The Cincinnati Scholastic Chess (CSC) Series comprises monthly tournaments, conducted in October through March, for players in grades K through 12. Players are not obligated to play in every tournament; they may choose how many and which tournaments to play in. Medals are awarded at each tournament; trophies are awarded based on cumulative scores for the entire Series. Players of all skill levels are welcome.<\/p>\n
Summary information is presented below under Core Information<\/a><\/strong>. This should be sufficient for those many participants who are already familiar with the Series. Those who are less familiar with the Series should scroll down to see the additional information under Extended Explanations<\/a><\/strong>. All Series participants (players and their parents) are expected to know all the information provided on this webpage. <\/em>CSC contact information and links to documents providing yet more information about tournament chess can be found under Additional Information<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Four-round Swiss, G\/30;d5, with six rated sections: Championship, U1100, U900, U700, U500, U300. There is also a K\u20136 Non-Rated section.<\/p>\n Players must be current US Chess Federation (USCF) members to play in any rated section. Players who do not have an official USCF Regular rating may play in the non-rated section with or without a USCF membership. (See<\/em> Extended Explanations<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for more information about USCF membership<\/em>.)<\/p>\n Players may play up and may change sections from one tournament to another (including moving from the K-6 Non-Rated section into a rated section) provided that (a) they satisfy the membership and rating requirements of the section they wish to move into, and (b) they request the change no later than noon on the day before the next tournament in which they are going to play. (See<\/em> Extended Explanations<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for more information about sections<\/em>.)<\/p>\n For venue information, including directions and food options,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n With respect to the rated sections:<\/em> For purposes of section eligibility and pairing, a player’s beginning rating is the official Regular rating<\/em> published in the monthly USCF rating supplement for the month in which the tournament is played. If a player has no official Regular rating, one of the ratings listed below, in order of applicability, will be used; a player who has none of these ratings will be treated as unrated.<\/p>\n With respect to the Non-Rated section:<\/em> For a player\u2019s first tournament we assign an arbitrary rating equal to his or her grade times 100 (or 90 for a kindergartner). For later tournaments we use the player\u2019s \u201cfinal rating\u201d from his or her most recent Series tournament, as calculated by the tournament software.<\/p>\n (See<\/em> Extended Explanations<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for more information about ratings<\/em>.)<\/p>\n Players are expected to be at their assigned boards for round 1 at 9:00 am. Players who arrive after play in round 1 has started will be given a forfeit for round 1; however, provided that they notify the pairings tournament director that they have arrived, they will be paired for the later rounds. In each section separately, Rounds 2 through 4 will start as soon as possible, usually within ten minutes, after the last game in the preceding round ends. Estimated ending times for the different sections are indicated below; actual times will vary somewhat from tournament to tournament.<\/p>\n A player may take one optional half-point bye for any round. Any additional bye taken after a half-point bye will be a zero-point bye. Players may request byes on the entry form, by sending a request after entering to\u00a0info@chesscincinnati.com<\/a>, or onsite by completing a bye request form up until pairings are posted for the round for which a bye is requested. Byes that have already been requested may be changed or cancelled in the same manner. Initial wall charts will be posted at the tournament before play begins to show any round for which a player has requested a bye; players should always check their wall chart to make sure that the information shown for them is correct.\u00a0(See<\/em> Extended Explanations<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for more information about byes<\/em>.)<\/p>\n The following prizes are awarded:<\/p>\n (See<\/em> Extended Explanations<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for more information about prizes<\/em>.)<\/p>\n The entry fee for the 2023-24 Series is $16 for each tournament (unchanged from last year!). Entry is in advance only. Participants may enter by using the mail-in entry form<\/a>, paying by check payable to Cincinnati Scholastic Chess,\u00a0 or online<\/a>, paying through PayPal with a credit card or PayPal account. The entry deadline is always noon on the Friday before the subject tournament (that is, 12:00 noon on Friday for a Saturday tournament). Players may sign up for multiple tournaments on a single entry form. Select the desired section for the earliest tournament entered. A player may change sections for future tournaments provided that he or she meets the membership and rating requirements of the section into which he or she wishes to move.