The USCF recognizes that parents have many choices when it comes to activities for their kids. The USCF offers a special ‘try before you buy’ program for players in 3rd grade and younger called the Junior Tournament Player (JTP) program. This is not a membership. Instead, the tournament organizer will obtain a USCF ID for your player. (Birth date and grade level are required in order to verify qualification for the program.) With this ID a player can participate as a non-member in sections that include no players older than 3rd grade. Once you have a JTP ID, you do not need to request another. You keep the same ID for all events….for the player’s entire lifetime! At any point the ID may be ‘renewed’ to full membership. Any rating and ratings-history accrued as a non-member are retained. Organizers are not required to provide this option.
Archives: FAQs
What do I do the day of the tournament?
Most importantly, please show up early!
Please make sure you click the “JOIN” button by 8:45am Central.
How to join a Fast Chess Tournament:
https://www.chesskid.com/article/view/video-tutorial-series#JoinFastTournament
Joining the Tournament on ChessKid
• Log into ChessKid.Com using the tournament username that will be shared with you a few days prior to the tournament. If you have a different ChessKid Username that you normally use, it will NOT work for this tournament
• Click on Play -> Play vs. Kid
• Click on your tournament section on the right
• Click “JOIN”. The “JOIN” button will appear 30 minutes before the tournament starts
• Stay on this page and your game will start automatically between 9am-9:03am CST when the tournament begins
The tournament is 5 rounds and the time control for each player is 15 minutes plus a 5 second increment per move. There is no elimination as participants will play all rounds.
• When you finish a game, do not leave the tournament lobby. The lobby shows the number of games remaining, which should give you a good idea how long it will be until the next round begins.
• You may watch other games in observation mode.
• Do NOT exit out of the tournament until the completion of all rounds!
• There will be a 5 minute break between the last game of your section completing and the beginning of your next round. Do not match other opponents. Your game will start automatically.
• When your last game is completed, you may leave ChessKid. Final results will be shared once all full play can be reviewed for games played.
What is a Regional warm up event?
There will be a warm up event at 7pm on Thursday, March 4th for all pre-registered participants of the Region V and VI Scholastic Championships. This event is optional but encouraged. The warm up event is 4 rounds and has a time control of 8 minutes with a 1 second increment. There are no awards for the warm up event as its main purpose is to practice playing chess on ChessKid, ensure your tournament login works, learn how to join a tournament on ChessKid, and troubleshoot any issues before the real tournament.
Please see below for instructions on how to join the warm up event on March 4th.
• Log into ChessKid.Com using the tournament username that will be shared with you a few days before the event. If you have a different ChessKid Username that you normally use, it will NOT work for this tournament. You will use the same login for the warm up event that you will use for the actual tournament.
• Click on Play -> Play vs. Kid
• Click on your tournament section on the right
• Click “JOIN”. The “JOIN” button will appear 30 minutes before the tournament starts
• Stay on this page and your game will start automatically between 7:00pm-7:03pm CST when the warm up event begins
I’m having technical trouble in my ChessKid.com event. Help?
Troubleshooting
• If you are using a browser other than Chrome or Firefox, ChessKid highly recommends that you switch browsers. ChessKid tournaments work best on Chrome or Firefox
• If you are using a phone, iPad, or Chromebook, ChessKid highly recommends using a computer or laptop instead
• If the Club on ChessKid says that you need to be given permission or an Admin needs to give you access, please make sure you are logged in with the Tournament ID above and not a different ChessKid Account.
• If you do not see a “Join” button for the tournament, please make sure you are using a Chrome or Firefox browser. Computers and laptops are highly recommended over chromebooks, iPads, or phones. Clear your cache and refresh the page.
