CSC Series

The Cincinnati Scholastic Chess Series comprises monthly tournaments for players in grades K through 12, taking place in October through March. Players of all skill levels are welcome provided that they know the basic rules of the game. Players are not obligated to play in every tournament; they may choose how many and which tournaments to play in.

Throughout this webpage “CSC” refers to Cincinnati Scholastic Chess and “USCF” refers to the US Chess Federation. All terms in boldface (in their first occurrence only) are explained under Term Explanations.

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What’s New in 2025-26
Tournament Information – Summary
Entry Information
Tournament Information – Details
Procedural Matters
Term Explanations
Additional Information

What’s New in 2025-26

Starting time: Round 1 will begin promptly at 9:00 am in all sections. (This is not new in principle, but we are introducing new measures to follow this policy more uniformly.) The doors to the playing rooms will be closed at 9:00 am sharp, and players who are not present at 9:00 am will be given a zero-point bye for round 1 unless they requested a half-point bye for round 1 in advance. Players whose opponents are absent when play starts will be re-paired if possible.

Non-rated play: There are two non-rated sections: one for grades 4–6 and the other for grades K–3. Series trophies will be awarded to players in non-rated sections just as in the rated sections. Players who move from a non-rated section to a rated section during the Series may count their scores from all sections toward a trophy.

Point deduction for forfeits: We will reduce the trophy score by one point of anyone who is a “no-show” or who leaves the tournament before it is over without giving proper notice of withdrawal. In connection with this change we are introducing a withdrawal form for players to complete if they are leaving the tournament early.
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Tournament Information – Summary

Swiss tournament, four rounds, time control of G/30;d5 for all rounds.

• Rated sections: Championship, U1100, U900, U700, U500, U300
• Non-Rated sections: Grades 4–6, Grades K–3

Official USCF Regular ratings are used for eligibility and pairings in rated sections; assigned or calculated unofficial ratings are used in non-rated sections.

USCF membership is required for all rated sections. Notation is required in the Championship, U1100, U900 and U700 sections.

Dates and venues:

• October 18, 2025 — Lakota West High School
• November 8, 2025 — Lakota West High School
• December 6, 2025 — Princeton High School
• January 10, 2026 — Mason High School
• February 7, 2026 — Princeton High School
• March 7, 2026 — Lakota East High School

Play begins at 9:00 am. Players who are not at their assigned places at 9:00 am will be given a zero-point bye for round 1 unless they requested a half-point bye for round 1 in advance. Players may take one half-point bye for any round. Medals are awarded to everyone scoring 3.0 or higher in each section and each tournament; trophies are awarded based on total points scored in the entire Series.

CSC provides all equipment needed for each tournament.
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Entry Information

The entry fee is $19 for each tournament. Entry is in advance only, and the entry deadline is always noon on the Friday before the day of the tournament. Enter online at https://www.kingregistration.com/tournaments, where the tournaments are listed under “Cincinnati Scholastic Chess.” (Above the list of tournaments you will see “Sort events by” followed by some options. Click on “affiliates” and then look for Cincinnati Scholastic Chess. The affiliates will be listed alphabetically.) Payment may be made by credit card or through a PayPal account.

Use this link also to check out who has entered: click on Entry List (blue button) for the tournament of interest.

Players may also enter using our mail-in entry form.

Entry fee transfers: A player may transfer an entry for one tournament to another tournament by sending a request with the pertinent details by email to info@chesscincinnati.com or by text to 513-600-9915 no later than the entry deadline for the earlier affected tournament.

Entry fee refunds: If a player withdraws from a tournament with proper notice (see “Withdrawing from a tournament” under Procedural Matters), we will refund the entry fee, less a $2.00 processing fee. We will not refund an entry fee if the player does not give us proper notice of withdrawing or is a “no-show”.
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Tournament Information – Details

Format and Requirements

All Series tournaments are Swiss tournaments with four rounds. Players play all four rounds, regardless of game results, unless taking a bye or withdrawing. Each round is subject to a time limit, called a time control, within which it must be played. The time control for all rounds and all sections is G/30;d5 (“game in 30 minutes with a five-second delay at each move”), which means that each player begins with 30 minutes on his clock for the entire game, and there is a delay of five seconds at each move before a player’s clock begins to run. Accordingly each round could last up to about an hour. There are eight sections as follows:

• Rated sections: Championship, U1100, U900, U700, U500, U300
• Non-Rated sections: Grades 4–6, Grades K–3

The strongest players play in the Championship section. Except in very extraordinary circumstances, this is not the section for players who are new to tournament chess. We generally recommend that anyone playing in a rated tournament for the first time play in the U300 or U500 section, but we sometimes suggest a higher section for players who are older or have more chess experience.

