2021 US Junior Congress Online - National Championship

2021 US Junior Congress Online
a US Chess National Event

Co-organized by Chess Weekend 
& Mechanics' Institute

Platform -- Dates -- Tournament format -- Teams -- Byes -- Fair Play -- Awards

Registration -- Eligibility -- Tournament rules -- Staff -- FAQ -- Side Events
 

Any questions? Send email to [email protected]

Register Online: https://www.kingregistration.com/event/USJCC2021
 

NEWS

FINAL Standings HERE or in the Google Sheets
Fair-play review has been completed.

Links to Crosstables (results on the MSA pages are not in tie-break order!):
1. Main event: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202104110782-14708926
2. Booster Side-event: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202104118992-14708926
3. Blitz Side-event: http://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202104098982-14708926

1. Important Links:

• Check your entry: https://www.kingregistration.com/entrylist/USJCC2021
   
• Request any updates/changes/byes: Change Request Form: https://forms.gle/4qRSvdu5amfXm1yJA
   
• Join our Slack channel: https://join.slack.com/t/2021usjcc/shared_invite/zt-oxjgwd4g-zGqkGfzBzyN8zts5CEN6NQ
  https://2021usjcc.slack.com
   
• Looking for the Zoom link and Google Sheets? Check out this table.
   
• Looking for the Standings & Pairings?  Fastest way is to check it out on the Google Sheet for each section separately!
  We will also post it on this page below:  Standings -- Pairings

 

2. List of event communications:
3/29 - Welcome email to all registered players with initial instructions https://conta.cc/3w9bNQT
4/8: Player's Instruction was sent out to all registered players: https://conta.cc/39Vmehj
Read the Player's Instructions: Google sheet or PDF

4/10: Email to the Age12&u and Age 14&u sections: https://conta.cc/3dLjHaA
 

 

3. Tutorial Videos & Recordings

• What to do on chess.com to get ready for the game/tournament: https://youtu.be/uqH4s_zprtQ
• Link to the recording of the first Q&A on 3/31: https://youtu.be/_7OoC1cyc0w
• Link to the recording of the second Q&A on 4/7: https://youtu.be/vQxErrMdQlQ

4. ChessKid Booster Side Event

Date & Time	Event	Zoom Link or other notes
Sunday, 4/11 @ 1PM EDT / 10AM PDT	ChessKid Booster side event	Read the Welcome Email sent to all registered players. Link to join the tournament: https://www.chesskid.com/play/fastchess#t=412223 No Zoom for this tournament! Automatically run by ChessKid - NO round times - as soon as all the games are finished in one round, the next one starts! Any problem, email us [email protected]

 

1. Platform

• The tournament is played on Chess.com.
• Free account is sufficient to play in the tournament. No Chess.com account yet? Open one now!
• See Eligibility for more details on chess.com accounts.
   

2. Dates

• Saturday, April 10 and/or Sunday, April 11
  1 or 2-day tournament based on sections.

3. Tournament format:

• Sections: Players may choose sections based on their age as of September 1, 2020.
• Swiss individual tournament: Pairings based on the ratings of the players in each section. 
• US Chess 2021 April supplemental OTB or ONL regular rating will be used, whichever is the higher one.
• Tournament and games are USCF Online rated, affecting USCF Online regular or quick rating.
   

  Section	Tournament Date	Format		Round Times (ET)	Zoom Links	Google Sheet Pairings/Standings	# of cameras needed
  		# of Rounds	Time Control
  Age 6 & under	Saturday, April 10	5	G/15+5 (ONL Quick rated)	11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm	Click HERE Meeting ID: 846 9718 3401 Passcode: 376022	Click HERE	1
  Age 8 & under	Saturday, April 10	5	G/15+5 (ONL Quick rated)	11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm	Click HERE Meeting ID: 831 2421 5409 Passcode: 165030	Click HERE	1
  Age 10 & under	Saturday, April 10	5	G/25+5 (ONL Regular rated)	11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm	Click HERE Meeting ID: 886 8150 0404 Passcode: 407638	Click HERE	1
  Age 12 & under	Sunday, April 11	5	G/25+5 (ONL Regular rated)	11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm	Click HERE Meeting ID: 820 2312 2583 Passcode: 041933	Click HERE	1
  Age 14 & under	Sunday, April 11	5	G/25+5 (ONL Regular rated)	11am, 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm	Click HERE Meeting ID: 828 8242 5257 Passcode: 245525	Click HERE	1
  Age 16 & 18 & under	Saturday – Sunday, April 10-11	6	G/60+5 (ONL Regular rated)	12 pm, 3 pm, 6 pm each day	Click HERE Meeting ID: 879 8905 0594 Passcode: 582239	Click HERE	2

 

 

3.A. How to Play?