• If your game freezes during the game, please refresh your page to see if that solves the problem
• It is highly recommended that you clear your cache before the tournament begins
Live Help Desk (during the tournament)
ChessKid staff will be available starting at 8am CST on Saturday, March 6th to assist you with any questions or issues. For any questions day of event, please ask them here as opposed to sending an email. Please note that the Slack Help Desk will not be staffed for the warm-up event
You can find our help desk here: https://join.slack.com/t/chesskidtalk/shared_invite/zt-lpovrgbm-a8QcZPzmhvOUsyJQe9ZC4Q
When you click the link, you’ll be prompted to create an account for Slack. For quickest assistance, please change your Slack Display Name to your child’s ChessKid username
What equipment do I need to complete in an online tournament?
Recommended ChessKid Equipment to Avoid Connection Issues
• Strong WiFi (or even better, a wired connection)
• Use Chrome or Firefox as your browser
• Clear your cache before the tournament
• Use a laptop/desktop instead of a chromebook, iPad, or phone
How do online tournaments make sure everyone is playing fairly?
Fair play will be taken very seriously. Every single game of an online ChessKid.com event will be subject to review by ChessKid’s industry-leading fair play measures. If a player has violated them, he/she will be removed from the tournament, all games will be declared lost, no refunds will be given, and possible further action can be taken. Parents, your role as stewards of proper behavior is vital. We greatly encourage you to have a talk with your child about this before the event.
A reminder of things that are not allowed when playing online chess: No computer assistance, no human assistance, no watching the live stream, no tablebases, no databases, no books, no notes, no pastgames or scorebooks, no use of a second chess set to analyze variations. In addition, no other programs of any kind are allowed to be open on your child’s computer, and only one browser tab is allowed to be open. If other tabs or programs are found to be opened, this constitutes a “technical violation” and your child will also be removed from the tournament and all games declared lost.
Being on Zoom is not necessary for this tournament.
By playing in this tournament, you are agreeing to all of these fair play rules, and you also agree to accept the final conclusions ChessKid renders about fair play.
Will I win a trophy? How will I get my award?
Online tournaments present interesting challenges when it comes to awards! For the 2021 Region VI event, the top individual finishers in each section will receive a plaque by mail. A perfect score guarantees you an award. But often there are no perfect scores within a section. Four points out of 5 is often enough to be in the top finishers.
Championship sections:
The top finishing Region V resident in each Championship section will be named 2021 Region V Champion for that section, and receive an award to commemorate that honor.
The top finishing Region VI resident in each Championship section will be named 2021 Region VI Champion for that section, and receive an award to commemorate that honor.
An additional 3 awards will be given in each Championship to the next top finishers, after the Regional champions are identified.
Non-championship sections: Awards to the top 3 players in each section.
Results from a rated online tournament may not be available for a week or more after the event, because organizers are very serious about analyzing all events for ethics infractions (aka cheating). At the conclusion of the tournament it will be analyzed for fair play. After the results are verified and certified, the organizer will rate the tournament with the USCF, email all participants a link to the final results (online and standings by tiebreak), and announce the winners. It is at this point that the organizer will arrange for awards to be mailed out.
Why does registration close the Monday before the tournament? Can I register late?
Because this is an online tournament with a distinct username and password for each player, virtual set-up takes extra time. Many people are working behind the scenes to bring you the best tournament possible.
The registrar will be sending all tournament data to ChessKid.com staff on Tuesday morning. We cannot send in late registrations. NO exceptions.
Registration for the 2021 Region VI Championships closes at 7pm on Monday, March 1st. Please make sure you have submitted your registration online BEFORE 7pm.
Do I need to be a ChessKid.com member to compete in the 2021 Region V and VI Championships?
You do NOT need a ChessKid.com membership to compete in this event. No later than the Wednesday before the tournament, everyone with a complete, paid registration will receive an email from the tournament registrar with your 2021 Region V/VI ID and password for the ChessKid.com website. That email will also include instructions on how to play in the tournament. Participants must use this tournament username for the tournament. If you already have a ChessKid username, that other username will not work for this event.
How are team trophies determined? Do I have to play in the same section to be on the same team?
Team trophies will be awarded in each Championship scholastic section. The team’s score is the sum of the top scoring 4 players (minimum of 2 players) from that team within a single section. If you attend the same school yet play in different sections, your scores will not combine for team trophy purposes.