ONLY FOR PLAYERS IN GRADES 6-12 WHO ARE MD RESIDENTS or out-of-state residents enrolled in MD schools

Roland Park Elementary-Middle School
5207 Roland Avenue
Baltimore, MD 21210
Skittles Rooms: Auditorium & Gym
Tournament Room: Cafeteria

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

• MD HS & MS Championships 2012 - 2017: US Chess's Crosstables: 179 - 217 players
• All tournaments run by MD Chess since 1991: US Chess's Crosstables
• All tournaments run by MD Chess since 2010: MD Chess's Crosstables

The individual & team winners (or co-winners) of each Championship section will be the 2018 Maryland Scholastic Chess Champion for that grade range. The individual High-School Champion will receive the 2018 MD Chess High-School Chess Champion Denker Stipend of $750 to represent Maryland at the 2018 Denker Tournament of High-School Champions. The individual Middle-School Champion will receive the 2018 MD Chess Middle-School Chess Champion Barber Stipend of $750 to represent Maryland at the 2018 Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions.

Tournament-Registration Fee (choose additional fee, if player lacks a current US-Chess membership)

• Register at the bottom of this page, starting at least 1 month before the tournament
• $5 discount for each player attending a current Title-1 school & not using another discount code (such as the Baltimore Kids Chess League's). Enter the discount code Title1 during online registration.
• $20—Tuesday, 2018.03.13, if completed by 11:59 PM (Early)
• $40—Thursday, 2018.03.15, if completed by 11:59 PM (Regular)
• $60—Saturday, 2018.03.17, if completed by 8 AM (Last-Minute: ½-point bye possible in Round 1)
• $80—Saturday, 2018.03.17, 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.

Radisson Hotel at Cross Keys is within walking distance (18 minutes) of the tournament site.

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 2018.03.16 22.41—128 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

• To compete in this US-Chess-rated tournament, a player must have a US-Chess membership that is current (not yet expired).
• If a player has ever been a US-Chess member, then the player has a permanent US-Chess ID # that must be entered during tournament registration: player's US-Chess ID # and membership expiration date.
• If a player lacks a current US-Chess membership, then select the 2nd type of Registration Type during tournament registration: Tournament Registration & US-Chess Membership (new or renewal). (Until MD Chess processes purchases of US-Chess memberships, a new member's US-Chess ID # will be listed as TBD [To Be Determined ] in the wallcharts listed above. MD Chess might wait until the day of the tournament to process those purchases.)
• During the tournament a player who lacks 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 US-Chess membership, by filling out MD Chess's US-Chess-membership form in the Tournament Directors' room.

Which Section is Right for Your Player?

• Sections are listed primarily in order of rating strength & secondarily in order of grade range.
• 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 new unofficial rating after every tournament in which the player competes—usually only 2 hours after the completed tournament has been submitted for ratings’ calculations. 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.
• With regard to a player's official rating, sections have a hard, inflexible ceiling at all US-Chess-rated tournaments, but a marginally flexible floor at MD Chess's scholastic tournaments. So, on the 1 hand, whenever a player's official rating is > a section's ceiling, the player may not play down in the section—even if the player's unofficial rating is ≤ the section's ceiling. So, for example, if a player wants to play in an Under 400 section (which has a ceiling of 399), but the player's official rating is 400+, then the player may not play in the section—even if the player's unofficial rating is 399-. But, on the other hand, if a player's official rating is ≤ 50 points below a section's floor and/or the player's unofficial rating is ≤ 50 points below or ≥ the section's floor, then the player may play up in the section—unless the Chief Tournament Director and/or MD Chess's Scholastic Director decides it's not in the tournament's best interests. So, for example, a player may play up in a 400-799 section, even if the player's official rating is below the section's floor of 400, as long as the player's official rating is 355-399 and/or the player's unofficial rating is 355-799. In short, then, a player's unofficial rating may be used only to play up in a higher section—not to play down in a lower section. (Note that if a player uses the player's unofficial rating to qualify to play up in a section, then that unofficial rating will likely be assigned to the player for pairing order—without notification.)
• If an unrated player (that is, a player without an official rating) has an unofficial rating (because the player competed for the first time or completed only 3- games before ratings became official for the month in which the tournament will be run), then the player's most recent unofficial rating might be assigned to the player to determine section eligibility and pairing order—without notification. That is, the unrated player might have to play up in a higher section or down in a lower section, based on the player's unofficial rating.
• If a player is registered for a section for which the player is ineligible by rating, then the player will be moved to the lowest section for which the player is eligible—without notification.
• If a player is registered for a section for which the player is ineligible by grade, then MD Chess will take 1 of 2 steps—without notification.

Which Players Are Required to Record Their Games?

• ALL HS & MS PLAYERS are REQUIRED to record (notate) their games, unless they are unable to.
• 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. MD Chess will provide all necessary supplies: boards, pieces, scoresheets (for recording), and pencils. (MD Chess'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, MD Chess encourages them to bring one. MD Chess recommends the DGT North American digital chess clock ($36). Players may not refuse to play with a clock, if either player brings a clock to the board, or if a tournament director (TD) puts a clock on a game. A game may be started without a clock, if neither player brings a clock to the board.
• Food (pizza, candy, soda, etc.) should be available for purchase at the tournament.

Registering for the Tournament

• How to Register Online for a MD Chess 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?
• MD Chess’s Scholastic Team Policy
• MD Chess’s Scholastic Bye Policy
• MD Chess’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 a MD Chess Scholastic Tournament
• MD Chess Scholastic Variations from US-Chess Rules: $20 fine for forfeiting a round; if players are not using a clock in a game with an increment time control of 10+ seconds, & if that game has lasted longer than the sum of the 2 players' base times, then a TD will add a clock set to G5 d5; etc.
• Increment Time Control
• Anti-Cheating Measures:
• Which Electronic Devices (including Recording Devices) May a Player Bring to the Board?
• A Player's Ears Must Be Entirely Visible at the Board. No Hoodies, etc.
• 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)
• At 12 AM on Sunday, this tournament-announcement page might disappear from the top of MD Chess's home page; however, the page can still be accessed. On the lower, left side of MD Chess’s home page, click on MD Chess’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. Navigate to & click on the desired tournament.

Results of the Tournament

• Trophies Awarded to Tied Players in Order of Tiebreaks—Not in Order of Unpublished Ratings
• How MD Chess Determines the Individual Winner of a Championship or Varsity Section, when There’s a Tie for 1st Place
• 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 a MD Chess Scholastic Tournament
• Photos of players taken by MD Chess's Photographer will be available for purchase at MD Chess Photographer's website.
• How to Ask US Chess to Revise a Player's Name in Future Crosstables, Wallcharts, & Pairings Charts

MD Chess's PROVISIONAL Scholastic-Tournament Calendar 2017-2018

• The tournament-announcement page of a tournament listed in MD Chess's PROVISIONAL Scholastic Tournament Calendar 2017-2018 might not yet appear at the top of MD Chess'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 MD Chess's home page, click on MD Chess'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.
• Navigate to specific tournaments.

MD Chess's Social-Media Profiles

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

If the tournament were to be rescheduled or cancelled, then MD Chess 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 MD Chess neither contacts you, nor posts an announcement about a rescheduling or cancellation. Please do not contact MD Chess 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 MD Chess would issue a refund, if a player were to withdraw from the rescheduled tournament. If the tournament were to be cancelled, then MD Chess would automatically issue a refund to all players within 1-2 weeks; there would be no need to inform MD Chess of a player's withdrawal from a cancelled tournament.

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