Tag: scholastic

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7th AGCA Scholastic Tournament

We are hosting an In-Person USCF Rated Scholastic Tournament on May 11, 2024 from 10:00 AM – 2:30 PM.  USCF Membership required.   Capacity: 52 players! 

LOCATION:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy
7801 North Lamar Blvd
Suite A123
Austin, TX 78752
Free parking provided!

TOURNAMENT STYLE:
SECTION A: 1000 – 1400 USCF rating
SECTION B: 600 – 1000 USCF rating
SECTION C: Under 600 USCF rating and/or unrated.
*Note that no player will be allowed to play up or down*
*USCF MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED*

RATING INFORMATION:
● May 2024 official USCF ratings will be used.

4-Round Swiss System Schedule (G/30,d5)
●  1st round: 10:00 AM
●  2nd round: 11:00 AM
●  Lunch break: 12:00 PM
●  3rd round: 12:30 PM.
●  4th round: 1:30 PM.
●  Closing ceremony: After the last game finishes.
NOTE: Half-point byes are acceptable for all rounds, limit 1. Must commit before the 1st round.

PLAYERS MAY NOT POSSESS CELL PHONES DURING THE TOURNAMENT. Please leave your phone at home, in your car, or turned off (vibrate/silent not acceptable) on top of your table. 

ENTRY FEES:
●  Online: $50 at https://austin-chess.com/tournaments/school_tournament_may by May 10, 2024 at 11:59 pm.
●  Late: $60  via PayPal or cash (if space is available) May 11th
For additional questions, please contact us at info@austin-chess.com

PRIZES:
●  Trophies for 1st place (in each section)
● Medals for 2nd and 3rd place (in each section)

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you do not wish to participate in our tournament after paying the entry fee, please email us at info@austin-chess.com no later than 24 hours in advance for a refund. We reserve the right to charge a $15 service fee for cancellations. 

WITHDRAWAL POLICY: If you would like to withdraw from the tournament after it begins, please alert the tournament director and sign a withdrawal form in the lobby prior to leaving the premises. 
NO refunds will be issued after the tournament begins. 

NO-SHOW POLICY: There are NO refunds or credit for players who do not show up for their scheduled tournament matches.

Please contact us at info@austin-chess.com for any additional questions or concerns. 

See our Online TLA!

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April Austin Monthly Scholastic – G/45 Sections

Rated 5SS in two sections (K-5 Championship and K-12 Elite) playing G/45, d5, offered by the Atlantic Chess Association on 4/20/2024. This event is limited to scholastic players. Limit 24 players pers section due to venue constraints. Read the description and register online: https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/4073  

Location
Bethany United Methodist Church
10010 Anderson Mill Rd
Austin, TX 78750

Sections

  • K-12 Elite
  • K-5 Championship 

Note: The Monthly Austin Scholastic Tournament is open to all players in elementary, middle, and high school. There is a separate tournament for K-12 participants with a faster time control (G/30; d5). Registration for the G/30 tournament is available at https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/4074

Schedule
FIVE Rounds at a time control of G/45, d5

  • Onsite registration : BEFORE 8 AM
    No check-in necessary if you have pre-registered.
  • Round One: 9:00 AM
  • Round Two: 10:45 AM
  • Round Three: 1:00 PM 
  • Round Three: 2:45 PM 
  • Round Four: 4:30 PM

An awards ceremony will be held immediately after all games in a section finish. Trophies and medals to top finishing individuals in each scholastic section; ribbons to all participants.

Limit two half-point byes. Byes must be committed 1 hr before Round 2.

Entry Fee
$40 by 3/31
$45 by 4/17
$50 on or after 4/18 (on-site registration closes 1 hour before Round 1).

Withdrawals requested via email before NOON on Friday 4/19/24 are eligible for a refund (minus a $10 processing fee). Full credit can be applied to any future tournament. No refunds for USCF memberships after purchased from USCF.

Registration link: https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/4073

Other Notes
This tournament is USCF-rated. Your USCF membership should not expire before 4/30/2024.

