doors to the Playing Hall.
    15. Do NOT, at any time, criticize a player, team, or persons involved with the tournament in any manner that can be interpreted as disruptive, unsportsmanlike, or hostile.
  2. Permissible Conduct:
    1. DO report instances of cheating or rule violations by players or other spectators to the TD staff.
    2. DO comply with any requests or instructions issued by tournament staff.

 

Spectators who abuse these guides for conduct may be told by the Tournament Staff to leave the Playing Hall for at least 15 minutes during the current round or longer for repeat offenses.

 

* Taken from Appendix E of US Chess National Scholastic Chess Tournament Regulations