Texas Chess Association Region 9 Scholastic Chess Championship
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Eldorado Elementary School
(access on Oak St.)
Eldorado, Texas 76936
Entry Fee: $22 by 3/19/25
USCF Membership Required, Must be a resident or student in Texas Chess Association's Region 9 (see county list below)
https://www.kingregistration.com/event/2025Region9
Format: 5 Round Swiss, non-elimination. Everyone plays all day.
Time Controls: G/25; d5. This tournament is USChess rated.
Players must know how to play the game of chess! We follow USCF rules including: touch-move, en passant, mandatory clocks if available, and notation. (The Director may excuse new players from notation.)
Tournament Entry Fees (This is a separate fee from the USChess Membership Fee)
Early Registration $22 before 11 pm Wednesday, 3/19/2025. Please register online as early as possible.
Regular Entry $32 by 11 pm Wednesday, 3/26/2025; No online entries accepted after 11 pm on 3/26/2025.
Late On-site Entry $42 from 8:00 - 8:30 AM on tournament day, cash or credit card only. At the discretion of the Tournament Director, Late Registrants may receive a first-round zero-point bye and start playing in round 2.
Withdrawals by 3/26/2025 may request a refund, minus $3.00 processing fee. No refunds after 3/26/2025.
USChess Memberships: All players must have a current USChess membership and ID Number BEFORE registering for the tournament. It must be paid for and valid for the month of March 2025. No USChess memberships can be sold on-site.
SPECIAL PRICE FOR YOUTH MEMBERSHIP: The Texas Chess Association has arranged a special price of only $9.83 for a One-Year Youth Membership. To get this bargain price, for either new or renewal of membership, go to http://www.dallaschess.com/getuscfgrpmem.htm, fill out the form and submit payment by PayPal or credit card. (Important: Enter the Player’s name and birthday, not their parent’s!) You will receive your ID number by email. This special is available for a limited time. Youth Memberships are normally $24/year. Family memberships are also available at www.uschess.org.
Byes: If player needs to miss a round, a bye can be requested for that round. A single ½-point bye is available if requested during registration. No 5th round byes allowed.
Directions: The official address of the elementary school is on the opposite side of the building. If you are entering Eldorado on Hwy 277 from the north, pass the school playground and turn right onto W. Warner Ave. (at the red-brick Methodist church). Go one block and turn right onto Oak St. into the horseshoe-shaped drive. The entrance has arches and a sign saying “Eldorado Elementary School.”
Arrival: If you are pre-registered, be present by 8:30 a.m. There is no need to check-in unless errors need to be corrected. See the registration list online and/or look at the list posted at the tournament to confirm players are registered and in the right section. The on-site registration and problem table will be near the gym.
Opening announcements at 8:45 am. First round starts at: 9:00 am. Other rounds will start ASAP after the end of the previous round.
All Tournament Directors will be certified by USChess in chess rules and in Safe Play (training to provide safe and positive sport environments.) If you want to assist as a Tournament Director, contact the organizer for information on how you can be certified.
Parents and Coaches: There will be some “down time” between rounds since many games will finish early. The nearby gym can be used for casual “skittles” chess and/or other indoor activities. Parents and/or coaches, please provide age-appropriate activities during the time between rounds. There are no teachers present to supervise players. The organizers cannot baby-sit. No child should be left unattended!
Lunch: There will be a short break for lunch, probably after Round 3. Bring a lunch, or purchase food from our on-site concessions. (There are few restaurants and no fast-food chains in Eldorado.)
Sections: There will be four sections which are limited to students from TCA Region 9 (See Region 9 counties and Section Eligibility rules listed below.) This tournament is an official Texas Chess Association sanctioned event, and TCA has specific guidelines on section placement.
Equipment: Chess sets and scoresheets will be provided. Bring your own pencil. A limited number of clocks will be available. If you have a delay-capable digital chess clock please bring it. (LABEL it with your name! Many clocks look alike.)
Awards: Presented on-site at the conclusion of the event. If you cannot be present for the awards ceremony, you may designate a coach, friend or teammate to pick up your award for you. We plan the following awards.
TEAMS
A team will consist of students who attend the same school and play in the same section. The team score will be determined at the conclusion of the tournament to include the top four scores from that team. A school must have a minimum of two players in the same section in order to compete for a team award. A team may have any number of members, but only the top four scorers will count toward team competition. Homeschool students may play as a team if they are part of a support group or co-op. Homeschoolers may not play for their local public school.
*COUNTIES IN TEXAS CHESS ASSOCIATION’S REGION 9
Andrews, Borden, Brown, Callahan, Coke, Coleman, Concho, Crane, Crockett, Dawson, Eastland, Ector, Fisher, Gaines, Glasscock, Howard, Irion, Jones, Kimble, Martin, Mason, McCulloch, Menard, Midland, Mitchell, Nolan, Reagan, Runnels, San Saba, Schleicher, Scurry, Shackelford, Stephens, Sterling, Sutton, Taylor, Tom Green, Upton.
For Questions (email preferred): Brenda Hardesty, TCA Region 9 Director, sanangelochess@gmail.com (325-853-2324, cell 325-716-0096).