2015 Greater New York Scholastics:

Answers To Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I check-in? You don’t need to check in if you’ve already registered and paid the entry fee. You already paid, so we expect you to be here by 10:00 am! If you have not yet paid or registered, or if your USCF membership is not current, on the other hand, you had better do that before 8:30 am!

What time is the next round?

In all five of the Varsity Sections, the games begin at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm both days (the Varsity Sections are a total of six games over both days: three games Saturday and three games Sunday). All the other, Non-Varsity Sections are five games each but one day only. The games begin for the Non-Varsity Sections at: 10:00 am, 12:00 pm, 1:30 pm, 3:00 pm and 4:30 pm.

The Saturday Non-Varsity Sections which are only on Saturday are: the K-1 Under 500, the Primary Under 400 , the Primary Under 1000, the Junior High Under 700 and the Junior High Under 1300.

The Sunday Non-Varsity Sections which are only on Sunday are: the Elementary Under 700, the Elementary Under 1200, the High School Under 1400 and the High School Under 1900.

Do we have to use clocks? Yes, if either player has one. We will supply the chess sets for the tournament games, but not the clocks.

What are the correct clock settings? In all the Varsity Sections, the clocks should be set for one hour each player, with a 10-second time delay for each move for each player. In all the Non-Varsity Sections, the clocks should be set for 30 minutes each player, with a 5-second delay for each player. If you have a clock without a time delay, set it the same as above, except that you don’t set a delay if the clock doesn’t have a delay.

How long do the games last? The games in the Non-Varsity Sections could last up to an hour, or even a bit more if both players take all their time. The games in the Varsity Sections could last over twice as long. Generally, the older and more experienced the players are, the longer the games take. Probably the K-1 games will be done pretty quickly, and the High School games will take a lot longer.

Where do I wait while the players are playing their games? Some schools with lots of players have team rooms. These team room assignments should be posted at the hotel and maybe on the tournament website as well. If you don’t have a school team room, then the waiting areas would be in the Ballroom D/E Foyer and the Foyer on the outside of Salons F, G, H and I.

Where are the games played? The Varsity Sections will be playing in Salon I (High School and Junior High Varsity), Salons G and H (any overflow from Junior High Varsity, plus Elementary and Primary Varsity) and Salon F (any overflow from Primary Varsity plus K-1 Varsity). Players enter and exit the Varsity sections using the ballroom doors in the Foyer outside Salons F, G, H and I.

The K-1 Under 500, Primary Under 700, Primary Under 1000, Junior High Under 700 and Junior High Under 1300 Sections will be play in Salons D and E in the Grand Ballroom on Saturday. The Elementary Under 700, Elementary Under 1200, High School Under 1400 and High School Under 1900 Sections will also play in Salons D and E in the Grand Ballroom on Sunday.

When and where are the trophies awarded? The Awards Ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm Sunday for the Varsity Sections. The Awards Ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 6:30 pm on the day of your tournament for the other sections. We had originally scheduled the Non-Varsity Sections to begin at 6:00 pm, but we later decided that it’s better and less disruptive to have them all begin at 6:30 pm. The Awards Ceremonies should take place in the same general areas as the games, because the trophies will already be in the rooms. However, if we change the exact Awards Ceremony locations we will post this outside the rooms and announce it as well.

How do I know whom I should play? The pairings should be posted a few minutes before each game, in the foyers outside the entrances to the playing rooms above. Look for your name posted on the yellow pairing sheets, check to see which Board Number you have been assigned (the Board Numbers are on the far left-hand side of the yellow sheet), and check if you are supposed to play White or Black. MAKE SURE YOU ALSO CHECK YOUR OPPONENT’S NAME TOO— we don’t want you playing the wrong person or with the wrong colors!

What if I can’t play all the games? In that case we need to know that! We expect that you will play all your games, and if you don’t tell us otherwise ahead of time, you will get paired against somebody and then end up losing your game on forfeit. We don’t want that. If you know ahead of time that you can’t play, we can give you half-point byes (unrated draws) for up to two such unplayed games (in the Varsity Sections you’re allowed up to three half-point byes). However, if you want half-point byes, you need to request them before Round 3 and then after Round 3 starts you cannot take them away. If you need to request half-point byes because you won’t be able to play the first Round or because you have to miss both Round 1 and Round 2, we need to know that in advance, before you get to the hotel. If you want to request and commit to taking byes beginning in Round 3, we don’t want to know this until after you get to the hotel, in case you change your mind in the meantime (but you have to commit to the byes before Round 3 in any case). If you’re in the Varsity Sections, you can skip Saturday and play the three games on Sunday, and you can take three byes for Saturday’s games when you register for the Varsity games on Sunday. If it’s too late for half-point byes, but you are not going to come to the next game, then we still need to know that. WE DON’T WANT YOU TO GET PAIRED AND LOSE BY FORFEIT!

