• Date: Saturday, September 26th 2026
• Time: 9 a.m. to finish (Check-in 8 - 8:30 am; general finishing time is 2 p.m. - 6:30 p.m., depending on section. Younger sections tend to play faster, so they will be done earlier)
• 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 age 13 and under.

 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION:

• Sections: Scholastic grade level sections K-3, K-5, K-8, K-12 and Adult Quads (18+ only, no K-12 scholastic players)..
• Format for K-12 Scholastic: 5 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 45 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 for both players when either player is under 5 minutes of remaining clock time.

 

PRIZES AND PAIRINGS: 

• Scholastic Individual Prizes: Scholastic K-3, K-5, K-8 and K-12 trophies for top 3 individuals in each section. 

• Scholastic Team Awards: Scholastic K-3, K-5, K-8 and K-12 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. - 8:30 a.m. Check in
• 8:30 a.m.  Mandatory players meeting
• 9 a.m.  Round 1 for K-12, K-8, K-5, K-3 
• For all scholastic sections, 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
• 11:30 a.m. Round 2 for Adult Quads
• 2:00 p.m. Round 3 for Adult Quads

Entry Fees : 

• FREE to all K-12 scholastic players, if registered online with kingregistration.com by 7:30 am the morning of the tournament. There is a $20 fee if registering on-site.
• $10 entry fee for the adult section

 

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 here to 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