Current USCF membership is required for all players in any rated section. Players who do not have an official USCF Regular rating may play in a non-rated section with or without a USCF membership. All players in the Championship, U1100, U900 and U700 sections are required to take notation. Players in the U500, U300 and non-rated sections are not required to take notation but may do so if they like. All players are required to play with a clock. Players may play up one section.

Note: Parents should be mindful of teaching their children how to take notation as their rating approaches 500 because at that point they (the players) will be required to do so in any Series tournament.

Venue Information

All Series tournaments are played in area high schools. Click here for venue information, including directions, maps, food options, and site-specific instructions.

Ratings

With respect to rated sections: A player’s rating for purposes of section eligibility and pairing is his or her official USCF Regular rating published in the USCF rating database for the month in which the tournament is played. If a player has no official Regular rating, we will use the most recent Regular rating (preferred) or Quick rating published in her or his tournament history, if there is one. A player who has no Regular or Quick rating is unrated for purposes of Series tournaments. Every player is unrated when playing in a rated tournament for the first time; the USCF will calculate an official rating for her or him after he or she has played four rated games.

With respect to non-rated sections: For a player’s first tournament we assign a rating equal to his or her grade times 100 (90 for a kindergartner). For later tournaments we use her or his “final rating” from a previous CSC tournament, as calculated by the tournament software. Please be aware that this is not an official rating; it is used only to facilitate pairings in our tournaments. Players continue to be officially unrated until playing in a rated section, and as long as they are officially unrated, they may play in a non-rated section.

Schedule

We urge players to arrive by 8:40 am in order the be in their playing rooms at 8:50 am to hear pertinent announcements. Play begins at 9:00 am. The doors to the playing rooms will be closed at 9:00 am sharp, and players who are not present at 9:00 am will be given a zero-point bye for round 1 unless they requested a half-point bye for round 1 in advance. Typical ending times for the different sections are: non-rated, U300 and U500 – 12:30 pm, U700 – 1:00 pm, U900 – 1:30 pm, U1100 and Championship 2:00 pm.

Byes

A bye indicates a round in which a player does not play a game. A player may choose to take a half-point bye for any round: for example, for round 1 when unable to arrive by 9:00 am or for round 4 if it is necessary to leave the tournament early. A player may also choose to take more than one bye, but each additional bye is a zero-point bye. Most players do not take any optional byes. For details regarding requesting byes, see “Requesting and changing byes” under Procedural Matters.

When there is an odd number of players in a section for any round, one player is necessarily left without an opponent; this is called being “paired out”. There is always a 50-50 chance that someone will be paired out because the number of players is always either even or odd. A player who is paired out is given a full-point bye, and could also be paired in a side game with another player.

Prizes

Prizes are awarded based on the number of points scored. A player scores one point for each win or full-point bye, one-half point for each draw or half-point bye, and no point for each loss, zero-point bye, or forfeit. The following prizes are awarded:

• Medals are awarded at every tournament in every section to all players scoring 3.0 or higher. The top four medals awarded are designated as first through fourth place; after that each medal awarded is an honorable mention. USCF standard tiebreaks will be used to determine the order of finish among players with the same score.
• Trophies are awarded based on the total number of points scored over the entire Series. A perfect trophy score is 24 points (4.0 points in each of six tournaments). Points required for each class of trophy are: gold 15.0 or more, silver 12.5–14.5, bronze 10.0–12.0, honorable mention 7.5–9.5.
• The Ron Giffin Trophy is awarded to the player scoring the most points for the Series exclusively in the Championship section. This player is recognized as the CSC Series Champion. USCF standard tiebreaks will be used to determine the order of finish among players with the same score.

