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USCF 2024 National Elementary (K-6) Championship (Columbus, OH) – April 26-28, 2024

2024 National Elementary (K-6) Championship
April 26-28, 2024 · Columbus, Ohio   (Bughouse & Blitz April 25)

Greater Columbus Convention Center
· 400 North High Street, Columbus Ohio 43215Host Hotels (all attached to GCCC; booking links for each listed below):Hyatt Regency ColumbusHilton Columbus DowntownDrury Inn & Suites Columbus Convention CenterSonesta Columbus-DowntownSupport US Chess and Ensure Future Events by staying at the host hotels!
WEBSITE LINK: https://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2024/elem/

Information about parking at GCCC

Click here for information about parking at or near the playing site.

See the individual hotels for information about parking in their garages or valet services.

Closest public parking garages:

Greater Columbus Convention Center Parking (all controlled by the convention center).

TOWN HALLS FOR PARENT/PLAYER INFORMATION!

US Chess will offer two informative Town Halls for parents, coaches and players.

Watch here for the links to the town halls once set up.

Follow US Chess on Instagram and Twitter!Use the hashtag #ElemChessChamps for your posts and tweets!

We’ve put together a guide for those who are “New To Nationals!”
Click here for a primer on what to expect before you arrive!

7 Round Swiss in 13 Sections
K-6 Championship
K-6 Under 1400
K-6 Under 1000
K-6 Unrated
K-5 Championship
K-5 Under 1200
K-5 Under 900
K-3 Championship
K-3 Under 1000
K-3 Under 700
K-3 Unrated
K-1 Championship
K-1 Under 500 & Unrated

April 2024 rating supplement will be used. Players must disclose other Over-the-Board (OTB) ratings with entry. Players with other OTB ratings may be moved to a different section at the discretion of US Chess.

Team score is total of top four finishers from each school per section.
A team must have at least two players but no maximum number of players. The top four scores in any section will count for the team score. All players on a team must come from the same school.

National Championship
First place individual and team in the K-6 Championship section, the K-5 Championship section, the K-3 Championship section and the K-1 Championship section, including ties, will be recognized as National Champions.

Time Control: Game/90 d10
Each player has 90 minutes to complete the game with a 10 second grace period each move.

Entry Fee:   $80 postmarked or online by March 25, $100 postmarked or online by April 8, $130 online by April 15, $180 after.

  • ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSES 11AM EASTERN APRIL 25! NO EXCEPTIONS!
  • NO ON-SITE REGISTRATION! NO EXCEPTIONS!
  • ONLINE REGISTRATION STRONGLY PREFERRED!
  • DO NOT MAIL ANY REGISTRATIONS AFTER APRIL 8!
  • $40 change fee for roster or section changes after April 8 or any on site changes.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND LINKS:

  • Please bring clocks. Sets and score sheets provided. Players are responsible for bringing and setting their own clocks, and explaining their operation when asked.
  • Players registering after 11 a.m. Friday will not be paired for round 1, will receive a 1/2 point bye for round 1, and will begin play with round 2.
    Up to two 1/2 point byes available any round if requested before round 1.
    A half-point bye in round 1 must be requested at the time of registration, or on-site before 11 AM Friday.
    A half-point bye request for rounds 2-7 not requested in advance must be requested two hours before the scheduled start of round 2.
    Players requesting a section change late (after 11 AM Friday) will not be paired for round 1, will receive a half-point bye, and will begin play with round 2.
  • Current US Chess Scholastic Regulations are linked here

Opening ceremony Friday 12:45 p.m.

K-6, K-5 and K-3 sections:
Friday
Round One … 1:00 PMRound Two … 6:00 PMSaturday
Round Three … 9:00 AMRound Four … 1:30 PMRound Five … 6:00 PMSundayRound Six … 9:00 AMRound Seven … 1:30 PM
Awards Ceremony 6:00 PM [approx.]		K-1 sections:
Friday
Round One … 1:30 PMRound Two … 5:30 PMSaturday
Round Three … 9:30 AMRound Four … 1:30 PMRound Five … 5:30 PMSundayRound Six … 9:30 AMRound Seven … 1:30 PM
Awards Ceremony 5:30 PM [approx.]

Awards

Award list is FINAL as of 12/28/2023.


All sections will award individual medals and team trophies.

