Cincinnati Scholastic Chess presents the first Summer Hybrid Chess Series during the summer of 2025, for players in
grades K–12.
This Hybrid Series comprises four online events and three in-person (over the board) tournaments.
Online events will be played on www.chess.com and will NOT affect USCF ratings. USCF membership is NOT required to participate in any online tournament.
In-person tournaments will be played in the Blue Ash Shelter at the Blue Ash Nature Park and will include rated and non-rated sections. For the rated section(s), current USCF membership is required, and USCF Quick ratings will be used. For the non-rated section(s) USCF membership is NOT required. Players in a non-rated section will not earn a USCF rating.
Note: USCF members who have no Quick rating may play in either a rated or a non-rated section. A player may move from the non-rated section to a rated section of a future tournament at any time, provided that the player purchases a USCF membership prior to playing in the rated section and notifies us accordingly.
Format
All tournaments are 4-round Swiss tournaments.
Ratings: For each online event, we will use chess.com Rapid ratings. For the rated section(s) of the in-person tournaments, USCF Quick ratings will be used to define sections. For the non-rated section(s) of the in-person tournaments, we will assign a rating to each player (for example, a player’s most recent rating from a CSC Series non-rated section or a rating based on the player’s grade). The rated section(s) will be submitted to the USCF for Quick rating only; the non-rated section(s) will not be submitted for rating.
Sections: We will determine the number of online tournaments or in-person sections based on the number of players entered, and will communicate these details, along with other pertinent information, by email on the day before each tournament.
Duration: Online events will last about 1.5 to 2 hours, while in-person tournaments will last about 3.5 to 4 hours.
Other points for in-person tournaments: Players may take one optional half-point bye in each tournament; any additional bye will be a zero-point bye. All players must use clocks. Notation is NOT required.
Tournament dates and times
Wednesday, May 28 – in-person event #1 at 5:00 pm*
Thursday, June 5 – online event #1 at 2:00 pm
Saturday, June 14 – in-person tournament #2 at 9:00 am*
Friday, June 20 – online event #2 at 10:00 am
Monday, June 30 – online event #3 at 6:00 pm
Tuesday, July 8 – online event #4 at 2:00 pm
Sunday, July 13 - in-person tournament #3 at 1:00 pm*
*If you enter the Hybrid Series but are not able to participate in an in-person tournament, you must let us know by email to info@chesscincinnati.com at least one hour prior to the tournament start. Players who do not so notify us and do not show up for an in-person tournament will have their trophy score reduced by one point.
Trophy details
You may count a total of five scores from the seven tournaments toward a trophy. The highest possible score is 20 points (5 tournaments times 4 points per tournament). Players qualify for different levels of trophies as follows:
All trophies are personalized with the winner’s name and will be delivered by Dr. Brackenridge to winners living in Southwest Ohio.
Entry
Registration is limited to 98 players. Enter online using the big green Register button above. There will be no onsite or mail-in entry. The entry fee is $70 through April 28 and $85 thereafter. The entry fee covers the entire seven-tournament series, and no partial refund will be given for any individual tournament in which a player does not play. To play in any tournament, a player must enter no later than NOON on the day before the tournament.
Questions? Visit www.chesscincinnati.com/summer/ or send an email to info@chesscincinnati.com.