<\/p>\n Refunds:<\/em>\u00a0If a player withdraws from a tournament before it begins, we will refund the entry fee, less any transaction fee, or (at the player\u2019s\/parent\u2019s choice) transfer it to a future tournament in the 2023-24 Series, provided that we receive notice of the withdrawal by text to 513-600-9915 or email to\u00a0info@chesscincinnati.com<\/a>\u00a0before 8:00 am on the morning of the tournament for which the entry fee was paid.<\/p>\n No-shows:<\/em>\u00a0We will neither refund nor transfer an entry fee if a player who entered a tournament fails to show up to play the scheduled games without giving us notice of withdrawing as indicated in the preceding paragraph.<\/p>\n Withdrawals:<\/em>\u00a0A player may withdraw from a tournament after it has started; however,\u00a0the player must notify a tournament director that he or she is withdrawing before pairings are done for the next round<\/strong>. Leaving a tournament early without notice is bad for everyone \u2014 please don\u2019t do it!<\/em><\/p>\n Forfeits:<\/em>\u00a0Any player arriving at the tournament after play has started in round 1 and who has not requested a round 1 bye will forfeit his or her round 1 game. For later rounds, players who did not request a bye for a given round and do not appear at their assigned board before 15 minutes has elapsed from the start of the round 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.<\/p>\n (See<\/em> Extended Explanations<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>for more information about withdrawals and forfeits<\/em>.)<\/p>\n CSC provides boards, pieces, clocks, scoresheets and writing implements for players at all Series tournaments. Players may use their own scorebooks, scoresheets (including approved electronic scoresheets), and writing implements if they wish to do so.<\/p>\n Use the links below to navigate immediately to a particular topic of interest:<\/p>\n About Tournament Format and Sections<\/a> Each tournament is in a Swiss format, which means that the players in the tournament are divided into groups, called sections, based on\u00a0their rating or their school grade. The purpose of having different sections is to optimize parity of skill and competitiveness among players; every player plays only other players in his or her own section. (Sections and ratings are explained further below.) Every player in every section plays all four rounds, regardless of his or her game results, except in the following situations: (1) A player who arrives late for a tournament might not play round 1. (2) When there is an odd number of players in a section for any round, one player is necessarily left without an opponent; that player is said to be \u201cpaired out\u201d. (3) A player may choose not to play a particular round of a tournament by requesting a bye or withdrawing from the tournament before all rounds have been played. (Byes and withdrawals are explained further below.) In some sections, as specified below, players are required to take notation, which means recording all the moves of a game while the game is being played. (See Additional Information below regarding instructions for taking notation.)<\/p>\n Each round has a time limit, called a time control, expressed as G\/30;d5 (\u201cgame in 30 minutes with a five-second delay\u201d). This means that each player has 30 minutes for the entire game, with a 5-second delay at each move before a player\u2019s clock starts to run. Accordingly, a round could last up to about an hour. All players must use a chess clock; chess clocks are provided for use at each tournament.<\/p>\n Sections for the 2023-24 Series are listed below. All sections except the K-6 Non-Rated section<\/em> are rated sections, meaning that the results of all games in these sections are reported to the USCF for rating purposes. Based on these results, unrated players will earn a rating, and players who already had a rating will have their rating recalculated.\u00a0 (Every player is unrated when he or she plays in a rated section for the first time.) A player\u2019s \u201cnatural\u201d section is the lowest section for which the player is eligible by rating. Players may play in their natural section or \u201cplay up,\u201d which means to play in any section higher than one\u2019s natural section. Membership in the US Chess Federation (USCF) is required to play in any rated section. Players entered in a rated section may change into another rated section (up or down) provided that they (1) satisfy the rating requirement of the section they wish to move into and (2) request the change no later than the tournament\u2019s entry deadline (noon on the day before the tournament). Players may move from the K-6 Non-Rated section into a rated section of a later tournament, provided that they have a current USCF membership. Once a player has an official USCF rating, he or she is no longer eligible to play in the K-6 Non-Rated section.