Southwest Open Scholastic

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Overview
One day event, Saturday 8/31/24, 5 round Swiss
G25;d5, US chess rated, all players must have a current US Chess membership to participate, limited to players in grades K-12, first round starts at 9am, rounds 2 and 3 ASAP back to back, lunch break ~12:30pm - 1:30pm, then rds 4-5 after lunch, award ceremony approx at 4:15pm, event is limited to 96 spots, register ASAP to guarantee

This is NOT a knockout tournament. All players compete in 5 rounds regardless of any losses.

 

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Venue

Held at the Doubletree by IAH
15747 John F Kennedy Blvd, Houston, TX 77032

Hotel booking link
(must book by 08/09/24 for group rate)

A hotel stay is NOT mandatory. This is for those of you who would like to stay nearby in case you have to travel to the event. Complimentary shuttle info…. Etc. 

 

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Entry Fee

$29 by 8/17/24, $39 by 8/24/24, $45 afterwards

 

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Sections

 

 

 

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Prizes

Individual trophies to top 7 players in each section.
Team trophies to top 3 teams overall. Team awards will be calculated based on top 4 scorers from each school across all sections combined. Minimum 2 players to form a school team. Homeschoolers may form a team - please email us to let us know your team members upon registration.

Individual Trophies also awarded to top 2 Unrated players in Section III.

 

Tiebreaks MSCO used for award distribution.
***Unrated foreign players - please note, you are required to inform us of any existing FIDE/Canada/overseas rating for conversion purposes. Failure to do so could result in ineligibility for prize distribution.
 

 

 

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Tournament Regulations

Playing Equipment:

All players should bring digital clocks, chess boards and sets. If both players DO NOT bring a clock, then they will start the game without a clock and we will add a clock as deemed needed by the TD. This adding of the clock may happen either at the beginning or only towards the end of the round. Please do not ask to borrow clocks from the start of the round. All players who bring clocks are required to know how to reset and program their own clocks. There will be a chess vendor on site selling equipment.

 

Missing a round or leaving early:

Please notify a TD or text us at 281.698.0068 if you need to miss a round or leave early from the tournament and not play any remaining rounds. This is VERY IMPORTANT so that your child is not paired against someone who ends up not getting to play a game.

 

Player requirements:

All players must have a current US CHESS membership.
 

Playing Rules, Ratings, etc:

August 2024 US Chess supplement ratings used for section placement. Unrated players with a foreign rating must disclose and may be placed in a higher section after conversion. US Chess rules apply.

Spectator Policy:

Parents you are not allowed in the tournament hall during a round. There should also not be any talking or discussing anything with your child while during a round (i.e. bathroom break, etc). Parents please instruct your kids to raise their hand during a game if they have any questions at all.
 

Electronic Device Policy:

Electronic scorekeeping device chessNoteR will be allowed. All other electronic devices including cell phones, smart watches, music earbuds, etc are not allowed. Any phones should be stored away and completely powered off, not silent, not vibrate, but turned off completely. If you are caught using or viewing a phone near you or simply on your person during a round, it may result in immediate forfeiture of the current game and possible expulsion from the entire tournament.

Byes:

Up to two ½-pt byes allowed. All ½-pt byes must be requested by 11am on 8/31/2024. Byes for earlier rounds must be requested at least 1 hour before expected round time. Please do so upon registration or if after registration talk to the tournament organizers in the control room. Please make sure to confirm the bye by getting a response from us or checking the registration/wall charts. Zero point byes are available.

 

Default Time:

If a player/opponent is late to the board, you must wait till their time runs out and you will get the free forfeit (1F) point. If no clock is available, this means after the 25 minutes passes from the start of the round.

 

Notation:

Per US chess rules, players must write down the moves of the game. The procedure is move, hit clock, write the move down. Your opponent moves, you should write their move down before you move. Exceptions are made for beginning players who do not know how to notate however we encourage them to use a “beginner scoresheet”. See scoresheet link here.

 

 

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Registration

Advance Online registration is the best method.
Find the “Register Button” at the bottom or top of this page.
For other possibilities, please email us or text us at 281.698.0068.

 

Chess Store

There will be a chess store on-site to sell chess playing equipment, books, etc.

 

Refund Policy

Any withdrawals with an 80% refund must be requested no later than Thursday on 8/29/24. Any withdrawals afterwards will not get any refund.

Questions?

Contact us via email to “southwestopen@gmail.com”.
You can also text message to 281.698.0068.

Text messaging is preferred - calls will likely not be answered.

Please identify yourself and the player’s name for reference.
Voicemails are welcome!
Chess Control will be in the DALLAS room to address any tournament related inquiries.