Tournament Policies

NYChessKids Tournament Policies

The following policies will take effect in October 2009 until further notice.

NYChessKids attempts to provide a positive chess playing experience for scholastic chess players of all ages and levels - from Kindergarten to 12th grade, complete beginner to national champion. Playing at a chess tournament is supposed to be exciting and entertaining for students and NYChessKids strives to provide an environment where our students can have the best chess playing experience possible. NYChessKids understands that there is a common set of rules everybody must abide in order to avoid misunderstandings among students and parents.

A. Sections

1. Non-rated Sections

The following non-rated sections are intended for students, who are not a member of the USCF and as a consequence do not have an official USCF rating. They are also intended for students, who are already a member of the USCF but do not have an official USCF rating yet. No notation and no clocks will be used.

No Score section: Intended for Pre-K and Kindergarten students. Students in grade 1 who are absolute beginners may apply to participate in this section. Many of the participants may not know all the rules of chess. There will be constant supervision of this section. Everyone in this section will receive a prize. THIS SECTION IS NOT USCF RATED, and the results are not announced.

Novice 1 section: Intended for students in grades 1-2, who are not very experienced. Students in Kindergarten may also apply to participate in this section. While notation is encouraged, it is not required. THIS SECTION IS NOT USCF RATED.

Novice 2 section: Intended for students in grades 3-12, who are not very experienced. Students in grades K-2 may also apply to participate in this section. While notation is encouraged, it is not required. THIS SECTION IS NOT USCF RATED.

Kids Help Kids section: Intended for students of all grades, who are blind, deaf, or have some other kind of disability. This section is sponsored by NYChessKids.

2. Rated Sections

The following rated sections are only open to students, who are an official member of the USCF. Notating the game on a score sheet and the use of the clock is required. Please bring your own clock.

K-1 section: Open to students in Kindergarten or 1st grade, rated below 600. 4 rounds, game in 45 minutes. THIS SECTION IS USCF RATED.

Primary section: Open to students in grades K-3, rated below 800. 4 rounds, game in 45 minutes. THIS SECTION IS USCF RATED.

Reserve section: Open to students in grades K-12, rated below 1000. 4 rounds, game in 45 minutes. THIS SECTION IS USCF RATED.

Classic section: Open to students in grades K-12. The student's USCF rating must be between 1000 and 1299. 4 rounds, game in 60 minutes. THIS SECTION IS USCF RATED.

Open section: Open to students in grades K-12. The student's USCF rating must be between 1300 and 1599. 4 rounds, game in 60 minutes. THIS SECTION IS USCF RATED.

Championship section: Open to students in grades K-12. The student's USCF rating must be 1600 or higher. 3 rounds, game in 75 minutes. Free Entry to students rated over 2000 sponsored by NYChessKids as a reward to students who have worked very hard to achieve their level, and to encourage older and advanced students to return to playing in scholastic chess tournaments. THIS SECTION IS USCF RATED.

3. Play-Offs

In case of 2 participants sharing first place with the same number of points in a rated section a Blitz Play-Off consisting of 2 games will be played between them. If there are 3 or more participants sharing first place the ranking will be determined by the tournament director based on the players' individual tie-break points.

B. USCF Rating and Section Registration

1. Students with a USCF published rating must sign up for a rated section for which their published rating lies within the rating bounds given by that section.

2. If a student's current USCF rating is higher than the USCF published rating the student is permitted to sign up for that rated section for which his current USCF rating qualifies.

Please note that the former policy that allowed students to register for a section in case their USCF published rating was within a 100 point margin that was below the required minimum rating for that section has been dropped without substitution and as a result does not apply any longer.

Winning a section does not qualify for playing in a higher section in one of the next NYChessKids tournaments.

C. Byes

1. In each section with the exception of the Championship section participants can request a 1/2 point Bye for any round when they submit their registration for the tournament.

2. Due to the limited number of rounds in the Championship section it is not possible to request a Bye in this section for any round.

3. In the case of an odd number of players in a section, the player with the section's lowest rating will receive a full point Bye in the first round. In subsequent rounds the player with the least number of points as determined by the tournament director will receive a full point Bye.

D. Tournament Playing Hall

Please note that parents are not allowed to stay in the tournament hall while the tournament is in progress. Parents are allowed to assist their child if necessary and may enter the tournament hall for that purpose before the round starts, but they must leave once the round has started.

E. Registration Fee and Payment Options

$35 if registered before Monday, 12:00pm before the day of the tournament
$45 if registered before 9:00pm the day before the day of the tournament
$55 if registered on site before 9:00am on the day of the tournament (cash or check only)

Non-preregistered players arriving after 9:00am on the day of the tournament can still register for the tournament. They will be paired for round 2 and receive a half point Bye for round 1.

Please note that our space is limited. If you register on the day of the tournament your registration may be not accepted because of space limitations.

Registration can be done online at www.nychesskids.com or by mail.

Please make mail and checks payable to:

NYChessKids, LLC
P.O.Box 529
New York, N.Y. 10163

F. Refund

If you have to withdraw your child's registration for a chess tournament NYChessKids will refund you.

100% if you withdraw at least one week before the tournament starts
75% if you withdraw at least one day before the tournament starts
50% if you withdraw later than one day before the tournament starts