FAQ's
We noticed that the dates are April 15 through 17. Do we have to be there all days?
I do not know which section to place my child in. Can you help?
Why do all the sections start with K?
What else is being offerred at the Regionals?
What does the $5 team discount on the application mean?
My child is not a member of any school team can s/he compete?
My child is home schooled, can s/he compete for a team?
How do I know that my child is registered?
We noticed that the dates are April
15 through 17. Do we have to be there all days?
No! Friday, April 15 is a very optional day with Blitz (5 minute) and Bughouse
(team) Chess. Most major tournaments offer these special events to provide those
individuals who enjoy Blitz and Bughouse chess an opportunity to compete and
win trophies. Entry to these events is free if you stay overnight at the Crowne
Plaza (the host hotel) adjacent to the San Jose Convention Center. For other
participants it is $10.
Students in grades four and up are expected to compete on both Saturday and Sunday.
However, a half point bye-a game you do not show up for and is recorded as a
draw-may be provided for any round if requested in advance of round number one.
Players may also request zero point bye's for any other round. So if a player
in grades four could not attend on Saturday, they could play on Sunday with a
half point credited if asked in advance. Obviously it would be near impossible
to obtain one of the 20 place trophies under this scenario.
Students in kindergarten through third grade play only on Saturday, April 16.
I do not know which section
to place my child in. Can you help?
I can try! If your child is in kindergarten, s/he would normally play in the
Kindergarten Division. If your child is in first grade through third grade-these
grades are referred to as Primary--s/he has two possibilities: Primary Junior
Varsity(unrated through 700) or Primary Varsity(open). If your first, second
or third grade child has never competed in a United States Chess Federation tournament
then s/he would be unrated and this would be the section of choice. If your first,
second or third grade child has competed in US Chess Federations tournaments,
but their rating is below 700 they probably should compete in this division.
If your child is a USCF member, you can check their rating at http://www.uschess.org/ms/MbrLst.php.
The Primary Varsity(open) section is mainly for experienced first, second or
third grade players whose USCF ratings are above 700. However, since it is an
open division, any kindergarten, first, second or third grade player, experienced
or not, is welcome to enter this division.
The same basic information applies to the Elementary School sections. Elementary
School is used in tournaments to refer to students attending fourth, fifth and
sixth grade. So this is the division of choice for these students. Any unrated
fourth, fifth or sixth grade student or one with a rating under 800 should register
for the Elementary School Junior Varsity (unrated and under 800) section. Those
players in fourth, fifth and sixth grades with rating above 800 would want to
enter the Elementary School Varsity (open) section. Once again, this later division
is open and that means that if a player unrated or under 800 who is in kindergarten
through sixth grade wants to compete here, they are welcome.
The same principles can be applied to the Junior High School and High School
divisions. If you have any other questions about which division of the California
Northern Regional Scholastic Championships is correct or best for your child,
please do not hesitate to call me at (510) 657-1586 or send e-mail to Alan@calnorthyouthchess.org
Why do all the sections start
with K?
We follow the national scholastic guidelines. These are designed to permit school
teams to enter students from lower grades in upper division competition to aid
their teams if they so wish. Candidly, this is not something that is done very
often and many coaches discourage movement of players to a much higher division.
However, for a few players this provides them with the opportunity to compete
against experienced players that would provide them with better competition.
We already have one third grade player who entered the Elementary School Varsity
division as his rating and ability are equal, if not superior, to our top sixth
grade competitors.
What else is being offerred at
the Regionals?
I am also pleased to inform you that the California Northern Regionals will offer
only educational chess events for the parents and other spectators while the
children play. This is something you should expect from a major scholastic chess
tournament. During the day on Saturday and Sunday, while the children play, parents
and others can attend a number of workshops and seminars. Among these will be
National Expert Frisco del Rosario explaining how you can use his new book, A
First Book of Morphy, to aid your children in improving their chess game. National
Master Art Wang will provide a demonstration on the new version of Chess Mentor
and explain why this inquiry engine has received critical acclaim throughout
the world. National Master Eric Schiller, author of too many books to list here
and coach of many of the Bay Area's top players, will talk with parents about
chess education. National Master Jim Eade, author of two very popular books,
Chess for Dummies and the Chess Players Bible, will provide some background into
his extensive experiences in the chess world.
As mentioned previously, our International Masters Ricardo DeGuzman and John
Grefe will comment on the living games projected on a massive screen in the spectators
room. IM DeGuzman will also volunteer his time to analyze any players game at
a table outside the tournament hall. On Saturday evening, IM De Guzman, IM Grefe
and Senior Master Dmitry Zilberstein will play simuls against any adults or children
who are feel they are up to the challenge. Prizes will be award to any participant
who draws or defeats them. As an added incentive, any Crowne Plaza Hotel guest
will have the ten dollar fee for the simul waved. The Crowne Plaza is offering
a special $85 rate (up to 4 in a room) that includes all day parking. For guaranteed
space please reserve before March 24 by calling 1-408-998-0400 and mention that
you are with the CalNorth chess tournament.
What does the $5 team discount
on the application mean?
The $5 discount per application is awarded only to those forms sent in by a school
coach in packets of four or more. We have found that the coaches check the applications
for errors in ratings and for proper sections and that saves our secretaries
a lot of time and so the discount.
My child is not a member of any school
team can s/he compete?
Definitely! Chess is an individual sport and teams only add another flavor to
the competition.
My child is home schooled, can s/he
compete for a team?
I am afraid not. However, as noted above, home school students can compete as
individuals similar to the majority of the entrants.
How do I know that my child is registered?
Entries are posted every few days at http://www.calnorthyouthchess.org/CalNorthRegionals2005/ENTRIES.html
The posting lists each players division, USCF rating, grade and school.