Boards and pieces will be provided, but please bring your chess clock. Each player should have a chess clock to play. If you do not have one, chess clocks will be available for purchase onsite.

If both players do not have a clock AND the game does not finish within one hour, TDs will put a clock with 5 mins time for each player.

Questions
Please contact director@atlanticchessassociation.com if you have any questions.

View the ONLINE TLA!

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2024 Spring Del Valle Scholastic Chess Tournament

Scholastic chess tournament in SOUTH AUSTIN in multiple sections to be held on April 27, 2024. G/25, +5 inc. Trophies and medals awarded. Linke here for Final Results and awards! The tournament has been rated by the USCF.

Verify your entry on the Advance Entry (Pre-registration) list. 

Playing locations, etc: K-12 U1000, K-5 U600, and K-3 U400 will all be playing in the gym. The K-12 Elite/Open section plays in room 137. The cafeteria has been reserved for waiting families, coaches, and friends.  No spectators allowed in the playing room during the tournament games.

Concessions menu: Hot Dogs, Sausage Wraps, Frito Pie, Nachos, Chips, Sodas, Candy, Popcorn, Water, Powerade, and breakfast tacos.  You are also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks.) Only water bottles allowed a the chess board.

Read the Full Player Reminders! You are responsible for this information!

Basics

USCF rated chess tournament on April 27th in multiple RATED scholastic sections: K-3 U400, K-5 U600,  K-12 U1000,  and K-12 Elite (for players rated 950-1399). Please note: all scholastic players rated 1400 and over must play in the Open section. View the Advance Entry List online. Please note, at the tournament basic pairings will be posted each round in print.  However, please review the ONLINE standings link for pairings, wall chart info and team standings.

This is a Swiss-system tournament, so everyone plays all day—there is no “elimination.” Players must know how to play the game of chess! We follow USCF rules including: touch-move, mandatory clocks if available, and notation. K-3 and younger sections are excused from taking notation. Please review the Parent/Coach Responsibilities before registering

Location

Del Valle High School
5201 Ross Road
Del Valle, TX 78617

Eligibility

This is a rated tournament. You must have a USCF ID and your membership (can be purchased/renewed at check out or online with the USCF in advance of registration) . You can verify your USCF membership ID and expiration by visiting the USCF’s Member Services Area. Anyone can become a USCF member. Players new to tournament chess are welcome to play. Your USCF membership cannot expire before April 30, 2024. USCF memberships can be renewed/purchased at check-out. (New players in 3rd grade and below may request a non-member ID as a part of USCF’s Junior Tournament Player program during registration. JTPs ok in K-3 sections only.)

“Under” sections are only for students meeting the rating criteria. All players who are new to tournaments are eligible for their age appropriate ‘under’ section. (Look up your player’s rating here. Please email the registrar or ask your chess coach for placement information.
If your 6th grader attends an Elementary School, please contact the registrar for options. With enough registrations, any section may be divided into two sections so we can offer more prizes. Sections with fewer than 20 entries may be merged into a similar section to provide optimal pairings and competition. (Sections in this event have changed from the original tournament listing.  Thank you for your patience.)

Please note: April 2024 ‘Regular’ OTB ratings will be used for pairing purposes. If no regular rating is available, then other USCF ratings (quick, blitz, online) can and will be considered for section placement.  Requests to play down will not be honored. FYI: Any event that is rated after March 20th will not affect your April supplement rating, as those events takes place after April ratings are calculated.

All players in this event must be in 12th grade (or lower).

Schedule

No check-in necessary for preregistrations. We will make every attempt to contact you in advance if we see a problem with your registration. Verify your entry ONLINE!
8:00 a.m. Chess Control opens for onsite registration.  Onsite registrations before 9:30am accepted, but must start play in round 2.
8:30 a.m Announcements begin in all scholastic playing rooms.
Players and coaches should be present.
9:00 a.m. Rd 1 begins. Scholastic sections have 5 rds, G/25, +5.
9:00 a.m. Open section (different event allowing adults) begins. Open has 4 rounds, all rounds are are G/45, +5.
9:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Chess control open for event issues. No changes for round 1 (bye or section) allowed after online registration closes. Requests for byes, withdrawals, and player or school information edits go in effect immediately if made via email before the close of online registration. Changes requested onsite go into effect as of round 2.