<\/p>\n Back to Links<\/a><\/p>\n A rating is a numerical measure of a player\u2019s skill at chess. The US Chess Federation (USCF) calculates different ratings for different over-the-board (otb) time controls, based on the total playing time<\/em> for the game. The total playing time is the sum of the “thinking” time, expressed in minutes, allowed to each player plus the time, expressed in seconds, for the delay or increment allowed at each move. For example, the time control for Series tournaments is G\/30;d5, meaning that each player has 30 minutes of “thinking” time for the game with a 5-second delay at each move; so the total playing time is 30 minutes + (5 seconds x 60) = 35 minutes. (In shorthand, the total playing time is mm+ss<\/em>.) The different ratings calculated by the USCF are as follows:<\/p>\n If the total playing time is between 30 and 65 minutes inclusive (30 \u2264 mm+ss \u2264 65), the game is dual rated<\/em>, meaning that it is included in the calculations for both Quick<\/em> and Regular<\/em> ratings. Series games are dual rated. The USCF also calculates separate ratings for online play, using different time controls.<\/p>\n With respect to otb ratings, a player earns a rating by playing in a section for which the game results are reported to the US Chess Federation (USCF), which calculates players\u2019 ratings based on the results reported. It is not necessary that a player already have a rating in order to play in a rated tournament \u2014 in fact, every player must play in at least one tournament as an unrated player because that is the only way to get a rating to begin with. The lowest rating a player can have is 100. A player earns a rating as soon as the result of his or her first rated game is reported, but the rating is not official<\/em> until the results of four games have been reported. A player who does not yet have an official USCF rating is unrated<\/em>, meaning that he or she has played fewer than four\u00a0rated<\/em>\u00a0games altogether (regardless of how many tournaments he or she has played in). Since most tournaments are four or more rounds, a player usually earns an official rating after playing in only one rated tournament. A rating is indicated as provisional<\/em> if it is based on at least four rated games but no more than 25. Provisional ratings typically fluctuate greatly as new results are reported, and are indicated in various ways: 1150 (P15)<\/em>, 1150P15 <\/em>and 1150\/15<\/em>, where P<\/em>, if it occurs, stands for provisional<\/em>, and the number after the \u201cP<\/em>\u201d or \u201c\/\u201d indicates the number of games on which the rating is based. To summarize:<\/p>\n \u201cUnrated\u201d and \u201cnon-rated\u201d mean different things. \u201cUnrated\u201d refers to a\u00a0player<\/em>\u00a0who has not yet earned an official rating. \u201cNon-rated\u201d refers to a\u00a0tournament\u00a0<\/em>or\u00a0section<\/em>\u00a0and means that the results of its games are not reported to the USCF (therefore the USCF does not calculate a rating for players involved). Because USCF membership is not required to play in a non-rated section, the cost of the membership can therefore be avoided. An unrated player has the choice of playing in a rated section (if a USCF member), where he or she will earn a rating, or in a non-rated section, where he or she will not earn a rating. Once a player gets an official rating, he or she is no longer eligible to play in the Series non-rated section (but might be eligible to play in the non-rated section of some other tournament depending on the requirements specified for that tournament).<\/p>\n Back to Links<\/a><\/p>\n A bye is a round in which a player does not play a scheduled game. There are three types of byes:<\/p>\n Back to Links<\/a><\/p>\n Players must be current members of the US Chess Federation (USCF) to play in any rated section of a Series tournament. USCF dues are additional to entry fees. Participants can purchase or renew a USCF membership directly online at\u00a0www.uschess.org<\/a>\u00a0or through CSC as part of entering any Series tournament.<\/p>\n Purchasing a USCF membership comes with the option of purchasing a subscription to either\u00a0Chess Life<\/em>\u00a0($12.00) or\u00a0Chess Life for Kids<\/em>\u00a0($6.00) magazine in print format, at the additional charge indicated. 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.<\/p>\n Back to Links<\/a><\/p>\n 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:<\/p>\n Trophies are not awarded in the K-6 Non-Rated section, although players who move from the K-6 Non-Rated section to a rated section during the season will be eligible for class trophies based on their scores in any rated<\/em> sections. Moreover, a player who moves from the K-6 Non-Rated section to rated play can count, for class trophy purposes, one score achieved in the K-6 Non-Rated section.