Who gets a trophy? The top 12 scorers as well as the top three Unrated Players in each section (you only get one trophy, the bigger one). The six top-scoring school teams win a trophy too. Please check to make sure that you are listed under your correct school (NOT your Chess Club), otherwise your school’s team score may not be counted correctly. You need to have at least two players from the SAME school playing in the same section to count as a team. The two top-scoring players in grades 4, 5 and 6 in the Junior High Under 700, the two top-scoring players in grades 7, 8 and 9 in the High School Under 1400, and the six top-scoring players in Kindergarten and below in K-1 Varsity also win a plaque (and you can win both a plaque and a trophy)! Any player who scores four or more points (or five or more in the Varsity Sections) and who does NOT win a trophy will instead receive a medal!

How many points do I need to get a trophy?! Five points is a pretty good bet (six points even better)! Otherwise you need to check to see how the other players in your section are doing and see who could get more points than you.

In the High School sections, there are also Mixed Doubles Bonus prizes as well! A Mixed Doubles Team is a special kind of team: only two players, one male and one female, and they don’t have to play in the same section or even attend the same school. But the average rating of both Mixed Doubles teammates must be Under 2000. The two top-scoring Mixed Doubles Teams after five rounds among all three High School Sections win additional months of free entries! Both players on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Place Mixed Doubles team receive an engraved chess set! You register as a Mixed Doubles team on-site only, before both players begin Round 2 and it does not cost anything extra!

What about the free entry prizes? Those prizes could save you many hundreds of dollars in entry fees into Continental Chess tournaments! The details of how many prizes, how long they are valid, and what tournaments they do and do not include (for example, the free entries do NOT include the Liberty Bell Open and the New York State Scholastics in Saratoga Springs), are indicated on the tournament website:

www.gnyscc.com and also on The Chess Center of New York website at www.chesscenter.cc as well.

There must be more rules? Like “Touch Move,” “en passant,” etc.? Of course! The rules we have posted here and on our website are used for this tournament. Other rules also apply, and they are found in the Official US Chess Federation Rulebook, 6th Edition (which might even be on sale at the tournament). We have a number of National Tournament Directors at this event (that’s the highest level recognized by the US Chess Federation, BTW), and they have a lot of experience dealing with a lot of strange things in these tournaments.

How are the tiebreaks calculated? By computer! The tiebreak rules are somewhat complicated, and they are listed in the orange Parents’ And Coaches’ Guides at the tournament and also posted on our website. The trophies and plaques and free entries are awarded using the players’ final standings, using tiebreaks to break ties, if necessary. However, ONLY for players who score 5-0 (or 6-0), we have a special speed playoff, because tiebreaks do not work for players who have perfect 5-0 or 6-0 scores.

How are the pairings made? By computer (hopefully)! See above.

How many rating points do I get? You should wait until Monday and check the USCF’s website at: http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrLst.php

NOTE: The standings listed on the USCF website DO NOT INCLUDE ANY TIEBREAKS! They are often listed in a different order than the order in which we award the trophies, because our standings include the correct tiebreaks (hopefully)!

Where do I get food? The Marriott Hotel has a special buffet prepared for the Chess Tournament beginning about 12:00 Noon and going for a couple of hours. The hotel has a strict policy of not permitting outside food being brought into the meeting rooms or areas, so please don’t get yourself (and us) in trouble!

What if I get nervous or bored while my kid is playing? In that case, we have a special tournament for you— actually two special tournaments! Each one is a separate, one-day tournament, called the Parents and Friends Tournament. Each one begins at 12:00 Noon (register on-site only between 11:00 – 11:40 am). Each one is four games, 30 minutes + 5-second delay each player, rated by the US Chess Federation (USCF membership is required therefore). The entry fee is only $30 each day, but parents, coaches or those affiliated with the Greater NY Scholastics (as well as alumni from previous years) get a $10 discount! Trophies are awarded to the top 3, the top Under 1200 and the Top Unrated each day! The game times are 12:00, 1:30, 3:00 and 4:30 pm each day (two half-point byes are available each day if you lock them in by 1:30 pm). You have to supply your own set and clock for this one!

MORE QUESTIONS?? Check our website at www.gnyscc.com for more information!

Thank you for playing in and supporting the US Chess Federation’s longest-running scholastic chess tournament, now in its 49th edition!