Youth Championship
April 4-5, 2026
Ages 4-20; USCF Rated
Sections: | Saturday Under 300 | Sunday Under 300 | Saturday Under 600 | Sunday Under 600 | Under 1000 | Under 1500 | Over 1500 |
Round Times: | 9am, 10:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm | 9am, 10:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm | 9am, 10:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm | 9am, 10:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4:30pm | Saturday: 9am - 1pm - 4:30pm Sunday: 9am - 1pm | ||
Time Control: | G/30; inc 5 | G/30; inc 5 | G/30; inc 5 | G/30; inc 5 | G/75, inc 30 sec/move | ||
Trophies: | Top 4 Individuals + Top Team/Club | Top 4 Individuals + Top Team/Club | Top 5 Individuals + Top Team/Club | Top 5 Individuals + Top Team/Club | Top 6 Individuals + Top 2 Teams/Clubs | Top 6 Individuals + Top 2 Teams/Clubs | Top 6 Individuals + Top 2 Teams/Clubs |
Entry Fee: | $30 by 1/31/2026 $35 by 2/28 $40 by 3/31 $50 on 4/1 or after | $30 by 1/31/2026 $35 by 2/28 $40 by 3/31 $50 on 4/1 or after | $30 by 1/31/2026 $35 by 2/28 $40 by 3/31 $50 on 4/1 or after | $30 by 1/31/2026 $35 by 2/28 $40 by 3/31 $50 on 4/1 or after | $80 by 1/31/2026 $85 by 2/28 $95 by 3/31 $120 on 4/1 or after |
Important Notes:
1 - Same Day Registration: Saturday from 7:30am - 8:30am. Any registrations Saturday morning after 8:30am will be accepted but with a half point bye in round 1.
2 - Awards Ceremony: Will begin 20 minutes after the last game has finished. Recipients are responsible for arranging delivery and/or replacement of awards not claimed at site. They are not eligible to be picked up before the Awards Ceremony.
3 - Tiebreaks: In case of ties, each player will be named Co-Champion. Trophies will be awarded according to tiebreaks. Tiebreaks will be as follows: 1. Modified Median
2. Median 3. Solkoff 4. Sonneborn-Berger 5. Cumulative 6. Coin flip. For Club/Team tiebreaks, they will be decided by: 1. Total Individual Median 2. Total Solkoff 3. Total Sonneborn-Berger 4. Total Cumulative 5. Coin Flip
4 - Section Changes & Club Changes/Additions: Section changes, Team/Club changes, adding of a team/club member, or any section changes are accepted for no fee until Sunday March 30 midnight. On April 1 or after, any change/addition will be accepted with a fee of $20 until round 2 begins. After round 2 begins, there are no section changes, club/team additions, or member additions. There are no exceptions to this policy.
5 - Official Rating: Ratings on April 1 will be the official rating used. Other ratings may be used if higher on other rating lists. If you pre-register and your rating changes you will be moved up automatically or down on request. The decision of the chief tournament director regarding player or team eligibility, rating adjustments, unofficial ratings, or similar issues is final.
6 - Refund/Withdrawal Policies: All refund requests of tournament entry fees will be granted with a fee of $20 per tournament. Refunds are offered up to April 2 midnight EST. If you wish to withdraw, please contact a tournament director and notify him/her of this withdrawal.
7 - Byes: 1, half point bye is available including for the last round. They must be requested 2 hours prior to the start of round 2 and are irrevocable once requested.
8 - Club/Teams Definition: We will be adhering to the rules US Chess outlines in their Scholastic Regulations. US Chess recognizes two types of club teams for Youth events:
14.2.1 A School Club is a club whose team members meet together in any brick-and-mortar school, home
school, or virtual school. School club players shall be students who go to the same school and
meet the attendance criteria of Section 14.2.4 below.
14.2.2 An Outside Club is a club who draws its players from different schools and whose players meet
together regularly as described in Section 14.2.4 below. Outside clubs may meet at any location.
14.2.3 A group of students who receive individual private lessons from the same coach are not a club.
14.2.4 Any student who desires to play for a School or Outside club must attend at least six regularly
scheduled club meetings over a period of at least three months immediately preceding the
tournament and must be verified by the club president or designated club official. A club team
member cannot count more than two attendances for any seven consecutive days for purposes of
this regulation.
14.2.4.1 A student who attends both a School Club and an Outside Club is eligible to play for
either club. However, the player may not change clubs once the tournament begins, even if the player meets all Section 14.2.4 attendance criteria for both clubs.
14.2.5 A club/team must contain a minimum of two players to be eligible for club/team prizes.
14.2.6 There is no maximum number of players who may compete on a club team. Only the top three scores will count toward the club/team score.
14.2.7 Bonus points will not be added to team or individual scores. Points cannot be transferred between
sections unless the player has changed sections. The section change must be authorized by the
Chief TD for the tournament.
14.2.8 The Coach or designated adult accompanying the club team is responsible for assuring that all of
his or her players are properly registered and eligible to participate as members of the team.
9 - Questions: hanleychessacademy@gmail.com