Saturday, March 29, 2025
Our 18th annual free event for our scholastic chess community.
New Location: Yerba Buena Center for Arts
Date & Location - Tournament Format - Schedule - Side Events - Byes
Awards - Registration - Eligibility - Tournament Rules - FAQ
Free event, but registration is needed.
Capacity: 250 players
We expect the event to fill up fast, so please register soon!
We want kids to be able to play, have fun, compete, make friends, and keep the scholastic community together in the Bay Area through chess.
There are both non-rated and USCF-rated sections, so there are levels suitable for players of any skill level.
1. Date & Location
• Date: Saturday, March 29, 2025
The First Round is on Saturday at 10:00 am
Check-in opens at 9:15 am. Please arrive by 9:45 am at the latest. Players not checked in by 9:50 am will be considered forfeit.
• NEW Location: Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
Address: 701 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 (Google Maps)
https://ybca.org and https://yerbabuenagardens.org/
• Parking: We do not provide dedicated parking for event attendees.
• Two Players' Information Meetings: A Zoom link will be emailed to all who registered before the meeting.
- Wednesday, March 19, at 6:00 pm PT (online via Zoom).
- Monday, March 24, at 6:00 pm PT (online via Zoom).
Slides and recordings from the Information Meeting will be posted after the meeting.
2. Tournament Format
• Tournament Format: Swiss System
• 6 Sections (play in one of the six):
4 Non-rated sections based on school grade:
Grade K-2
Grade 3-5
Grade 6-8 (Middle School)
Grade 9-12 (High School)
2 USCF-rated sections based on USCF regular rating:
Under800
800+
*** Please note that players who have a rating already may choose to play in the non-rated sections.
• Time Control: G/30 d5 (Game in 30 minutes with a 5-second delay at each move.)
• Total Rounds: 4 rounds
• Tiebreak: Standard scholastic tiebreak methods per US Chess Scholastic Regulations will be used to differentiate between players with the same final results.
Modified Median
Median
Solkoff
• Teams: Players from the same school may form a team in any section.
Minimum of two players to form a team;
The top 4 players' scores will count toward the team's standing;
Check team codes and rosters below.
3. Schedule
• Round times: 10:00 am, 11:30 am, 1:00 pm, 2:30 pm.
Round times are tentative and subject to adjustments.
• Award ceremony: approximately 3:30 pm
• Expected end time: around 4:30 pm
4. Side Events
• 20-board Simultaneous Exhibition with National Master Daniel Cremisi.
• Learn about what a Simultaneous Exhibition is by reading the Wikipedia page.
5. Byes
• A half-point bye can be requested if a player can't make one or two rounds.
• Maximum number allowed: 2
• Last round to request a bye: Round 4
6. Awards
• Trophies to the top 10 players in each section.
• Top 10 overall teams across all sections.
• Medals to all participants who did not earn a trophy.
7. Registration
• The event is free, but registration is required for all sections.
• To register, please follow this link: 2025 San Francisco Scholastic Chess Championship | Jumbula
8. Eligibility
• All players must be in K-12 grades.
• Players in the non-rated sections do not need USCF membership.
• The expiration date of their US Chess membership must be later than the last day of the tournament (I.e., your membership must be active on March 29th).
Do you have a membership? Need to check the expiration date of your membership? Visit: https://new.uschess.org/player-search
Become a member or renew your membership: https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess
9. Tournament Rules
• Standard US Chess rules apply, even for the non-rated sections.
• Forfeit time is 15 minutes.
10. FAQ
• What do the time controls mean?
Time controls tell you how much time you have for each game.
G30;d5: Game in 30 minutes with a 5-second delay with each move. This means you get 30 minutes, your opponent gets 30 minutes, and the clock counts down from 5 to 0 at each move before the player's time starts. If a player doesn't use up the whole 5 seconds, the remainder of that time is lost.
• How many games/rounds?
Each player will play four games. Whether they win or lose, players are expected to play their games. This is not an elimination competition.
• Any questions? Send email to [email protected]
Many thanks to the following sponsors who make this event possible!
• Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy
• Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
We are seeking corporate sponsorships for this event. To learn more, please contact Tina Ahn at [email protected] or call 415-393-0115.
Please donate to the Mechanics' Institute to support scholastic chess in our community. Visit www.milibrary.org/give to learn more.