SectionIndividual MedalsTeam Trophies
K-6 ChampionshipK-6 Under 1400K-6 Under 1000K-6 Unrated
K-5 ChampionshipK-5 Under 1200K-5 Under 900
K-3 ChampionshipK-3 Under 1000K-3 Under 700K-3 Unrated
K-1 ChampionshipK-1 Under 500 & Unrated		Top 10 [plus ties for 10th place]Top 15 [plus ties for 15th place]Top 20 [plus ties for 20th place]Top 15 [plus ties for 15th place]
Top 15 [plus ties for 15th place]Top 15 [plus ties for 15th place]Top 35 [plus ties for 35th place]
Top 15 [plus ties for 15th place]Top 15 [plus ties for 15th place]Top 30 [plus ties for 30th place]Top 10 [plus ties for 10th place]
Top 15 [plus ties for 15th place]Top 20 [plus ties for 20th place]		Top 5Top 10Top 10Top 5
Top 5Top 5Top 15
Top 5Top 5Top 15Top 5
Top 10Top 10

First place individual and team in each Championship Section, including ties, will be the National Champion for that division. Only Championship Sections award National Championship Titles.


NOTE: Unrated teams receive a trophy only – no individual plaques. This is per the Scholastic Regulations.

Class Prizes:

Class medals to the top three on tiebreak in the following classes:K-6 Championship: 1400-1499; 1300-1399; 1200-1299; 1100-1199; 1000-1099; Under 1000; Unrated.K-5 Championship: 1400-1499; 1300-1399; 1200-1299; 1100-1199; 1000-1099; Under 1000; Unrated.K-3 Championship: 1100-1199; 1000-1099; 900-999; 800-899; Under 800; Unrated.
All participants will receive a commemorative item at the completion of the final round.

Trophies Plus
Trophies are provided by Trophies Plus, sponsor of the All-American Team. Trophies Plus will ship trophies for you at the conclusion of the event. Click here for shipping costs! Click here for the shipping form!

Parents, coaches and players: check out our Tournament Safety Tips!

This is ESPECIALLY for younger players! PLEASE follow these guidelines for safe behavior.

April 28 All day

National Elementary Blitz Championship (G/5, d0):
Thursday 5 p.m., entry fee $40 by 4/11, $60 after or on site.
Online registration closes at 2 p.m.
On-site registration closes at 4 p.m.

Place awards for the Blitz tournament:

  • K-6 Blitz Championship: Top 10 individuals, Top 5 Teams
  • K-3 Blitz Championship: Top 10 individuals, Top 5 Teams

Class awards for the Blitz Tournament to the top three in the following classes:

  • K-6 Blitz Championship: 1400-1499; 1300-1399; 1200-1299; 1100-1199; 1000-1099; Under 1000; Unrated.
  • K-3 Blitz Championship: 1100-1199; 1000-1099; 900-999; 800-899; Under 800; Unrated.

Blitz Rules

National Elementary Bughouse Championship (G/5, d0):
Thursday 11 a.m., $30 per 2-player team on site only. Registration 9-10 a.m. One section K-6.
Medals (2 each) to top 5 teams.
Bughouse Rules

Friends and Family Tournament (G/30;d5):
4SS, G/30. Saturday 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., $30 onsite registration only. Anyone registering after 10:00 a.m. must take a half-point bye in round 1. Rated and Unrated sections. Trophies for each category of combined player/student results.

The exits from the main playing hall will be color-coded.
Players will be instructed to use the exit coded to their section.

  • BLACK EXIT: K-6 Championship, K-6 Under 1400, K-6 Under 1000, K-6 Unrated
  • RED EXIT: K-5 Championship, K-5 Under 1200, K-3 Championship
  • WHITE EXIT: K-5 Under 900, K-3 Under 1000
  • BLUE EXIT: K-3 Under 700, K-3 Unrated

    NOTE: These exit designations do NOT apply to the K-1 Championship or K-1 Under 500 sections.Information for Accommodation Requests: Consistent with the Guidelines for Accessible Chess Events, requests for reasonable accommodations during the event should be made 2-3 weeks in advance of the event. Requests for accommodations made on site will be handled to the best of our ability.Entries and General Information Contact:
    nationalevents@uschess.orgTournament EntryRegister Online using the link in the top left navigation menu – Online registration is STRONGLY preferred.Here is a link to our mail-in entry form, in PDF version and Word versionTeam room information will be posted in this space when ready.How to Use the Room Reservation System – PowerPoint file – PDF fileInstructional Video on Using the Room Reservation SystemTeam Room Information Contact: Pete Karagianis at pete.karagianis@uschess.org