Forfeits

A player who enters a tournament and does not play any part of it (“no-show”) will be given a forfeit and withdrawn from the tournament. For rounds 2–4, a player who did not request a bye for a given round and does not appear at his or her assigned board before flagfall will forfeit that game and be withdrawn from the tournament. A player withdrawn from the tournament due to a forfeit may ask the chief tournament director for readmission to the tournament.

Equipment

CSC provides boards, pieces, clocks, scoresheets and pens for players at all Series tournaments. Players may use their own scorebooks or scoresheets (including approved electronic notation devices) if they wish.
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Procedural Matters

Arrival: All players are encouraged to arrive no later than 8:40 am so that they can find where their section is playing and be in their playing room to hear announcements at 8:50 am. An entries list and section signs will be posted to let players know where they should go. A wall chart will also be posted outside each playing room, which will show any round for which a player has a bye (along with other information). Players should always check the wall chart to confirm the information shown for them and notify the pairing tournament director (in the TD office) of any necessary correction. Players who arrive after play begins in round 1 must check in with the pairing tournament director when they arrive to avoid being withdrawn from the tournament. Venue-specific instructions relating to arrival will be provided as necessary in the reminder emails that we send out in the days preceding each tournament.

Schedule: Round 1 pairings will be posted at about 8:20 am. Announcements will be made as appropriate in each section at 8:50 am. Play in round 1 will begin at 9:00 am. The doors to the playing rooms will be closed at 9:00 am sharp, and players who are not at their assigned places at 9:00 am will be given a zero-point bye for round 1 unless they requested a half-point bye for round 1 in advance. Their opponents will be re-paired if possible. Subsequent rounds in each section will begin as soon as possible, typically about ten minutes, after the previous round ends. The tournament directors will announce when pairings are ready for the next round; please be alert for these announcements. Players are expected to be at their boards within a few minutes after new pairings are announced; those who are tardy will likely find their clock already running. Because some sections play faster than others, sections will finish the tournament at different times. Typical ending times are: non-rated, U300 and U500 – 12:30 pm, U700 – 1:00 pm, U900 – 1:30 pm, U1100 and Championship 2:00 pm.

Requesting and changing byes: A player may request a bye for any round(s) when completing the entry form. After entering and until the entry deadline (noon on the Friday before the tournament), a player may request, change or cancel a bye by email to info@chesscincinnati.com. After the entry deadline, the following applies:

• For round 1: a player may request, change or cancel a bye by text to 513-600-9915 until 8:00 am on the day of the tournament. Any round 1 bye requested after 8:00 am on the day of the tournament will be a zero-point bye.
• For rounds 2–4: a player may request, change or cancel a bye:
  • by text to 513-600-9915 until 9:00 am on the day of the tournament, or
  • by notifying the pairing tournament director in person (at the TD office) before pairings are posted for the affected round.

  Any player who is paired out is given a full-point bye. A player who is paired out of round 1 may not take a half-point bye for a later round. A player who is paired out should check with the section tournament director before leaving the playing room, as it is sometimes possible to arrange a side game with another player during that round.

  What to do when your game is over: When you finish your game, pause the clock and raise your hand to call a tournament director. Do not move the pieces or leave your board until a tournament director verifies the result of your game. After that:

  • Set the pieces up in their correct starting position. After round 4, set the pieces up (to make sure that they are all there) and then put them into a bag that will be provided.
  • Leave the playing room promptly and quietly.
  • Record the result of your game on your section’s pairing chart: enter a “1” in the “Res” column to the left of the winner’s name and a “0” in the “Res” column to the left of the loser’s name, or, if the game was a draw, enter “½” in the “Res” column for both players. Both players are responsible for making sure that the game result is recorded correctly.

