40th Annual Vermont State Scholastic Chess Championships

This tournament is open to Vermont students in grades K through 12. Participants must be Vermont residents or be enrolled in a Vermont public or private school. No prior tournament experience is necessary. Home schooled students are eligible, as long as they are Vermont residents and under 19 years of age. Home schooled students in a program that doesn't use traditional grade levels should enroll in a section appropriate to their age.

High School, 8th and 5th Grade sections serve as a qualifier for national-level tournaments, so they are USCF rated. A current USCF membership is required for participation in those sections. Please make certain that your membership is current prior to registration. You may obtain or update a USCF membership online at https://uschess.org.

All players must pre-register for the event. No walk-ins allowed. Registration closes on March 29th. Registration may close prior to March 29th due to space limitations. Online registration only, no entries will be accepted via mail or email.

High School, 8th and 5th Grade sections will be USCF rated. A current USCF membership is required for participation in those sections.

• All rated section (High School / 8th / 5th Grade) games will use a chess clock.
• Matches will be “Game 30, Delay 0” meaning each player will have 30 minutes, for a total of 1 hour maximum per game, with no clock delay and no increment per move.
• Clocks will be provided.
• USCF players are required to notate their games. If unfamiliar with notation, do your best. Notation becomes optional for both players once there is 5 minutes or less left on the clock for either player.

K-4th and 6-7th Grade sections will be unrated, and USCF membership is not required.

• First round pairing will be by random draw in these unrated sections.
• Pairing for subsequent rounds will follow Swiss pairing rules, which matches players who have accumulated a similar score for the day's event.
• All games in each round are expected to be completed within one hour.
• Any game lasting longer than 40 minutes will have a clock applied to assure timely completion.
• Players are encouraged to notate their games (i.e. write down each move as it is made) but it is not required.

The tournament will be held at Lamoille Union High School, 736 VT-15, Hyde Park, VT 05655. Parking is available at the school parking lot.