Hampton Roads Chess Association
presents the
5th Annual
Seven Cities School Chess Championship
April 25, 2026
Kempsville Recreation Center
800 Monmouth Lane
Virginia Beach, VA 23464
Join us for the 5th annual Seven Cities School Chess Championship! Compete for individual and school team honors as Seven Cities Chess Champions!!!
By registering and attending this event (as participant or guest), you acknowledge and agree to abide by the US Chess Federation's Safe Play Policy, and HRCA's Code of Conduct and General Liability Waiver and Release. More details below.
Registration for this event closes at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, April 23rd! No last-minute or on-site registration!
There is a LOT of information to share for this event, and most questions can be answered below. Please read thoroughly!
FORMAT
This is a 5-round Swiss system tournament, which is akin to a bracket system in sports. It is not an elimination event. You will play all rounds (unless assigned a full-point bye for an uneven number of players). It is an individual-team event, meaning individuals will play their own games, and team scores will be added as described below for awards. Teammate pairings are avoided as much as possible under the rules.
The time control for the tournament is G/30; d5 -- this means each player has 30 minutes to complete all their moves, and no time is deducted from the clock for the first 5 seconds of each move (a "delay"). Chess notation is required in all rated sections. Novice players are asked to try / do their best!
Boards, sets, clocks, notation sheets, and pencils are provided.
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
This event is open to youth in grades Pre-K through 12th attending any public, private, or homeschool 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!
We encourage players of ALL abilities, from the youngest beginner to the highest rated teenager, to come out and play in this event!
US Chess membership is required for Novice U300, Amateur U700, and Open. It is NOT required for the Rookie sections.
Players under age 14 require an adult to be onsite for the duration of the event. This can be a parent or other family member, friend / parent of a teammate, or coach.
SECTIONS
Players will register for one of the following sections:
K-3 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.
K-5 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.
K-12 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.
Novice (U300): Players in Pre-K through 12th grade who are US Chess members, unrated (first rated event) or rated Under 300 Regular OTB on the April 2026 rating supplement.
Amateur (U700): Players in Pre-K through 12th grade who are US Chess members, rated Under 700 Regular OTB on the April 2026 rating supplement. No unrated players.
Open: Players in Pre-K through 12th grade who are US Chess members, rated 700 and up Regular OTB on the April 2026 rating supplement. No unrated players.
A note on Unrated players: Per new US Chess Scholastic Regulations, HRCA will apply the current Regular OTB rating to Unrated players, if applicable, even if earned after the cut-off for the supplement used for the tournament. In a dual-rated event, if there is no Regular OTB rating, a current Quick rating will be applied, if applicable, but only for prizes, not sectioning (e.g. someone with a 500 published Quick rating but Unrated Regular may still play in the U300 section but is ineligible for Unrated prizes). Bottom line -- only actually Unrated players at the time of the event will be allowed in Rookie sections and eligible for Unrated class prizes in rated sections.
Check your US Chess membership here
EVENT SCHEDULE
If you are registered and paid in advance, there is no need to check in. NO WALK-UP REGISTRATION FOR THIS EVENT -- YOU MUST REGISTER IN ADVANCE. If you need to request or cancel a half point or zero-point bye (meaning you will miss a round) and have not already done so on this registration form, you MUST do so by Noon the day of the event. There is no on-site New Player Orientation for this event. See below for early orientation information.
AWARDS
The following awards are the MINIMUM that will be awarded. Final determination for additional trophies will be made two weeks prior to the event based on entries.
Individual Awards:
K-3 Rookie: TROPHIES to 1st - 10th place overall individual players (1st place finisher is Seven Cities K-3 Rookie Chess Champion), additional TROPHIES to top 3 players in grades PK-1st. Trophy for TOP GIRL.
K-5 Rookie: TROPHIES to 1st - 10th place individual players (1st place finisher is Seven Cities K-5 Rookie Chess Champion). Trophy for TOP GIRL.
K-12 Rookie: TROPHIES to 1st - 5th place individual players. Trophy for TOP GIRL.
Novice (U300): TROPHIES to 1st - 5th place overall individual players (1st place finisher is Seven Cities Novice Chess Champion). Trophy for TOP GIRL. Trophy for Top Unrated
Amateur (U700): TROPHIES to 1st-5th place overall individual players (1st place finisher is Seven Cities Amateur Chess Champion). Trophy for TOP GIRL. Trophy for Top U500.
Open: TROPHIES to 1st - 5th place overall individual players (1st place finisher is Seven Cities Open Chess Champion). Trophy for TOP GIRL. Trophy for Top U1000.
Medals to all additional players with at least 2.5 points. Special event participation ribbons to ALL players.
Team Awards: All team awards will be combined across sections. This recognizes that all students from the same school are one team, and schools may have team depth from beginners to advanced players.
TOP 7 ELEMENTARY (grades K-5) -- Team score comprised of top SIX individual scores
TOP 3 MIDDLE (grades 6-8) -- Team score comprised of top FOUR individual scores
TOP HIGH SCHOOL (grades 9-12) -- Team score comprised of top FOUR individual scores. This award will only be presented if more than one high school registers for the event two weeks out.
