Originally scheduled for 2016.12.17, Greater Baltimore 2016 has been RESCHEDULED to 2017.01.07 at the same site.

ONLY NEW PLAYERS (players who did not register for the tournament on its originally scheduled date) MAY REGISTER for this rescheduled tournament.

All registrations for the tournament on its originally scheduled date will be valid on (will transfer to) the rescheduled date. A player's registration can be confirmed in the Individuals (alphabetically) wallcharts below. Do NOT RE-REGISTER for the rescheduled tournament.

DO NOT CONTACT MCA, if you registered for the tournament on its originally scheduled date & want to play in the rescheduled tournament. Contact MCA at tournaments@mdchess.com ONLY if you want to WITHDRAW from the rescheduled tournament. When withdrawing, include the player’s full name & US Chess ID #. Players may not withdraw from the tournament and then re-register at a less expensive price than they paid for the originally scheduled tournament. Players who withdraw & later re-register will receive a refund for neither registration. Refunds for players who withdraw will not be processed until after the completion of the rescheduled tournament, to ensure that only new players registered for the rescheduled tournament.

A player's January rating will determine section eligibility. If necessary, MCA will move a player to a different section accordingly.

Because MCA will run the rescheduled tournament in a different month, a player's US-Chess membership must be current then. In the Individuals (alphabetically) wallcharts below, MCA has flagged those players whose US-Chess membership will have expired by then. MCA will email those players re: how to renew their US-Chess membership.

Open to all K - 12 players from anywhere.

Baltimore Polytechnic Institute (Poly High School) & Western High School
1400 W. Cold Spring Lane
Baltimore, MD 21209

Recent History of the Tournament, Site, and/or Date

• 5th Annual (2015) Greater Baltimore: US-Chess Crosstables—234 players
• 5th Annual (2015) Greater Baltimore: MD-Chess Crosstables
• 4th Annual (2014) Greater Baltimore: US-Chess Crosstables—303 players
• 4th Annual (2014) Greater Baltimore: MD-Chess Crosstables

The individual & team winners (or co-winners) of each Championship section will be the 2016 Greater Baltimore Scholastic Chess Champion for that grade range. The individual winner (or co-winners) of each Championship section will receive free Early entry to the 55th Annual Baltimore Open in 2017, 63rd Annual Maryland Open in 2017, & 6th Annual Washington International in 2017.

Tournament-Registration Fee (+ extra fee for 1-year US-Chess membership, if not current)

• Register Now! at the bottom of this page, starting 1 month before the tournament
• $20—Tuesday, 2017.01.03, if completed by 11:59 PM (Early)
• $40—Thursday, 2017.01.05, if completed by 11:59 PM (Regular)
• $60—Saturday, 2017.01.07, if completed by 5 AM (Last-Minute: ½-point bye possible in Round 1)
• $80—Saturday, 2017.01.07, 8 - 9 AM (At-the-Door: if space is available; ½-point bye likely in Round 1)

This tournament is supported generously by the Baltimore Kids Chess League.

Registered Players & Wallcharts

• Individuals (Attendees)—includes players registered currently (updated automatically)
  After clicking on the link above, click on Attendees beneath a specific scholastic tournament. At the top of the page, enter into the Search bar the player's first or last name (but not both), or the purchaser's first or last name (but not both). Or, at the bottom of the page, change the # of players displayed to All ; sort by clicking on Player's Name, Purchaser's Name, etc.
• Individuals (alphabetically)—includes players registered by 2017.01.06 23:26—342 players
• Individuals (by section)—includes players registered by the date & time above
• Teams (by section)—includes players registered by the date & time above

US-Chess Membership

• A player must have a current US-Chess membership to compete in today's US-Chess-rated tournament.
• A player's US-Chess membership remains current for 1 year after purchase. The expiration date is the last day of the month, 12 months after purchase.
• To purchase a US-Chess membership during tournament registration, select the 2nd type of Registration Type: Tournament Registration & US-Chess Membership (new or renewal). When renewing a player's expired US-Chess membership, include the player's permanent US-Chess ID #.
• During a tournament a player without a current US-Chess membership is ineligible to play, will not be paired in any round, & will receive a 0-point bye in all rounds, until the player purchases a new US-Chess membership or renews an expired one, by filling out MCA's US-Chess-membership form in the Tournament Directors' room. A 0-point bye reduces a player's ability to win an individual trophy and a school's ability to win a team trophy.

