Hampton Roads Chess Association
presents the
Sherwood Showdown
Sherwood Forest Elementary School
3035 Sherwood Forest Lane
Norfolk, Virginia
Saturday, February 21st, 2026
Check your US Chess membership here
HRCA chess tournaments are NOT drop-off events for youth under the age of 14. Please ensure you have arranged for a responsible adult to accompany your child to the tournament and stay for the duration. This can be a parent or guardian, a friend or relative, or parent of a friend or teammate staying on site and agreeing to be responsible for your child.
Registration for this event closes at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, February 19th! No last-minute or on-site registration!
This is an HRCA Scholastic Cup Event!
HRCA membership is not required for the tournament but IS required to participate in the Scholastic Cup awards.
New Memberships must be purchased within one week following the event for points to qualify.
For more information visit https://hrchessclub.org/scholastic-cup/
EVENT EXTRAS
SCHEDULE
PARTICIPANTS
HRCA membership is not required unless you want your points to count toward the Scholastic Cup -- you have one week after the event to join in order to count your points. Please note that students in most HRCA-coached programs already have HRCA membership. You can find a link to check your membership on this web page: Membership – Hampton Roads Chess Association
FORMAT
A Swiss System (like a bracket system -- NOT an elimination event!) tournament of four or five rounds based on entries. Time control is G/40; d5, meaning each side has 40 minutes to complete all their moves, and the clock will not start counting down for the first 5 seconds of each move. Select a bye during registration ONLY if you know you will be missing a round due to a conflict with another event. One half-point bye allowed if requested prior to the start of Round 3.
Regular OTB ratings from the February supplement will be used.
Section choices are:
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.
AWARDS
ENTRY FEE
$35 Early Bird Entry Fee extended through 11:59 PM on Sunday, February 1st. $40 Standard Entry Fee through 11:59 PM Sunday, February 8th; $45 Late Entry Fee through 11:59 PM Sunday, February 15th. $50 Last-minute / week-of Entry Fee through close of registration.
Registration for this event closes at 11:59pm EST on Thursday, February 19th! No last-minute or on-site registration!
Scholarship participants approved for discounts and Title I schools who need entry fee assistance MUST contact Tina in advance to register. 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 $30 and is valid for 1 year. After February 8th, there is a 50% credit. No refunds after February 19th.
**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.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Volunteers help ensure our events run smoothly. Please sign up for a spot to help us HERE.
Set up, Clean Up, hall monitors, scorekeepers, CERTIFIED Tournament Directors (TDs), and assistant TDs (not certified) are needed.
CONTACT US
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
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.