Silver State Chess Association LLC

Presents

SOUTHERN NEVADA STATE SCHOLASTIC
INDIVIDUAL AND TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
and QUALIFIER to NEVADA STATE SCHOLASTIC CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS

Date: Saturday, March 6th, 2027 @ 8:45am

IMPORTANT: Both the Southern portion of the state and the Northern portion of the state will hold separate Over-The-Board tournaments to determine individuals and teams who will then compete in the Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship to be held on dates to be determined.

Individuals who reside in, or go to school in, Nevada will be eligible to participate in the Southern Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship.

This announcement is for the Southern Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship. The Northern Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship will be held on a different day and will be detailed in a separate announcement. Players who participate in this tournament will not be eligible to participate in the Northern Nevada Scholastic Chess Championship.

Location: 

Del Sol Academy of the Performing Arts   
3100 E Patrick Ln    
Las Vegas, NV 89120

A US Chess Rated Tournament in 7 Sections open to Nevada residents or Nevada students.

K-1 Championship (Open to all players in grades K - 1) This is a new section in 2027!

K-3 Championship (Open to all players in grades K – 3)

K-5 Championship (Open to all players in grades K – 5)
6 rounds
Time Control Game/25 minutes +5 seconds

Middle School Championship (Open to all players in grades 6 – 8)
High School Championship (Open to all players in grades 9 – 12)
5 rounds
Time Control Game/30 minutes +10 seconds
 

K-5 Challengers (Open to all players in grades K – 5 rated Under 400 or unrated)
K-12 Challengers (Open to all players in grades K – 12 rated Under 800 or unrated)
6 rounds
Time Control Game/25 minutes +5 seconds

Individual Medals and Team Trophies will be Awarded!

All players will receive a participation pin. Medals will be awarded to the top ten individuals in each section. Trophies will also be awarded to the top teams in each section.

Qualifiers

The top three individual scorers in each of the seven Sections in the Southern Nevada Scholastic Chess Championship will meet on a date and location to be determined to compete in the Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship (individuals), an online tournament that includes the Southern Nevada individual qualifiers and the Northern Nevada individual qualifiers. We will provide digital tablets for that tournament. The winners of the four sections: High School, Middle School, K-5 Championship, and K-3 Championship from that tournament will represent the State of Nevada at national tournaments to be held in August in Dallas, TX.  Nevada State representatives will each receive a travel stipend from Silver State Chess after completing all games in the national tournament without a forfeit loss.

The top scoring team in each Section in the Southern Nevada Scholastic Chess Championship will meet on a date and location to be determined to compete in the Nevada State Scholastic Chess Championship (teams), an online tournament that includes the Southern Nevada team qualifiers and the Northern Nevada team qualifiers. We will provide digital tablets for that tournament. The winning teams will not qualify for any national tournament because there is no national team tournament for which to qualify.

Additional Prizes

The top scoring player in each section will receive free entry to the International Youth Championship in Las Vegas in June. Restricted to players born after June 20, 2012 and rated under 1800.

Entry Fees:

$55: Register by December 31, 2026

$70: Register January 1–31, 2027

$80: Register February 1–28, 2027

$100: Register March 1–5, 2027

$125: Register March 6, 2027, before 6:00 AM

$150: On-site registration March 6, 2027 (may receive a half-point bye for Round 1)

Refunds:

Refunds must be requested via email to info@silverstatechess.org prior to 11:59pm on March 5 and will have a processing fee of $12 withheld.

Byes

Maximum two half-point byes are available upon request. All half-point byes must be requested before 8:30am on March 6. Half-point byes for Rounds 4 or later are irrevocable after 12:30pm on March 6. If any player is unable to play any round for any reason, including withdrawals, please notify a tournament director or score keeper.

Teams

Two or more players from the same school in the same section automatically form a team. Schools with 2 to 4 players in the same section add all players' scores together to form a team score for that section. Schools with 5 or more players in the same section add the top 4 scoring players from their school in that section to form a team score for that section. Scores from players in different sections do not combine to form a team score.

US Chess Membership required: you may join or renew at https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess 

Lunch: 
A pizza lunch will be provided for all participants and staff. We are currently seeking sponsors for the lunch. A 60-90 minute lunch break will be provided following the completion of Round 2.
 

Schedule: Welcome and announcements will begin at approximately 8:45am. All players should be seated for Round 1 start at 9:00am. Subsequent rounds start about 15 minutes after the previous round ends. There will be a lunch break for players to eat lunch. Players registering on site might not be paired for round 1.

Players should bring a Chess clock capable of using Increments and they should be familiar with how to set the clock.