Knight Invaders Chess Club, Beaufort, SC
Scholastic Chess Tournament
The Knight Invaders Chess Club holds four scholastic chess tournaments during the school year. Students play individually, but two or more students from the same school counts as a team for the Grand Prix over the course of the season. You do not need to be part of a team to play in the tournament.
This season's tournaments (all on Saturday):October 15, 2011
November 12, 2011
January 7, 2012
February 18, 2012
The tournaments are played at:
Beaufort Quality Inn
2001 Boundary St.
Beaufort, SC 29902
843-524-2144
Each tournament starts on a Saturday morning and lasts until the middle of the afternoon. These tournaments are held according to US Chess Federation (USCF) rules and are rated by the USCF. Membership in the USCF is required to participate. The Knight Invaders Chess Club is an affiliate of the USCF (A6034482).
There are two sections, open to all students (in school or home-schooled):
* - Unrated players in the sixth grade and higher must play in the Open section. Players with USCF ratings under 600 may play in either section, but the "under 600" section is recommended.
The tournaments are four-round Swiss System, so each player normally plays four games - no players are eliminated. (If there are an odd number of players in a section, some will play only three games, but they receive a one-point bye for the unplayed game.) The winner of a game gets one point. For draws, both players receive a half point. In each round players with similar cumulative scores play each other. (Members of the same team will not play against each other, if possible.) The total score determines the final ranking, with numerical tie-breakers (based on games played) to break ties.
A player normally plays only against players in his same section, but sometimes sections have to be combined if there are not enough participants. Each of the four rounds lasts up to 60 minutes. The rounds are scheduled for:
- 10:00 AM
- 11:15 AM
- 12:30 PM
- 1:45 PM
The official US Chess Federation rules apply (see the links near the end). Players should be familiar with the basic rules of chess. Games should last no more than 60 minutes each. If chess clocks are used, each player is allowed 30 minutes to complete all of his moves (this is called Game/30 or G/30). If a game starts without a clock, if the game goes for 40 minutes or so, the director will put a clock on the game and split the remaining time between the two players.
The Tournament Director makes the pairings for each round and posts them. The Director and Assistant Directors are on the floor to make decisions during the game concerning the rules of chess. (See the link to the basic rules of chess below.)
Trophies
Trophies are awarded after the last round. There are trophies for the top four individual players in each section.
Players in each tournament receive points for a
Grand Prix covering the season. The top eight players in the Grand
Prix, based on total points from the four tournaments, will receive an
additional Grand Prix trophy.
A team is
comprised of two or more players from the same school, playing
individually. The scores of the top four team members is summed for the
team score. The top-scoring team over the season will receive a
trophy.
Entering
The entrance fee is $15 if paid before the date of the tournament, $20 at the door. You can sign up for all four tournaments for a total of $48. You can mail in your entry to the address below or complete the form below and pay when you arrive. Check-in time is 8:30 to 9:30.
The information needed is:
- student's name
- phone
- email
- grade
- school
- section playing in (open or under 600)
- student's USCF membership number, expiration date, and rating.
A student who is not a member of the USCF can join at the USCF website or during check-in at the tournament.
Checks (made out to KI Chess Club) and entry information can be mailed to:
KI Chess Club
11 Oakwood Dr.
Beaufort, SC 29907
rogers4akr@yahoo.com
US Chess Federation website
USCF "Learn to play chess" (extensive webpage - please read!)
USCF "Let's Play Chess" (two-page PDF)
USCF membership
Chess tournament primer for parents
To register, fill out the following form and click "submit". In the "message" area include the student's USCF membership number, expiration date, and rating. Also give the school, the grade, and the section playing in and any other information (such as requesting byes).
Beaufort Quality Inn
2001 Boundary Street
Beaufort, SC 29902
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