Schools with more than one grade level will be split into sub-teams by Elementary, Middle, and High School -- this primarily applies to private schools but may also apply to a few public magnet schools. Some exceptions may be made for special school formats such as 9th graders attending a Junior High or 6th graders attending an Elementary school. In those cases where a single grade is grouped with the younger students, those individual players will play in the appropriate grade section as individuals but may have their scores counted toward the younger school team. Elementary schools dividing students into Primary and Intermediate buildings will be combined as one school. Based on the standard format of schools in our region, these exceptions are expected to be minimal and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
Definition of "school" for team awards: Schools may occupy more than one campus and still be one team as long as there is a single student body under a single head of school. Homeschooled and virtual schooled students can contact us for information on forming teams if eligible. Teams require a minimum of two players from the same school and age division in the tournament to be eligible for team awards.
ENTRY FEES
$40 Early Entry Fee through 11:59 PM on Sunday, March 29th.
$45 Standard Entry Fee through 11:59 PM on Sunday, April 12th.
$50 Late Entry Fee through 11:59 PM on Sunday, April 19th.
$55 Week-of Entry Fee through 11:59 PM on Thursday, April 23rd.
ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 11:59 PM ON THURSDAY, April 23rd. NO EXCEPTIONS. NO WALK-UPS.
Scholarship participants approved for discounts and Title I schools who need entry fee assistance MUST contact us in advance to register. Financial Aid relies on donor support and is limited. Please note that entry fees are required to participate and are NOT tax-deductible.
REFUNDS
If you need to withdraw, please contact the Event Organizer.
Refunds will be given as a tournament credit ONLY. Refunds create a lot of administrative work and loss of important operational revenue to HRCA. Our default refund is to now give participants a CREDIT towards a future HRCA tournament. The credited amount will be $35 and is valid for 1 year. After April 12th, there is a 50% credit. No refunds after April 23rd.
**Please check the ENTRY LIST before registering to make sure you do not register multiple times. Duplicate entries are subject to an administrative refund fee of $10.
NEW PLAYER ORIENTATION
There will be a Zoom New Player Orientation on Thursday, April 23rd at 6:30 PM. The link will be sent out to all registered participants. All players who are new to tournaments are encouraged to attend the Zoom. If you are unable, the recording and slides will be available for review Thursday night after the Zoom and will be posted here. 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!
SPECIAL NOTES FOR EVENT DAY
PARKING:
While there is a large, free parking lot at the rec center, the rec center will be open for business, and the adjacent baseball field will be in use for opening day. Arrive EARLY for parking, and if you plan to leave to get lunch for your player (see below), expect difficulty finding a spot when you return. Overflow parking is on the adjacent streets.
MEALS:
There will be NO set lunch break at the event this year. You are allowed to pack your lunch, have lunch delivered, leave site to get lunch (do NOT take your player, as they may miss the start of a round!), or enjoy the FOOD TRUCKS that will be parked in front of the rec center. Mr. Shawarma Middle Eastern Street Food and Shmitt Sandwich will be on site from 11-1 for your dining pleasure!
SKITTLES / WAITING AREA:
We have rented out all classrooms in the Rec Center for the day. You may find seating at a cafeteria or card table in one of the classrooms down the hall from the gym, where the games will be played. We recommend bringing a camp chair for comfort. You may NOT sit in the hallways or other common areas, and NO spectators are allowed along the perimeter of the gym / playing hall. You may sit in the bleachers at the end of the gymnasium and observe games from a distance, but this is a QUIET ZONE, so do not choose bleacher seating if you have young children or otherwise can't remain silent.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Volunteers help ensure our events run smoothly and that players and families have an enjoyable experience. Volunteer spots include set up, clean up, hall monitors, scorekeepers, CERTIFIED Tournament Directors (TDs), and assistant/junior TDs (not certified). CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER.
CONTACT US
Please contact the Tournament Organizer:
For more information/questions, contact the Tournament Organizer, Tina, at cschweiss2@hrchessclub.org or 757-472-5909.
Email is the fastest way to reach us.
POLICIES AND RULES
Please note only designated areas of the facility are open to players and guests. No one is allowed in undesignated areas (including the aquatics center or fitness centers or track) at any time.
It is our goal to provide a fun, safe, and supportive environment. Community partnerships are vital to HRCA, and we want to ensure we remain good stewards to our partners and their facilities. There is a lot of downtime during tournaments -- parents are responsible for supervising their children when they are not playing a scheduled match. Please note only designated areas of the facility are open to players and guests. No one is allowed in undesignated areas (including classrooms) at any time. No drop-offs for youth under age 14.
By registering and attending in this event (as participant or guest), you acknowledge and agree to abide by the US Chess Federation's Safe Play Policy, and HRCA's Code of Conduct and General Liability Waiver and Release. For more information on Safe Play or HRCA's Code of Conduct and General Liability Waiver and Release, please click the BLUE links above. Violations of these policies may result in warnings, or ultimately, disqualification or dismissal from the event without refund.
Photo Policy: Please be advised that photos and/or videos may be taken at HRCA events for use in HRCA's marketing, grant reporting, educational, news, or other promotional materials, whether in print, electronic, or other forms of media, including on our website and social channels. HRCA will not identify images using the full names of those photographed without express written permission. By attending an HRCA event, you consent to have your image recorded for distribution and agree to release, defend, hold harmless, and indemnify HRCA from any and all claims, including compensation, involving using your picture or likeness. If you wish to opt-out, you can make your wishes known to the photographer, and/or the event organizers, and/or contact HRCA at hrca@hrchessclub.org.