2025 October Scholastic Open (+ ADULT QUADS)

October 18, 2025

Register  Entry List

  • Date: Saturday, October 18 2025
  • Time: For K-12, 9 a.m. to finish (general finishing time is 3 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., depending on section. Younger sections tend to play faster, so they will be done earlier). For Adult Quads, the final round is at 1 p.m.
  • Place: Washington Middle School cafeteria, 1633 S King St. Honolulu, HI. 96826
  • Supervision: On-site supervision by a coach, parent or designated guardian is required for all players aged 13 and under.

 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION:

  • Sections: Scholastic grade level sections K-12 Open, K-8 Novice, and Adult Quads (18+ only, no K-12 scholastic players).
  • **NOTE: K-8 Novice section is designed for players who are new to over the board tournaments, or have played in some tournaments but may be struggling to reach the top 3 prizes. Therefore, registration in the Novice section is restricted to those who have never taken 1st place in any previous scholastic tournament and have a uscf rating of under 700. If a scholastic player meets both of these requirements, they may register for the Novice section if they wish, but it is not required. Any scholastic player may register for the K-12 Open regardless of rating or previous tournament performance.
  • Format for K-12 Open & K-8 Novice: 6-rounds, Swiss pairing system, non-elimination, rated by the US Chess Federation.
  • Format for Adult Quads: 3-round robin (every player in each 4-player "quad" section plays the other 3 players in their quad only once). Quad tournaments are great for players of all skill levels, especially for those who are newer to over the board tournament chess. It offers all players a chance to play others fairly close to their skill level, and an opportunity to win the same cash prize amount as all other quad sections. See this short 1 minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjhRSchBwVo  
  • Time Control: For all sections, game in 30 minutes with a 5-second increment.  (Clocks and chess sets provided at the event.)  
  • Chess Notation: All players are required to write moves, except Second Grade and below (although recommended). Notation requirement is lifted when either player is under 5 minutes of remaining clock time.

PRIZES AND PAIRINGS: 

  • Scholastic Individual Prizes: K-12 Open section will award trophies to top 3 overall scores, plus the top score from 9th-12th, 6th-8th, 3rd-5th and k-2nd grades. The K-8 Novice division will award the top 3 overall scores, plus the top score from k-2nd, 3rd-5th, and 6th-8th grades.
  • Scholastic Team Awards: K-12 Open and K-8 Novice team placement will be based on top 3 scores from the same school (teams may be any size).
  • Scholastic Tie Breaks: For players and teams with the same score, USCF standard tiebreaks will determine trophy and medal distribution.
  • Scholastic Team Pairings: Team members will generally not be paired against each other, unless necessary in later rounds, and only if the final team award placement will not be affected.
  • Adult Quads cash prizes: Each quad (individual section of 4 players) will have a $20 cash prize to the top player in that section. If multiple players are tied with the same top score, the cash prize will be split evenly among them. 
  • Byes: Any scholastic player may have up to two ½-point byes, if requested. No byes in Adult Quads.

SCHEDULE:

  • 8:00 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Check in
  • 8:45 a.m.  Mandatory players meeting
  • 9 a.m.  Round 1 for K-12 Open & K-8 Novice
  • For K-12 Open & K-8 Novice, Rounds 2 - 6 and lunch break to be announced on site (because the different sections play at different speeds; the tournament director will announce and post in the cafeteria the round times and lunch break times for each section).
  • 9:30 a.m. Round 1 for Adult Quads
  • 11:00 a.m. Round 2 for Adult Quads
  • 1 p.m. Round 3 for Adult Quads

Entry Fees : 

  • FREE to all K-12 scholastic players. The King Registration page may prompt for a voluntary donation. Please consider a small registration donation, if affordable. Donations are not required. 
  • $10 entry fee for the Adult Quads (18+ only, no K-12 scholastic players).
  • Online registration closes for all sections at 7:30 a.m. the day of the event. In person on-site registration available after that.

 

US Chess Federation Membership (required): 

  • If you are not a member of the US Chess Federation, register here.  *NOTE: NEW PLAYER SIGN-UP IS NOT COMPLETE UNTIL PAYMENT IS MADE TO USCF FOR THE FIRST YEAR.
  • If you are already a USCF member, please click hereto make sure your membership is current.
  • Any player who is not a current USCF member will automatically receive a 1/2-point bye in the first round while their membership is being processed.

 

MORE DETAILED INFORMATION: Please view this page, especially if this is your first tournament. Details for players, parents, family members and coaches. 

Questions: Contact the Scholastic Director Joshua White, at scholastic@hawaiichess.com