  Spectating: Except as noted below, spectators are not allowed in any playing room while any tournament game is in progress. Parents, coaches, other non-participants, players from other sections, and players in their own section once they have finished their own games are all defined as spectators for this purpose. Exception: In the Championship and U1100 sections, at the tournament director’s discretion, players may watch other games in their own section after finishing their games provided that they conduct themselves in accordance with tournament rules and etiquette. However, players in these sections may not leave and enter their playing room repeatedly: after recording their score, they may stay to spectate as long as they like, but once they leave the playing room, they may not re-enter it until starting the next round.

  Changing sections: A player who enters one section and wishes to move to a different section for which he or she is eligible must notify us by email to info@chesscincinnati.com or by calling/texting Alan at 513-600-9915 no later than the entry deadline (noon on the Friday before the tournament). An increase in a player’s rating might require a move into a higher section, in which a case we will move her or him automatically into the lowest section allowed for her or his current rating. A decrease in a player’s rating might enable a move into a lower section; in this case we will not move the player automatically but will advise him or her by email that she or he is eligible to move down; we will move down only a player who requests it. A player may not change sections after the tournament’s entry deadline.

  Withdrawing from a tournament: A player may withdraw from a tournament before it begins by notifying us by email to info@chesscincinnati.com until the registration deadline (noon on the Friday before the tournament). After the deadline, notify us by calling/texting Alan at 513-600-9915 before 8:00 am on the day of the tournament. We will refund the entry fee, less a $2.00 processing fee, to anyone who withdraws with notice as indicated here.

  A player may also withdraw from a tournament at any time after it has started and before it ends. To withdraw, simply notify the pairing tournament director by completing a withdrawal form (available from any tournament director) before pairings are done for the next round. A player who leaves the tournament without giving notice as indicated here will be paired in the next round as if still present. This results in a forfeit for the player who left, deprives that player’s opponent of a game, and can cause other problems as well. Accordingly, a player who leaves the tournament before it is over and without giving notice as indicated here will have one point deducted from his or her trophy score, and we will not refund that player’s entry fee. Leaving a tournament early without notice is bad for everyone — please don’t do it!

  Forfeits: Players who enter a tournament and do not play any part of it (“no-shows”) will be forfeited and withdrawn from the tournament. For rounds 2–4, players who did not request a bye for a given round and do not appear at their assigned board before their time expires will forfeit that game and be withdrawn from the tournament. A player withdrawn from the tournament due to a forfeit may ask the chief tournament director for readmission. A player who forfeits a game will have one point deducted from her or his trophy score, and we will not refund that player’s entry fee.
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  Term Explanations

  Clock: A chess clock is device comprising two identical clocks, each set to run down to zero from a specified beginning time, such that if one clock is running, the other is not. When it is one player’s move, his or her clock runs; the player completes a move by pressing her or his clock, which stops her or his own clock and starts the opponent’s clock.

  Flagfall: When a player’s clock runs down to zero (0:00, showing no time remaining), the player’s flag is said to fall, meaning that the player’s time for the game has expired. At flagfall the player with time remaining may claim a win on time (or, in some situations, a draw).

  No-show: A “no-show” is a player who (a) entered a tournament, (b) did not show up for the tournament, and (c) did not give us proper notice of withdrawing (see “Withdrawing from a tournament” under Procedural Matters).

  Notation: Notation refers to recording the moves of both players, move by move, as a game is being played. The notation system commonly in use now is Algebraic Notation.

  Play up: A player’s “natural” section is the lowest section for which she or he is eligible by rating. To play up means to play in any section higher than one’s natural section.

  Rating: A rating is a numerical measure of a player’s skill at chess (or “strength”) based on the player’s game results. The USCF calculates different ratings for different time controls: Regular, Quick and Blitz (and also different ratings for over-the-board play and for online play). We use Regular ratings for section eligibility and pairing purposes, but Series tournaments are “dual rated”, which means that game results are factored into both Regular and Quick ratings.