• Welcome email will be 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 Chess.com AND go to Chess.com/LIVE and stay there!
• Players must NOT engage in any play (game, challenge, other touranment).
• Games are MANUALLY STARTED by the TD and will automatically pop up for every player. 
   

3.B. Practice Tournament - Friday, April 9th at 6PM ET -- Registered players can sign up for the Practice Tournament here: https://forms.gle/4wpBpPnsz5yyesZb9

• The goal for the practice tournament is to make sure all kids know where to be, what do to and know what to expect from the tournament staff.
• Format: 3SS G/10+2 - manually paired and games manually started.  *TDs reserve the right to change the number of rounds.
• Players are expected to log into a zoom meeting so that the tournament staff can explain and direct them what to do.
• Start time: 6PM ET - expected end time: 8PM ET.
   

4. Teams:

• Club Teams or School Teams may compete for team prizes within each section as described in the US Chess National Scholastic Chess Tournament Regulations, section 14.2
• Teams must have a minimum of three members
• The top three scores within any one section count toward the team score

5. Byes

• Players may take two (2) half-point byes in any round. Byes in the last two rounds must be selected before round 1 and are irrevocable after round 1 begins.
   

6. Fair Play

Monitoring requirements:

• ALL players in all sections must be logged into a tournament-specific Zoom meeting with at least one webcam.
• Champtionship section - must be logged in with 2 cameras.
• Zoom link will be distributed closer to the event and will also be linked via the Google sheet.
• Zoom participation is first and foremost to be able to communicate with players and guide them. Of course it'll also be used to monitor all players for fair play.

Player's setup requirements:

• The location in which you are playing must have a reliable high-speed internet connection (upload capability of 2+ megabits per second [Mbps]). An unreliable or slow internet connection and/or technical setup errors might result in a loss or forfeit loss. A player’s internet connection and, more broadly, all aspects of the player’s technical setup are the player’s responsibility—not the organizers.
• Play in a quiet room with no background noise and with no one else in the room.
• A player may not have in or around the player’s ear a device that can receive and/or transmit data or sound (such as headphones, headsets, earbuds, etc.). Furthermore, a player’s face, ears, and entire head must be fully visible; they may not be covered by a hoodie, hat, or headwear of any kind. While monitoring players, tournament directors need a full, unobstructed view of the player from the neck up. Let TDs see clearly that you have nothing to hide. If you have a special circumstance that would require accomodation from these rules, please contact the organizers ahead of the tournament.
• Play only on a device with a large screen (10+ inches) such as a laptop, desktop, or large tablet. Use a web browser, rather than chess.com’s app, because browsers are more reliable (they have fewer bugs and glitches). Playing on a device with a small screen (<10 inches) such as a mobile phone or small tablet is prohibited.
• Players must abide by US Chess’s Rules of Chess and Code of Ethics, as well as by chess.com’s Community Policies. Players may not use external chess assistance of any kind: no computer engine, no database, no chess program, no book, no hand-written notes, no other person, etc.
• Parents are strongly encouraged to monitor their kids' activity during the tournament to ensure fair play.

Fair Play screening:

• All games will be screened by both chess.com and by Dr. Kenneth W. Regan, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, University at Buffalo.
• Parents - Please help us educate your child that IT'S SIMPLY NOT WORTH THE RISK!
• Award distributions and rating submission will take place AFTER all games have been screened.
• Tournament will be rated AFTER all games have been screened.
• Organizers may forfeit the game(s) of any player found to have committed a fair-play violation and expel the player from the tournament.
• Results of the games of a player found to have committed a fair-play violation will be adjusted according to US Chess Official Rules of Chess.
• Players found to have violated fair play are subject to the following:
  • being brought before the US Chess Ethics Committee.
  • having US Chess membership revoked.
  • being banned from competing in future tournaments (both online and over-the-board) rated by US Chess.
  • being banned from competing in future games rated by the online platform providers.
    
    
     

7. Information / Communication during the event

• During the event main announcements will be made through SLACK: Join our Slack channel: https://join.slack.com/t/2021usjcc/shared_invite/zt-oxjgwd4g-zGqkGfzBzyN8zts5CEN6NQ  and https://2021usjcc.slack.com
• Standings, Pairings and LIVE results (aka updated as soon as the games are over) will be via a Google Sheet: Check out the table with the links
• Standings and Pairings will be posted on this webpage too: Pairings -- Standings
• Did you see something that's incorrect? Please report it within 2 rounds of the error via this Google Form: https://forms.gle/4qRSvdu5amfXm1yJA
• The event will be covered LIVE via TWITCH: www.twitch.tv/mechanicschess: join 3-times US Champion, GM Nick de Firmian, FM Paul Whitehead and Chessroom Director Abel Talamantez
   

8. Awards

• Commemorative plaques or medals will be shipped to the winners. Individual awards will be shipped to players at the address given during registration. Team awards will be shipped to the coach for distribution to the players.