<\/p>\n Back to Links<\/a><\/p>\n In the following paragraphs the term \u201cplayer\u201d should be understood to include the player and his or her parent(s) as applicable.<\/p>\n Withdrawals:<\/em>\u00a0In addition to withdrawing before a tournament begins, a player may also withdraw from a tournament after it has started (but with no refund or transfer of the entry fee). However,\u00a0the player must notify a tournament director that he or she is withdrawing before pairings are done for the next round<\/strong>. A player who leaves the tournament without notifying a tournament director will be paired in the next round as if still present and playing. This results in a forfeit for the player who left, deprives that player\u2019s opponent of a game, and can cause other problems for players and tournament directors.\u00a0Leaving a tournament early without notice is bad for everyone \u2014 please don\u2019t do it!<\/em><\/p>\n Forfeits:<\/em>\u00a0Any player arriving at the tournament after play has started in round 1 and who has not requested a round 1 bye will forfeit his or her round 1 game. Starting with the second round and for the remainder of the tournament, players who did not request a bye for a given round and do not appear at their assigned board for that round before half of their time for the time control (for all Series tournaments, that is 15 minutes) has elapsed will forfeit that game and be withdrawn from the tournament. A player who abandons a game in progress likewise forfeits. A player is considered to have abandoned a game if he or she (1) began the game by making one or more moves, (2) left the board and did not return for the duration of the round, and (3) did not resign or accept a draw offer before leaving the board. A player will score zero for any round forfeited. Any player withdrawn from the tournament because of a forfeit may ask the chief tournament director for readmission, but it is entirely at the chief tournament director\u2019s discretion whether to readmit him or her.<\/p>\n Back to Links<\/a><\/p>\n A crosstable is a table that shows all players\u2019 results in a tournament by section. The crosstable can take different forms. We post two different versions on this website; the differences below the two versions are explained below.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Event Summary<\/strong>\u00a0is created by the US Chess Federation from the rating report that we, the tournament directors, submit to the USCF to report the results of the tournament. The Event Summary includes only the rated sections, because the Non-Rated section is 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 place to go (in addition to the USCF website,\u00a0www.uschess.org<\/a>) to see how a player\u2019s 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 (\u201cfinal\u201d) rating,\u00a0without taking tiebreaks into consideration<\/em>. For that reason players are often listed in an order different from that in the Final Standings document.<\/p>\n The\u00a0Final Standings<\/strong>\u00a0document is created from the tournament software that we use to run the tournament. It shows all sections, including the Non-Rated section, 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. It does not include new USCF ratings for players in the rated sections. It does include final (\u201cpost\u201d) ratings for the players in the Non-Rated section, but these are not USCF ratings. They are calculated by our pairing software, and we use them only for pairing purposes in the next tournament.<\/p>\n Back to Links<\/a><\/p>\n In addition to knowing how to play the game and the information on this page, players are expected to be familiar with the basic rules of tournament chess. We have prepared the following documents to aid those looking for more information about tournament chess generally:<\/p>\n<\/a>Core Information<\/h2>\n
Tournament Format and Sections<\/h3>\n
Dates and Venues<\/h3>\n
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Ratings<\/h3>\n
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Schedule<\/h3>\n
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Byes<\/h3>\n
Prizes<\/h3>\n
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Entry and Entry Fees<\/h3>\n
Withdrawals and Forfeits<\/h3>\n
Equipment<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Extended Explanations<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Anchor Links<\/h3>\n
\nAbout Ratings<\/a>
\nAbout Byes<\/a>
\nAbout US Chess Federation Membership<\/a>
\nAbout Prizes<\/a>
\nAbout Withdrawals and Forfeits<\/a>
\nAbout Event Summaries and Standings<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>About Tournament Format and Sections<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>About Ratings<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>About Byes<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>About US Chess Federation Membership<\/h3>\n
<\/a>About Prizes<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>About Withdrawals and Forfeits<\/h3>\n
<\/a>About Event Summaries and Standings<\/h3>\n
<\/a>Additional Information<\/h2>\n
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