Which Section is Right for Your Player?

• Sections are listed primarily in order of grade range & secondarily in order of rating strength.
• Players who have never competed in a US-Chess-rated tournament (the vast majority of unrated players) are not eligible for the strongest sections.
• A player's eligibility by rating for a section is determined primarily by the player's official/published US-Chess rating during the month in which a tournament will be held. A player's official rating remains the same number throughout a month, because US-Chess calculates a player's official rating only once per month. That is, a player's official rating does not change during a month, because a player's official rating throughout a month is what the player’s unofficial/unpublished rating was on the 3rd Wednesday of the previous month. Conversely, a player's unofficial rating can change an unlimited number of times per month, because US Chess calculates a player's unofficial rating a few hours after the conclusion of every US-Chess-rated tournament in which a player competes. When registering a player for a tournament in month X, apply the player's official rating in month X. When registering a player for a tournament in month X+1, apply the player's unofficial rating on the 3rd Wednesday of month X. Click here for a player's official & unofficial US-Chess ratings.
• Sections have a marginally flexible floor (at MCA scholastic tournaments), but an inflexible/hard ceiling (at all US-Chess-rated tournaments). If a player's official rating is below a section's floor, but the player's official rating is only ≤ 50 points below the floor and/or the player's unofficial rating is ≤ 50 points below, equal to, or any number of points above the floor, then the player may play up in that higher section—unless MCA's Scholastic Director and/or the Chief Tournament Director decide it's not in the tournament's best interests. (If a player uses the player's unofficial rating to qualify to play up in a section, then the player might be assigned that unofficial rating for pairing purposes.) However, if a player's unofficial rating is below a section's ceiling, but the player's official rating is above that ceiling, then the player may NOT play down in that section.
• If a player is registered for a section for which the player is ineligible by rating, then (without notification) MCA will move the player to the lowest section for which the player is eligible.
• If a player is registered for a section for which the player is ineligible by grade, then MCA will take 1 of 2 steps. If MCA thinks a player has been registered intentionally so as to play up or down in a grade-inappropriate section (in the hope of either stronger or weaker competition), then (without notification) MCA will move the player to a grade-appropriate section. (MCA might also impose punitive measures.) Conversely, if MCA thinks a player has been registered accidentally with a discrepancy that, given the player's designated grade, renders the player ineligible for the player's selected section, then (without notification) MCA will pair the player in a section according to whichever is higher: the designated grade or the selected section. For example, a player designated as a 3rd grader but registered in a HS-&-MS or 9th-grade section, will remain in the HS-&-MS or 9th-grade section; conversely, a player designated as a 9th grader but registered in an ES or 3rd-grade section, will be moved to a HS-&-MS or 9th-grade section. Why? Because MCA considers it wiser to err on the side of accidentally letting a player in a low grade play against players in a higher grade or grades, than of accidentally letting a player in a high grade play against players in a lower grade or grades. To prevent your player from being paired in an incorrect section (by grade) because of a registration error, please review both the registration-confirmation email MCA sent you & the Wallcharts below. Send corrections to MCA at tournaments@mdchess.com.

Which Players Are Required to Record Their Games?

• Players in grades 4 - 12 must record (notate) their games, unless they are unable to. K - 3 players in all sections are exempt from the recording requirement.
• Recording affords several benefits:
• it helps to resolve disputes;
• it discourages cheating;
• it enables players to improve their skills through post-game analysis.

Do Players Need to Bring Anything?