  Sections	Individual Prizes *** ADDED NEW PRIZES ***	Team Prizes
  Age 6 & under	Top 10 overall, Top 3 u600, Top 3 unrated	Top 5 Teams
  Age 8 & under	Top 10 overall, Top 3 u800, Top 3 u600, Top 3 unrated	Top 5 Teams
  Age 10 & under	Top 10 overall, Top 3 u1000, Top 3 u800, Top 3 unrated	Top 5 Teams
  Age 12 & under	Top 10 overall, Top 3 u1200, Top u1000, Top 3 unrated	Top 5 Teams
  Age 14 & under	Top 10 overall, Top 3 u1200, Top 3 unrated	Top 5 Teams
  Age 16/18 & under	Top 10 overall, Top 3 u1200, Top 3 unrated	Top 3 Teams

  
  
  Organizers reserve the right to adjust the number and quality of awards up or down based on registration numbers. 
   

9. Registration 

• https://www.kingregistration.com/event/USJCC2021
• One-Day Sections: Age 6 & Under, 8 & Under, 10 & Under, 12 & Under, 14 & Under: 
      $40 by March 25
      $50 by March 30 
     $60 by April 9 at 7pm ET when registration closes
• Two-Day Section: 16&18 & Under:
     $50 by March 25
     $60 by March 30
     $70 by April 9 at 7 pm ET when registration closes
• $10 refund fee by 4/9, no refund after 4/9 8pm ET
   

10. Eligibility 

• Per US Chess Scholastic Regulations, players in this event must either be attending school in the US, or be US citizens attending school abroad. For specifics on eligibility, please see current US Chess National Scholastic Regulations, section 12.1 on page 7.
• 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 members? Visit: https://new.uschess.org/player-search
• Become a member or renew your membership: https://new.uschess.org/player-search
• Players must have a chess.com account in good standing. Any previously closed account must be disclosed to the organizer by sending a confidential email to [email protected].
• Don't have a chess.com account? It's easy to set up: https://www.chess.com/register?returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.chess.com%2F
   

11. Tournament rules

• Standard US Chess rules apply, with special focus on the Chapter 10 Online Chess rules.
• Forfeit time is 15 minutes: if player is not logged in by 15 minutes after round time starts, the opponent will be awarded a forfeit win.
  
   

12. Staff 

• NTD, IA Glenn Panner & NTD, IA Maret Thorpe
• SrTD, FA Abel Talamantez, SrTD, FA Dr. Judit Sztaray, FM Paul Whitehead, GM Nick de Firmian
• NTD, IA Tom Brownscombe, NTD, IA John McCumiskey, NTD Sam Shoykhet, NTD Martha Underwood, 
• SrTD Jiten Patel, SrTD Reka Sztaray, Club TD Daniel Rohde
  and more!

13. FAQ

• What are the time controls mean?
  Time controls are telling you how much time you have for each game.
  G20+10 for example: Game in 20 minutes with 10 second increment. This means you get 20 minutes, your opponent gets 20 minutes and with each move every player gets 10 second added to the clock. So one game can last up to 40-60 minutes.
• How many games/rounds?
  The 5SS before the time control means how many rounds, i.e. how many games can a player play in the tournament. The tournaments are never elimination, so win or lose you can stay in the tournament.

 

14. Side Events - More chess! More practice! More fun! 

• Detailed information will be coming soon:
  • April 9,Friday evening --  Blitz warm-up on chess.com
    Register by 6PM ET / 3PM PT on 4/9, Friday: https://www.kingregistration.com/event/JCCBlitz
    Format: 8SS G/5+2
    Sections: Open & under1200 (chesscom rating) - might be merged.
    Round 1 @ 8PM ET / 5PM PT and then automatically run by chess.com
    US Chess online blitz rated
    Registration Fee: $20
    Prizes: commemorative medals to Top 5 players in each section
    
     
  • April 11, Sunday -- Swiss side event on ChessKid.com for families who prefer for their children to play on chesskid.com or for players who want a lighter competition.
    Register by 9PM ET / 6PM PT on 4/10: https://www.kingregistration.com/event/JCCBooster
    Format: 5SS G/15+5
    Sections: One open
    Round 1 @ 1PM ET / 10AM PT and then automatically run by ChessKid.com
    US Chess online rapid rated
    Registration Fee: $20
    Prizes: commemorative medals to Top 10 players and Top 3 players with under1000 ChessKid rating (pre-tournament)
    Link and Welcome email are posted HERE.