  • An officially rated player is one who has played at least four rated games (that is, games in a rated section). A rating is provisional until the player has played 26 rated games. Provisional ratings are as official as ratings can be, but they can fluctuate wildly from tournament to tournament. Once a player has played 26 rated games, his or her rating is more stable and is considered “established”. A rated player is not eligible to play in a Series non-rated section.
  • An unrated player is one who has not yet earned an official rating — that is, a player who has played from zero to three rated games. The USCF calculates a rating after only one rated game, but a player is defined as unrated until he or she has played four rated games. An unrated player has the option of playing in a rated section (if a USCF member) or in a non-rated section. Every player is unrated when playing in a rated section for the first time.
  • Note: “Unrated” refers to a player who has not yet earned a rating; “non-rated” refers to a tournament or section the results of which are not reported to the USCF for rating purposes. Unrated players will earn an official rating from playing in a rated section; unrated players playing in a non-rated section will not earn an official rating.

  Round: A round is when all the players in a section are paired to play one game; the number of rounds in a tournament is the number of games that a player can expect to play, regardless of his or her game results, except in the following situations: (1) when a player arrives after play has started in round 1, (2) when a player is paired out, and (3) when a player chooses to take a bye for any round or to withdraw from the tournament.

  Section: A section is a group of players defined by rating and sometimes by school grade. Typically there are several sections in a Swiss tournament. Every Series tournament includes both rated and non-rated sections.

  • Rated sections are those sections whose game results are reported to the USCF for rating purposes. Based on these results, the USCF calculates new or revised ratings for all the players. Rated sections are defined in the form “Uxxx”, where the “U” means “under” and “xxx” is the “ceiling” rating. For example, U700 defines a section in which only players with ratings below 700 (including unrated players) may play. A player’s “natural” section is the lowest section for which the player is eligible by rating. Players may play in their natural section or play up in the next higher section.
  • Non-rated sections are sections whose game results are not reported to the USCF for rating purposes. Because players in the non-rated sections do not have official ratings, the sections are defined by grade: players in grades K–3 play in one section, and players in grades 4–6 play in the other. (Players in grades 7–12 must play in a rated section.) Players do not earn a USCF rating from playing in a non-rated section; our pairing software calculates unofficial ratings for them, which we use for pairing purposes. Once a player has an official USCF rating, he or she is no longer eligible to play in a non-rated section. Because players can play in a non-rated section without being USCF members, they can avoid the cost of a USCF membership.

  Scoresheet: A scoresheet is literally anything on which a player records the moves of a game while it is being played, ranging from a blank piece of paper to an electronic device with a stylus. For Series tournaments CSC provides pre-printed (paper) scoresheet forms for players that include standard tournament information and columns for both players’ moves. Players may use their own scoresheets, scorebooks, or electronic notation devices instead if they wish.
  Side game: When two players are paired out of their respective sections, or are available for some other reason, they can be paired against each other in a side game, to be played concurrently with a tournament round. The result of the side game has no effect on a player’s tournament score; each player who is paired out scores one point for the tournament in any case. The side game can be reported for rating purposes (as an “extra rated game”) or not, according to what the two players choose before beginning play. A player might also choose not to play a side game even when one is offered, especially if the rating difference between the two players is quite large, as is often the case. The benefit of offering a side game when possible is that it provides two players with an opportunity to play a game (even if only for fun) instead of simply waiting for the next round.

  Swiss: In a Swiss format the players in the tournament are divided into groups, called sections, based on their rating, their selection (when there are multiple section options), and in some cases their school grade. The purpose of having different sections is to optimize parity of strength and competitiveness among players. Players play only other players in their own section, and there are carefully defined rules that determine who is paired against whom.

  Tiebreaks: When two or more players are tied by score, the order of finish among them will be determined by application of the standard US Chess Federation tiebreak systems. These are identified below, in order of application, with excerpts from the relevant rules.