Approximate Round Times

Scholastic Sections (all in the gym):
round 1 – 9:00am
round 2 – 11:00am
free puzzle contest – 12:05pm
round 3 – 12:45 pm
round 4 – 2:30 pm
round 5 – 4:00 pm

Notes

There will be some “down time” between rounds since many games will finish early. We will provide an area (outside the tournament room) for casual “skittles” chess and/or other indoor activities. Parents and/or coaches, please provide age-appropriate activities during the time between rounds. The organizers cannot baby-sit. No child should be left unattended!

Concessions menu: Hot Dogs, Sausage Wraps, Frito Pie, Nachos, Chips, Sodas, Candy, Popcorn, Water, Powerade, and breakfast tacos.  You are also welcome to bring your own lunch and snacks.) Only water bottles allowed a the chess board.

Proper handwashing, please!

Awards

Link here to Final Results and Awards!
Trophies & Medals to Top Contenders! Ribbons to all participants!

Trophies to the top individuals in each scholastic section. Trophies to the top teams in all sections. Number of individual and team trophies will depend on number of entries. Chess medals will go to all players (excluding Open section) that finish the tournament with a positive score. Trophies to top players in each section. No teams in Open section, but special trophies will be awarded to the highest scoring Family & Child teams (Uncles, Aunts, Adult siblings, Parents, Grandparents, or coach paired with at least one scholastic aged player.)

Registration Information

Registration is now closed.

*$35 thru Saturday, 3/16/2024.
*$40 thru Saturday, 4/13/2024.
*Late entry $50 begins Sunday, 4/14/2024 and ENDS at 9am on Friday, 4/26/2024, at which time online entry closes.
*$60 Onsite entry, if space is available . Receives 1/2pt bye in round 1, and begins play in round 2.

Withdrawals requested via email before 9am on Friday 4/26/24 are eligible for a refund (minus a $10 service fee). No exceptions. No refunds for USCF memberships after purchased from the USCF. NO email/phone entries.

Please request byes when you register if possible. First bye receives 1/2-point. Further byes receive 0-points. Email the registrar to make changes to your requested byes. Deadline to add or remove a 1st round requested bye is 9am Friday 4/26/2024. All 1/2-point byes must be requested/removed before the end of round 2.

Email Lori Balkum, registrar (registrar@AustinChessTournaments.com) with other questions. No phone calls, please. Emails will be returned promptly.

Organized by Rocks & Rooks. Gary Gaiffe, tournament organizer (ggaiffe@att.net).

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CANCELLED – Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy April Scholastic

The scholastic tournament originally scheduled for April 06, 2024 at the Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy has been cancelled.  Thank you for your understanding.

LOCATION:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy
7801 North Lamar Blvd
Suite A123
Austin, TX 78752
Free parking provided!

TOURNAMENT STYLE:
SECTION A: 1000 – 1400 USCF rating
SECTION B: 600 – 1000 USCF rating
SECTION C: Under 600 USCF rating and/or unrated.
*Note that no player will be allowed to play up or down*
*USCF MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED*

RATING INFORMATION:
● April 2024 official USCF ratings will be used.

4-Round Swiss System Schedule (G/30,d5)
●  1st round: 10:00 AM
●  2nd round: 11:00 AM
●  Lunch break: 12:00 PM
●  3rd round: 12:30 PM.
●  4th round: 1:30 PM.
●  Closing ceremony: After the last game finishes.
NOTE: Half-point byes are acceptable for all rounds, limit 1. Must commit before the 1st round.

PLAYERS MAY NOT POSSESS CELL PHONES DURING THE TOURNAMENT. Please leave your phone at home, in your car, or turned off (vibrate/silent not acceptable) on top of your table. 

