Hampton Roads Chess Association
presents
Seven Cities School Chess Championship
April 29, 2023
Kempsville Recreation Center
800 Monmouth Lane
Virginia Beach, VA 23464
CLICK HERE FOR NEW PLAYER ORIENTATION BRIEFING SLIDES
CLICK HERE FOR THE ZOOM ORIENTATION MEETING RECORDING
Passcode: @rMv!RA0
Join us for the first ever in-person Seven Cities School Chess Championship! The first running of this event was originally scheduled for April 2020. Of course, due to COVID, the in-person event was cancelled, but we quickly flexed to an online format that drew well over 200 players from across our region. In the years since, COVID restrictions have prevented us from getting school chess programs back up to previous levels... until this school year! School chess programs are thriving throughout our area, and many other kids are playing chess in our community classes and clubs! So it's time to do this thing! We have a goal of drawing at least 200 kids to this special event to compete for individual and school team honors as Seven Cities Champions!!!
This event is open to youth in grades Pre-K through 12th attending any public, private, or home school in Chesapeake, Portsmouth, Norfolk, Suffolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, or Newport News. Players in "outlying areas" of Hampton Roads, please contact us at hrca@hrchessclub.org to inquire about potential participation. You do not need to be a member of a school chess team to participate. Individuals welcome!
To maintain the FUN nature of this event that CELEBRATES scholastic chess in our region, we are running the tournament with a "Quick only" time control of G/25; d3 -- this means each player has 25 minutes to complete all their moves, and no time is deducted from the clock for the first 3 seconds of each move (a "delay"). Chess notation is NOT required for ANY section in the tournament due to the quick time controls. Experienced players may opt to take notation. We encourage players of ALL abilities, from the youngest beginner to the highest rated teenager, to come out and play in this event! Rated players need not worry about their regular rating being affected. Rated sections will be submitted to US Chess but again, they will only affect your Quick rating (which nobody cares about!).
Event schedule: We will be open for check-in and onsite registration from 8-9:30 AM. If you are registered and paid in advance, there is no need to check in. The first round starts at 10 AM. Round 2 starts at 11:15 AM, after which there will be a short lunch break. Rounds 3, 4, and 5 will start at 1:00 PM, 2:15 PM, and 3:30 PM. Awards will immediately follow the completion of each section. If you need to request or cancel a half point or zero-point bye, you must do so by Noon.
Players will register for one of the following sections:
Junior Rookie: Players in Pre-K through 3rd grade who are not US Chess members / do not have a US Chess rating. Designed for beginners with little to no tournament experience.
Intermediate Rookie: Players in 4th and 5th grade who are not US Chess members / do not have a US Chess rating. Designed for beginners with little to no tournament experience.
Senior Rookie: Players in 6th-12th grade who are not US Chess members / do not have a US Chess rating. Designed for beginners with little to no tournament experience.
Junior Rated: Players in Pre-K through 5th grade who are US Chess members, unrated (first rated event) or of any rating.
Senior Rated: Players in 6th-12th grade who are US Chess members, unrated (first rated event) or of any rating.
MINIMUM awards will be presented as follows. As we see how registration pans out, we may ADD awards, but we will NOT subtract awards from this list.
Junior Rookie: TROPHIES to 1st - 5th place overall individual players (1st place finisher is Seven Cities Junior Rookie Chess Champion), additionally TROPHIES to top 3 players in grades PK-1st. Team trophies will be COMBINED with Intermediate Rookie -- Trophies to Top 3 Elementary School Teams -- 1st place is Seven Cities Elementary School Rookie Chess Team Champions
Intermediate Rookie: TROPHIES to 1st - 5th place individual players (1st place finisher is Seven Cities Intermediate Rookie Chess Champion). Team trophies will be COMBINED with Junior Rookie -- Trophies to Top 3 Elementary School Teams -- 1st place is Seven Cities Elementary School Chess Champions
Senior Rookie: TROPHIES to 1st - 5th place MIDDLE SCHOOL individual players and 1st - 5th place HIGH SCHOOL individual players (1st place in each age group is Seven Cities Middle School or High School Rookie Chess Champion). TROPHIES to Top 3 Middle Schools and Top 3 High Schools -- 1st place in each age group is Seven Cities Middle School or High School Rookie Chess Team Chess Champions
Junior Rated: TROPHIES to 1st - 5th place overall individual players (1st place finisher is Seven Cities Junior Rated Chess Champion). TROPHIES will be added for top players in certain rating ranges based on entries. TEAM TROPHIES to Top 3 Elementary School Teams. 1st place is Seven Cities Junior Rated School Chess Team Champions
Senior Rated: TROPHIES to 1st - 5th place MIDDLE SCHOOL individual players and 1st - 5th place HIGH SCHOOL individual players (1st place in each age group is Seven Cities Middle School or High School Chess Champion). TROPHIES will be added for top players in certain rating ranges based on entries. TROPHIES to Top 3 Middle Schools and Top 3 High Schools -- 1st place in each age group is Seven Cities Middle School or High School Chess Team Champions
Team scores are calculated by the top four individual scores from that school in that section. Minimum two players from the same school in the same section to be eligible for team awards. MEDALS will be presented to all players below trophy standings who earn at least an "even" score of 2.5 out of 5 points. RIBBONS will be presented to ALL remaining players. EVERY player will be recognized at the award ceremony (unless an unexpectedly large turnout or shortness of time prevents it -- then medals and trophies only will be publicly awarded, and all other players will collect ribbons before departure).
****CHANGE / NEW**** There will be a Zoom New Player Orientation on Thursday, April 27th at 7 PM. The link will be sent out to all registered participants. If we are able to complete video content and upload it before Saturday, we will also share those links. The Zoom meeting will be recorded for viewing on Friday for those who miss the live meeting. All players who are new to tournaments are encouraged to attend or view the recording, as we will discuss tournament rules and procedures. There will be tournament directors available for further questions on site, but there will not be a formal new player orientation at the event itself, in the interest of time. We recognize that there will be many new players at the event. Our staff is very experienced in working with Rookies -- you will find a very supportive environment at this event!
The ENTRY FEE for this event is $25 per player. Please contact us at the email below to inquire about needs-based scholarships or fee waivers if you are unable to pay.
For questions, email cschweiss2@hrchessclub.org, or call / text 757-472-5909.