  1. Modified Median (Rule 34E1): “The Median system … evaluates the strength of a player’s opposition by summing the final scores of his or her opponents and then discarding the highest and lowest of those scores. … In the Modified Median system, players who tie with even scores (an even score is equal to exactly one half of the maximum possible score), have the highest- and lowest-scoring opponents’ scores excluded. The system is modified for players with non-even scores to disregard only the least significant opponents’ scores: the lowest-scoring opponent’s score is discarded for tied players with plus scores and the highest-scoring for players tied with minus scores.”
  2. Solkoff (Rule 34E2): “The Solkoff system is the same as the Median … except that no opponents’ scores are discarded.”
  3. Cumulative Score (Rule 34E3): “To determine cumulative tiebreak score, simply add up the cumulative (running) score for each round. For example, if a player’s results were win, loss, win, draw, loss, the wall chart would show a cumulative score round by round as 1, 1, 2, 2.5, 2.5. The cumulative tiebreak total is 9 (1 + 1 + 2 + 2.5 + 2.5 = 9). … One point is subtracted from the sum for each unplayed win or full-point bye (22B); likewise, one-half point is subtracted from the sum for each unplayed draw or half-point bye.”
  4. Cumulative Score of Opposition (Rule 34E9): “The cumulative tiebreak points of each opponent are calculated as in 34E3, and these are added together.”

  USCF membership: Players must be current members of the USCF to play in any rated section. USCF membership is not required to play in a non-rated section, but unrated players who are USCF members may play in a non-rated section if they choose. USCF membership dues are additional to the tournament entry fee, but a membership, for one year or two years, is good for all the tournaments that a player might play during the membership period. Participants can purchase or renew a USCF membership online at www.uschess.org.

  • Purchasing a USCF membership comes with the option of purchasing, at additional cost, a subscription to a magazine in print format, either Chess Life (monthly) or Chess Life for Kids (bi-monthly). USCF memberships may be purchased or renewed with or without a magazine subscription; however, a magazine subscription may not be purchased without purchasing or renewing a membership at the same time. USCF members have digital access to these magazines regardless of whether they have purchased a print subscription.
  • There are no free USCF memberships. It is possible to obtain a non-member USCF ID number without paying membership dues, but such IDs do not confer membership status and do not qualify a player to play in any rated tournament.

  Wall chart: A wall chart is a chart listing all the players in a section and showing certain information for each player, including name, USCF ID, rating, and any byes that the player has chosen in advance to take. The players listed on the wall chart may be sorted alphabetically or by rating (highest to lowest, with unrated players listed at the bottom).  Similar to the wall chart is a standings chart, which shows much the same information including — after play begins — opponents, results and scores. Standings are usually sorted by tournament score. We post standings for each section throughout the tournament as rounds are completed as well as when the tournament is over. See the description of the Final Standings below for more details.
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  Additional Information

  Event Summary and Final Standings: After a tournament we post two different versions of its results on this website. The differences between the two versions are explained below.

  • The Event Summary is created by the USCF from the rating report that CSC submits to the USCF after the tournament. The Event Summary includes only the rated sections because the non-rated sections are not submitted for rating. The Event Summary is important because it shows the new USCF ratings for all players with the results of the tournament factored in. This is the document to look at to see how a player’s rating changed as a result of the tournament. It is important to note that players are listed in the Event Summary in order by their new (“final”) rating, without taking tiebreaks into consideration. For that reason players are often listed in an order different from that in the Final Standings document.
  • The Final Standings document is created from the tournament software that we use to run the tournament. It shows all sections, including the non-rated sections, and it lists players with the same score in order by tiebreaks. The order in which players are listed, therefore, corresponds to the medals awarded at the end of the tournament, but often differs from the order in the Event Summary. The Final Standings do not show new USCF ratings for players in the rated sections.

  Essential Rules of Tournament Chess: In tournament chess, play is governed by rules that are additional to the rules of the game itself and are not explained on this webpage. Essential Rules of Tournament Chess explains the chief rules of tournament chess that every player will be subject to in a Series tournament. If you are new to the Series, this eight-page document is a “must read” for you.

  For the convenience of those who might find it useful to have a copy of this webpage in a somewhat re-formatted pdf version, click here: Series Webpage pdf. In addition to the webpage text, this pdf document includes the mail-in entry form, a description of Algebraic Notation, and Essential Rules of Tournament Chess.

  CSC Series Handbook: The CSC Series Handbook explains more extensively several chess topics, including ratings, pairings, the wall chart, the standings chart, and selected rules. This document supplements the information on this webpage and is intended for those who would like to have a broader understanding of tournament chess.

  Questions: If you have questions not answered by the above documents, or need additional information, contact Alan by phone/text at 513-600-9915 or by email to info@chesscincinnati.com.
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