ENTRY FEES:
●  Online: $50 at https://austin-chess.com/tournaments/school_tournament_april/ by April 05, 2024 at 11:59 pm.
●  Late: $60  via PayPal or cash (if space is available) on the day of the event.
For additional questions, please contact us at info@austin-chess.com

PRIZES:
●  Trophies for 1st place (in each section)
● Medals for 2nd and 3rd place (in each section)

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you do not wish to participate in our tournament after paying the entry fee, please email us at info@austin-chess.com no later than 24 hours in advance for a refund. We reserve the right to charge a $15 service fee for cancellations. 

WITHDRAWAL POLICY: If you would like to withdraw from the tournament after it begins, please alert the tournament director and sign a withdrawal form in the lobby prior to leaving the premises. 
NO refunds will be issued after the tournament begins. 

NO-SHOW POLICY: There are NO refunds or credit for players who do not show up for their scheduled tournament matches.

Please contact us at info@austin-chess.com for any additional questions or concerns. 

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2024 NYOS Summer Chess Camp

SAVE THE DATE!

Description: A full day, week-long chess camp hosted by NYOS Charter School.  Located on the north side of Austin, the camp is open to all scholastic chess players, and is run by Mr. Gary Gaiffe. Great price for a full week of learning and fun!

Campers will be broken into skill level groups.  Different topics will be covered depending on which group the camper is in.  From tactics to positional play, game analysis to variant play, the camp will be both instructional and entertaining.  The final day will include a camp-wide tournament.

Dates and Times:  July 15-19; 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Location:           
NYOS Charter School
12301 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78753

Registration and Payment information:  View or download the camp flyer and camp registration form!

Questions:  Contact Gary Gaiffe at ggaiffe@att.net or 512-426-7841

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Mathnasium Summer Chess Camp #5 – Fantastic Finales

Description: A full-day, week-long chess camp, hosted by the Cedar Park Mathnasium from August 5-9, 2024.  Featuring Certified National Master Paul Chaplin. All scholastic players are invited to register!

Each camp features five exciting days of an immersive chess environment and a fun-filled focus on a special featurette highlight (description below). Chess Camps hosted by Mathnasium are engaging and fun! Sign up early for lowest fees! Limited attendance – first come first served!  For more information, link to the the camp website.

Fantastic Finales: Game ending crescendos and on-point techniques are investigated. Middlegames and endgames are served up with clarity — reminding us of a famous Lasker quote, “The hardest game to win is a won game”.

Date and Time: 5th camp session: August 5-9, 2024, 8am – 3pm

Registration: To register, please fill out the registration form. Instructions for turning in the registration form and making payment are on the form.

Location:
Cedar Park Mathnasium
13010 W. Parmer Lane, Ste #100
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Questions:
Contact Cedar Park Mathnasium (greg.pratt@mathnasium.com, 512-869-6284) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Paul Chaplin (pschaplin@sbcglobal.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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Mathnasium Summer Chess Camp #4 – World Class Chess

Description: A full-day, week-long chess camp, hosted by the Cedar Park Mathnasium from July 22-26, 2024.  Featuring Certified National Master Paul Chaplin. All scholastic players are invited to register!

Each camp features five exciting days of an immersive chess environment and a fun-filled focus on a special featurette highlight (description below). Chess Camps hosted by Mathnasium are engaging and fun! Sign up early for lowest fees! Limited attendance – first come first served!  For more information, link to the the camp website.

World Class Chess: Historic titans and current digital-era chess maestros will be studied to inspire and amaze the students! Games selected  span 150+ years and feature players such as Morphy, Capablanca, Fischer, Kasparov, and, of course… Carlsen! 

Date and Time: 4th camp session: July 22-26, 2024, 8am – 3pm

Registration: To register, please fill out the registration form. Instructions for turning in the registration form and making payment are on the form.

