USCF Online-rated Scholastic Tournaments in 2023 via ChessKid.com

 

Recurring Weekend USCF Online-rated Event

via ChessKid.com -- Open for all scholastic players!

 Upcoming Schedule -- Platform -- Tournament Format -- Byes -- Awards

Registration -- Eligibility -- Tournament Rules -- Fair Play -- FAQ

List of Registered Players for the Upcoming Tournament -- Detailed Results -- Summary of Links to Event Results

NEW
1) Video on how to read your tournament results
2) Video on USCF ratings and rating systems
 

1. Upcoming Schedule

 

List of registered players as of ... coming as we get closer to the even.

 

2. Platform

• A free account is sufficient to play in the tournament. No ChessKid.com account yet? Easy to make, just follow the instructions below.
• See Eligibility for more details on ChessKid.com account.
   

3. Tournament Format:

• Tournament Format: automatically paired Swiss.
• Total Rounds: This varies per event--usually a minimum of 4, a maximum of 8.  Please see the FAQ (item 10 below) for an explanation of round numbers.
• Round Times: Except for Round One, there are no set round times.  Rounds are automatically paired and started once the previous round has finished.
• Time Control: Varies by event.  Please see FAQ (item 10) for an explanation of time control.
• Games will be US Chess online-rated.  The tournament results will be submitted 4-10 days after the tournament to allow all games to be screened for fair play.
• Sections: one Open section OR two sections based on ChessKid rating (Open & under1300 ChessKid rating).  The number of sections will be based on the number of registered players the day before the tournament--please check back for more information!
• Pairings are based on current (actual) ChessKid ratings at the time of the start of the tournament.

3.A. How to Play?

• Welcome email is sent out before the tournament that explains all the details how to play in the tournament. Be sure to provide a correct email when registering for the event!
• Players must be logged in to ChessKid.com
• Players may join the tournament 30 minutes before it begins by going to Play vs Kid; the tournament will show up on the right side of the board.
• Players MUST click the orange JOIN button of the tournament, which should appear below on the right--this cannot be done for them.
• Players MUST be active on the tournament page in order for the system to pair them for the next round.
• The welcome email will list a contact phone number that is available during the event in case of any problem.
   

4. Byes

• Since the tournament is automatically run on ChessKid, no byes are possible.
   

5. Awards -- Medals to the top players.

• Two Sections:
  • Prizes to the top 5 players overall shall be the minimum.
  • Additional prizes may be added based on the number of players:
            For an 8-round tournament, anyone with 4.5 points or more.
            For a 6-round tournament, anyone with 3.5 points or more.
            For a 4-round tournament, anyone with 2.5 points or more.
     
• One Section:
  • Top 5 players and Top 3 of under800 and Top 3 of under400.
            **Based on USCF online (ONL) or regular (OTB) rating, whichever is higher.**
            This is due to more and more kids starting to have online ratings; it reflects their true strength better, and encourages them to participate in online events.
            We reserve the right to use TD discretion.
     
• Medal awards are mailed for everyone. Please fill out this form to request your award: https://forms.gle/7CTFnNaBUt97uU7Y9
   

6. Registration

• Special Mechanics' member / non-member pricing for the recurring weekly tournaments:
  • MI library member: $15
  • Non-MI library member: $25
     
• Suggested registration deadline: 2 hours before the tournament, in order to give time for the organizers to forward the Welcome email, and make sure that the ChessKid username is in the correct online club. Any registration within 2 hours of the tournament start might result in missing the first round or the whole tournament. We will reschedule the registration in this case for an upcoming weekend.
• $5 admin fee for all cancellations & refunds.
  
  Want to Join Mechanics' Institute?
• It's worth getting the Mechanics' Institute Student membership: for $65. In about 6 tournaments it pays for itself!
  Join here: https://www.milibrary.org/join  
  Please make sure to put Chess as a referred by interest.
   

