Three Mile Island Scholastic
March 28, 2026
Golconda Banquet Room, Naperville, IL
(near Patel Brothers on Ogden, Suite 140)
Many, many trophies to encourage chess!
This is the anniversary of the near disaster at the Three Mile Island (PA) nuclear reactor. Coach Bill studied the control room layout in college under Professor Hopkins, a worldwide expert in human factors engineering. The systems at TMI were quite unsound and our findings led to many changes in the industry. The point? People make mistakes -- and chess is all about recovering from them!
There will be FOUR sections -- and three will be rated, requiring participants must have active USCF memberships to compete. There is a fourth UNRATED section which requires no membership -- but if folks have played US Chess events, their rating must be below 375.
As are most chess tournaments, this is a non-elimination event -- meaning players compete in all rounds, even upon defeat.
All aspects of this posting are subject to change -- but only if necessary -- or as seen fit to do so by the tournament organizer.
There will be five rounds of Game/25 plus 5-second delay games, abbreviated G/25; d5.
Standard USCF tiebreaks will be used -- essentially deciding who gets which trophy if people finish with the same score.
The expected round start times will be 10:15am, 11:20am, 12:25pm, 1:30pm and 2:35pm with no break for lunch -- bring snacks or order from Golconda. (10am arrival would be GREAT, a little earlier if you'd like to help set up!)
The sections will be U500, U850 and U1200 -- with trophies for top three finishers in each section and FOUR MORE: for top U375 and top Unrated in U500, Top U725 in U850 and Top U1075 in U1200. It is the Fox Valley belief that EVERYONE should have a good shot at a trophy -- not just under miracle circumstances!
We plan to give out trophies for ALL the players in the unrated section to encourage more chess participation, but the top three trophies will be a little bit nicer.
48 players is the likely maximum number of players in the event (12 per section) -- but this is subject to change at organizer's discretion. I want to keep this a comfortable environment!
March 1 published ratings will be used for pairing order and section eligibility -- if your rating went up at the K-8's or another event since the middle of February, you'll be okay until April 1.
All equipment -- including sets and clocks -- will be provided. You may NOT substitute your own set -- but upon TD approval, you may use your own clock provided owner has previously set the clock to the appropriate time control and can demonstrate complete understanding of how the clock settings work to the director. Black has the first option to substitute.
In rated sections, notation is encouraged but will not be enforced against 3nd graders and below -- or those playing rated chess for the first time. When either player's clock drops below five minutes BOTH players may cease notating.
Questions? Email to info@aurorachess.com or WhatsApp to Coach Bill's new number.
Open to players Age 18 or younger as of the tournament --
Published rating up to 1200 as of March 1.
Refunds (less $5) available for withdrawals
prior to 9am Saturday via email.
No refunds for no-shows
without advance communication.
Organizer warrants that ALL profits (should there be any)
will be recycled back into trophies for future events
as we build up a loyalty to Golconda tournaments.
Golconda, staff, KingReg, PayPal, trophies, US Chess rating
fees. chess equipment (especially clocks) are not free,
but we're trying to keep the entry fees as low as possible.
If you're experiencing financial hardship
in these uncertain times, contact us and
we'll try to find a scholarship for your player.
Kids should not have their chess progress
stilted due to financial uncertainty.