Location:
Cedar Park Mathnasium
13010 W. Parmer Lane, Ste #100
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Questions:
Contact Cedar Park Mathnasium (greg.pratt@mathnasium.com, 512-869-6284) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Paul Chaplin (pschaplin@sbcglobal.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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Mathnasium Summer Chess Camp #2 – Check & Mate

Description: A full-day, week-long chess camp, hosted by the Cedar Park Mathnasium from June 17-21, 2024.  Featuring Certified National Master Paul Chaplin. All scholastic players are invited to register!

Each camp features five exciting days of an immersive chess environment and a fun-filled focus on a special featurette highlight (description below). Chess Camps hosted by Mathnasium are engaging and fun! Sign up early for lowest fees! Limited attendance – first come first served!  For more information, link to the the camp website.

Check & Mate: The ultimate goal of the game is pursued with the replay and analysis of mesmerizing attacks conjured up by the great masters of today and of the past. Students add crushing mating nets, calculated king hunts and other game-ending attacks to their skills.

Date and Time: 2nd camp session: June 17-21, 2024, 8am – 3pm

Registration: To register, please fill out the registration form. Instructions for turning in the registration form and making payment are on the form.

Location:
Cedar Park Mathnasium
13010 W. Parmer Lane, Ste #100
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Questions:
Contact Cedar Park Mathnasium (greg.pratt@mathnasium.com, 512-869-6284) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Paul Chaplin (pschaplin@sbcglobal.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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Mathnasium Summer Chess Camp #1 – Wild Openings

Description: A full-day, week-long chess camp, hosted by the Cedar Park Mathnasium from June 3-8, 2024.  Featuring Certified National Master Paul Chaplin. All scholastic players are invited to register!

Each camp features five exciting days of an immersive chess environment and a fun-filled focus on a special featurette highlight (description below). Chess Camps hosted by Mathnasium are engaging and fun! Sign up early for lowest fees! Limited attendance – first come first served!  For more information, link to the the camp website.

Wild Openings: With thousands of named variations available, students will discover the joy of preparing surprises for their opponents with tricky and uncharted play. Not just one-trick or trap-only opening ideas, but a deeper uncovering of useful ideas will be explored.

Date and Time: 1st camp session: June 3-7, 2024, 8am – 3pm

Registration: To register, please fill out the registration form. Instructions for turning in the registration form and making payment are on the form.

Location:
Cedar Park Mathnasium
13010 W. Parmer Lane, Ste #100
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Questions:
Contact Cedar Park Mathnasium (greg.pratt@mathnasium.com, 512-869-6284) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Paul Chaplin (pschaplin@sbcglobal.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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2024 Spring NYOS Scholastic Chess Tournament

Scholastic chess tournament in multiple sections to be held on April 13, 2024. G/25, +5 inc. Trophies and medals awarded.


RESULTS are available online! The tournament has been rated by the USCF. Thank you for playing! Puzzle Contest Results are available as well.  Thanks to all who participated!

Basics

USCF rated chess tournament on April 13th in multiple RATED scholastic sections: K-3 U400, K-3 U700, K-5 U600,  K-5 U1000,  6-12 U600, 6-12 U1000, and K-12 Elite (for players rated 950-1399).

Please note: all scholastic players rated 1400 and over must play in the Open section. View the Advance Entry List online. Please note, at the event pairings will be posted only online. 

This is a Swiss-system tournament, so everyone plays all day—there is no “elimination.” Players must know how to play the game of chess! We follow USCF rules including: touch-move, mandatory clocks if available, and notation. K-3 and younger sections are excused from taking notation. Please review the Parent/Coach Responsibilities before registering

Location

NYOS Charter School
12333 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78753

Eligibility

This is a rated tournament. You must have a USCF ID and your membership (can be purchased/renewed at check out or online with the USCF in advance of registration) . You can verify your USCF membership ID and expiration by visiting the USCF’s Member Services Area. Anyone can become a USCF member. Players new to tournament chess are welcome to play. Your USCF membership cannot expire before April 30, 2024. USCF memberships can be renewed/purchased at check-out. (New players in 3rd grade and below may request a non-member ID as a part of USCF’s Junior Tournament Player program during registration. JTPs ok in K-3 sections only.)