7. Eligibility

• Players must have current US Chess Federation membership. Expiration date of their US Chess membership must be later than the last day of the tournament.
• Not sure if you have a membership? Need to check the expiration date of your membership? Visit: https://new.uschess.org/player-search
• Become a member or renew your membership: https://new.uschess.org/player-search
• Players must have a ChessKid.com account in good standing. Any previously closed account must be disclosed to the organizer by sending a confidential email to [email protected].
• First time playing in our tournaments?
  All players MUST be a part of Mechanics' Chess on ChessKid.com.
  Please follow the step-by-step instructions on how to join us! If you still have problems, please email or message us and we'll help you!
  Chesskid.com is a safe, secure, and fun platform for kids to learn and play chess, and participate in a wide variety of activities, including listening to lectures, doing puzzles, playing with their friends, and participating in online tournaments.
• If you are new: click on this link: https://www.chesskid.com/register/kid/group/QCJJNH
• If you have a ChessKid account already: Follow the instructions:
  • From a Kid account
    • Login from your computer and go to: /settings/account
    • Scroll down and click the link which says "Do you have a Group Registration Key?"
    • When prompted for a registration key, enter QCJJNH

If you are having problems finding the way, please watch the following tutorial video: https://youtu.be/yLzmaljcyKU
 

8. Tournament Rules

• Standard US Chess rules apply, with special focus on the Chapter 10 Online Chess rules.
• NEW: Announced variation:
  When a player is removed due to a fair-play violation, scores will be adjusted as follows:
  1. If two or more rounds remain, all opponents of the disqualified player will receive a win by forfeit, unless they defeated the disqualified player, in which case they will retain a rated win.
  2. If the tournament has concluded, or if there is only one round remaining:
  The last opponent of the disqualified player will receive a win by forfeit.
  Other opponents who lost to the disqualified player will receive a half-point bye.
  Other opponents who drew with the disqualified player will receive a win by forfeit.
  Anyone who defeated the disqualified player will retain a rated win, instead of a forfeit win.
   

9. Fair Play

• All games will be screened by both ChessKid.com, Mechanics' Institute Chess Club staff and if needed, by Dr. Kenneth W. Regan, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo.
• US Chess online-rated tournament -- most USCF rules and consequences apply.
• Players should not use any outside assistance: not have other browsers open and not be talking to other people during their games
• Parents are strongly encouraged to monitor their kids' activity during the tournament to ensure fair play.
• Players found or believed to be violating fair play are not eligible for a prize and their account will be removed from the Mechanics' group.
• Players who are confirmed to be using outside assistance will be reported to US Chess and restricted from future Mechanics' online and over-the-board events.
• Parents - Please help us educate your child that IT'S SIMPLY NOT WORTH THE RISK!
• The Organizer and/or the Chief Tournament Director can require players to play their games with a camera that records the player playing with a view to the screen. Players should be prepared to provide this precaution if asked to do so.
• Award distributions and rating submission will take place AFTER all games have been screened.
• For some helpful links regarding fair play, please check these out:
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5KaxBW7rlU
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7PI9Q9uoSE
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knvySXCNfd8
  • https://youtu.be/3KHWnA9snAQ
     

10. FAQ

• What do the time controls mean?
  Time controls tell you how much time you have for each game.
  G/15+2, for example, means game in 15 minutes with a 2-second increment. This means you get 15 minutes, your opponent gets 15 minutes, and after every move, a player gets 2 seconds added to the clock. So one game can last up to 30-35 minutes.
• How many games/rounds?
  A “6SS” before the time control means a six-round Swiss system tournament.  Players are expected to play 6 games (unless they are assigned a full-point bye). These are never elimination tournaments, so win or lose you play every round.

• Late joins: If you join late, you'll get zero (0) points for each missed round.

• Withdrawal: You can always leave a tournament if you wish. Once you leave the tournament, you can't rejoin unfortunately, so make sure you decide accordingly.

• Start time: We decided to start at 3PM so players can finish their tournament before dinnertime.

• Pre-requested byes: An online tournament run on ChessKid.com can't have pre-requested byes. Full-point byes are assigned when there is an odd number of players in a tournament.

• Do I need to join the club on ChessKid.com to play? 
  Yes. More information on this at the Eligibility section, item 7 above.
   

11. Testimonials

Testimonials from parents:
"We received a medal in mail from Mechanics Institute, which is absolutely a surprise to my son! His first reaction was it can’t be real! Then he said what is a good hiding spot, I want to hide it! :D  This is absolutely an amazing encouragement for him as this is literally the first-ever rated game that he attends! "
"I appreciate your efforts in conducting these online scholastics tournaments. It has encouraged my daughter to learn and play more chess."
"We received her medal in the mail today. It is so pretty and she loved it! A motivation for her to participate in more games!"
"Just received the trophy! It is such a nice feeling for my son to hold these beautiful trophies from MI. Thank you again!"