• Players do NOT need to bring any equipment. MCA will provide all necessary supplies: boards, pieces, scoresheets (for recording), and pencils. (MCA’s pencils might be dull and do not have erasers. If you want a sharp pencil with a good eraser, then bring your own.)
• Players do NOT need to bring a clock; however, we encourage them to bring one. A game may be started without a clock, if neither player brings a clock to the board. Clocks might be available for purchase at the tournament.
• Food (pizza, candy, soda, etc.) can be purchased at the tournament.

MCA's PROVISIONAL Scholastic-Tournament Calendar 2016-2017

• The tournament-announcement page of a tournament listed in MCA's PROVISIONAL Scholastic-Tournament Calendar 2016-2017 might not yet appear at the top of MCA's home page, because that tournament is so many months in the future.
• Nonetheless, one can access that tournament-announcement page by alternate means:
• On the lower, left side of MCA's home page, click on MCA's calendar.
• Click on By Month (at the top of the page) to display all tournaments within a month.
• Click on All Categories (at the bottom of the page) to display all types of tournaments (major & local scholastic tournaments, major & local open tournaments)—as well as chess camps.
• Locate & click on the desired tournament.

Registering for the Tournament

• How to Register Online for an MCA Scholastic Tournament
• Which US-Chess Rating Determines the Section(s) in which a Player May or Must Play?—and/or see above the section entitled Which Section is Right for Your Player?
• MCA’s Scholastic Team Policy
• MCA’s Scholastic Bye Policy
• MCA's Refund Policy & Fees for Registration Changes

Playing at the Tournament

• Tournament Announcements before Round 1 & Section Schedules
• Procedures, Rules, and Etiquette for Players and Spectators at an MCA Scholastic Tournament
• Even when More Than 1 Player in a Section Can Achieve a Perfect Score, There Will Be No Major Variations; However, There Might Be Minor Variations. The following might be changed for any section, according to the number of players in the section: whether there are natural pairings (the norm at a Swiss-system tournament) or accelerated pairings in Rounds 1-2, and the number of trophies. In the rare instance of a section having an exceptionally low turnout, it might be merged with another section.
• US Chess's Official Rules of Chess, 6th Edition (2014)
• US Chess's Official Rules of Chess, 6th Edition (2014)—search for rules & terms in GoogleBooks
• US Chess's Rulebook Changes (updated annually)
• Current Standings: Individuals & Teams (live results updated every 60 seconds)
• How MCA Determines the Individual Winner of a Section when There’s a Tie for 1st Place

Results of the Tournament

• Final Standings: US-Chess Crosstables (tied players in descending order of new unpublished rating)
• Final Standings: MD-Chess Crosstables (tied players in descending tiebreak order—TROPHY ORDER)
• How to Find a Player’s New Unpublished/Unofficial US-Chess Rating after an MCA Scholastic Tournament
• If MCA's Photographer takes photos of players at the board & in the Skittles Room, then they will be available for purchase at the MCA Photographer's website.

MCA's Social-Media Profiles

• MCA's Facebook page
• MCA's Tournament Photos page
• MCA's YouTube page
• MCA's Tumblr page
• MCA's Scholastic Twitter feed
• MCA's Open & Scholastic Twitter feed
• Players' blogs

If the tournament were to be rescheduled or cancelled, then MCA would contact you (by email and/or text) and post an announcement at the top of this tournament-announcement page. The tournament will proceed as planned, if MCA neither contacts you, nor posts an announcement about a rescheduling or cancellation. Please do not contact MCA about a site's hypothetical closing because of bad weather, etc. A site closing would be announced separately by the public school's city or county administration, the private school, etc. If the tournament were to be rescheduled, then MCA would issue a refund, if a player were to withdraw from the rescheduled tournament. If the tournament were to be cancelled, then MCA would automatically issue a refund to all players within 1-2 weeks; there would be no need to inform MCA of a player's withdrawal from a cancelled tournament.

For more tournament information, contact the Maryland Chess Association at tournaments@mdchess.com.