“Under” sections are only for students meeting the rating criteria. All players who are new to tournaments are eligible for their age appropriate ‘under’ section. (Look up your player’s rating here. Please email the registrar or ask your chess coach for placement information.
If your 6th grader attends an Elementary School, please contact the registrar for options. With enough registrations, any section may be divided into two sections so we can offer more prizes. Sections with fewer than 20 entries may be merged into a similar section to provide optimal pairings and competition.

Please note: April 2024 ‘Regular’ OTB ratings will be used for pairing purposes. If no regular rating is available, then other USCF ratings (quick, blitz, online) can and will be considered for section placement.  Requests to play down will not be honored. FYI: Any event that is rated after March 20th will not affect your April supplement rating, as those events takes place after April ratings are calculated.

All players in this event must be in 12th grade (or lower).

Schedule

No check-in necessary for preregistrations. We will make every attempt to contact you in advance if we see a problem with your registration. Verify your entry ONLINE!
8:00 a.m. Chess Control opens for onsite registration.  Onsite registrations before 9:30am accepted, but must start play in round 2.
8:30 a.m Announcements begin in all scholastic playing rooms.
Players and coaches should be present.
9:00 a.m. Rd 1 begins. Scholastic sections have 5 rds, G/25, +5.
9:00 a.m. Open section (different event allowing adults) begins. Open has 4 rounds, all rounds are are G/45, +5.
9:15 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Chess control open for event issues. No changes for round 1 (bye or section) allowed after online registration closes. Requests for byes, withdrawals, and player or school information edits go in effect immediately if made via email before the close of online registration. Changes requested onsite go into effect as of round 2.

Approximate Round Times

Scholastic Sections:
round 1 – 9:00am, rd 2 – 11:00am, rd 3 – 12:45 pm, rd 4 – 2:30 pm, rd 5 – 4:00 pm

Notes

There will be some “down time” between rounds since many games will finish early. We will provide an area (outside the tournament room) for casual “skittles” chess and/or other indoor activities. Parents and/or coaches, please provide age-appropriate activities during the time between rounds. The organizers cannot baby-sit. No child should be left unattended!

Concessions detailed above  Only water bottles allowed at the chess board.

Proper handwashing and adherence to COVID 19 exposure guidelines mandatory!

Awards

Trophies & Medals to Top Contenders! Ribbons to all participants!

Trophies to the top individuals in each scholastic section. Trophies to the top teams in all sections. Number of individual and team trophies will depend on number of entries. Chess medals will go to all players (excluding Open section) that finish the tournament with a positive score (3.0 & 3.5 points). Trophies to players scoring 4.0 and above. No teams in Open section, but special trophies will be awarded to the highest scoring Family & Child teams (Uncles, Aunts, Adult siblings, Parents, Grandparents, or coach paired with at least one scholastic aged player.)

Registration Information

Online Registration is now CLOSED.  Please Register ONSITE!

*$35 thru Saturday, 2/10/2024.
*$40 thru Saturday, 3/9/2024
*$45 thru Saturday, 3/30/2024.
*Late entry $50 begins Sunday, 3/31/2024 and ENDS at 5pm on Wednesday, 4/10/2024, at which time online entry closes.
*$60 Onsite entry, if space is available . Receives 1/2pt bye in round 1, and begins play in round 2.

Withdrawals requested via email before 5pm on Wednesday 4/10/24 are eligible for a refund (minus a $10 service fee). No exceptions. No refunds for USCF memberships after purchased from the USCF. NO email/phone entries.

Please request byes when you register if possible. First bye receives 1/2-point. Further byes receive 0-points. Email the registrar to make changes to your requested byes. Deadline to add or remove a 1st round requested bye is 9am Friday 4/12/2024. All 1/2-point byes must be requested/removed before the end of round 2.

Email Lori Balkum, registrar (registrar@AustinChessTournaments.com) with other questions. No phone calls, please. Emails will be returned promptly.

Organized by Rocks & Rooks. Gary Gaiffe, tournament organizer (ggaiffe@att.net).

View the ONLINE TLA!