ONLINE BLITZ: NEW ENGLAND ONLINE SCHOLASTIC “BLITZ” CHAMPIONSHIPS – CSCA & NECA Event (Friday, March 24, 2023)

Register here: https://www.events4chess.com/events/?event_ID=1782&cat=1

*** 24+ INDIVIDUAL & TEAM PRIZES ***

WEBSITE INFORMATION: https://www.chessct.org/csca/cscamain.php
FLYER: https://www.chessct.org/csca/Uploads/NECA-o.K12.btz.fly.23.pdf

Sponsored & run by the CONNECTICUT STATE CHESS ASSOCIATION (CSCA)
sanctioned by the NEW ENGLAND CHESS ASSOCIATION (NECA)

2023 NEW ENGLAND ONLINE SCHOLASTIC “BLITZ” CHAMPIONSHIPS

Date/Time: Friday, March 24, 2023 @ 6:00 pm – 8:30 PM

Round 1: 9:00 am; all subsequent Rounds ASAP, Ends by 1:00 pm
Online registration ONLY by 11:59 pm on March 23

Location: Online via Chess.com

Rounds/Time: 5 double Rounds Swiss tournament, G/3 +2. USCF online-rated.
Highest of USCF or Chess.com Regular/Quick/Rapid/Blitz ratings used for pairings and prizes.

Byes: No ½ point byes permitted; 0 point byes any round. Must commit by end of registration.

Sections: 3 sections (all USCF online rated):
* High School (grades 9 thru 12);
* Middle School (grades 6 thru 8);
* Elementary School (grades K thru 5);

Prizes:
* Plaques to Top 5 players and Top 3 teams in High (grades 9 thru 12),
Middle (grades 6 thru 8) and Elementary (grades K thru 5) Schools.
* Individual and team placements may be increased to 10% of school level participants.
* Top New England Player and Team in each school level marked
“New England Online Scholastic Blitz Champion” on their Plaque.
* Prizes processed and shipped to players within thirty (30) days of the posting of the final verified results.

Requirement:
* All players must have valid USCF membership and a basic Chess.com account.
* Free Chess.com account is enough to participate in the tournament
* All “second chance” accounts have to be declared to the organizer and the Chief TD

Pairing & Games: Tournament will be paired manually with Swiss-Sys pairing software following USCF pairing rules
with Team restrictions turned on, as long as it produces competitive pairings within the individual-based format of
the competition.
* Pairings and standings will be publicly available via Google sheet, and
players will have time to look up their pairings before each round.
* Games will be started by tournament director(s) on Chess.com.
* Players will need to be logged into www.chess.com/play/online, game will pop up automatically.
* Start of consecutive rounds will be announced via Zoom, as well as posted on the Google sheet.

Fair play regulations: All players are required to have a minimum of 20 rapid games played on
Chess.com before the start of the tournament.
* All players must have a sufficient game history in the applicable time control
to establish a baseline of their performance.
* Fair Play monitoring will be applied throughout tournament play.
* TDs will be in direct contact with Chess.com’s Fair Play department throughout.
* At the conclusion of the tournament, all games will be submitted for a thorough fair play check.
* Tentative unverified results will be posted immediately after the event is finished.
* Final verified results will be posted within one to two weeks after the
Chess.com fair play report is received and any necessary adjustments applied.
* Although a Zoom video meeting will be open and available for all player to join,
including those in need of support, players will not be required to join the Zoom
meeting or use cameras unless requested. Regardless, the organizer reserves the
right to call players in for Zoom video monitoring at any time and, particularly, in
the later rounds of the tournament.
* Highest of USCF or Chess.com Regular/Quick/Rapid ratings used for pairings and prizes.
* Byes: One ½ point bye permitted Round 1-5; 0 point byes any round. Must commit by end of registration.


Entry Fee:
Regular Price: $30 by March 15; $40 by March 22. Online registration only.
Registration ends March 22 @ 11:59pm.

Discounts: General DISCOUNTS: Students with financial hardship, attending Title I schools
or requesting a sibling discount should email: events.CSCA@gmail.com
to request additional registration instructions.

CSCA Member Organization DISCOUNT: CSCA Member Organization schools
or clubs will receive instructions to apply $10 membership discount to their
students. Schools may apply for Member Organization Status at any time by
email to chess.CSCA@gmail.com.

GMs and IMs: Entry fee is waived for GMs and IMs, if registering by March 15. 50% waived thereafter.

Please email: events.CSCA@gmail.com to register or ask about student discounts
Out-of-state: Out-of-region, non-New England, players (see Note [1] below) are welcome and
prize eligible, except Regional Champions.


Notes:
THIS NONPROFIT EVENT IS ORGANIZED AND SPONSORED BY THE CONNECTICUT
STATE CHESS ASSOCIATION. This is an official US Chess and New England Chess
Association recognized Regional Championship event to determine the 2023 New England
Online Scholastic Individual and Team Champions.
[1] New England player/school. Any player residing in or attending school in New England
(Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) is considered
a New England player for title purposes. Any school located in New England is considered a
New England school for title purposes. Regardless, of this title requirement, all players from
within and without New England are invited to participate and are fully prize eligible with the
only exception of New England title.
[2] Team composition. All players participating on a team must be students of the same school.
No team may compete in more than one section. However, schools consisting of multiple grade
levels may enter a team in multiple sections. No player may participate on more than one team.
[3] Rating Supplement. March 2023 USCF Rating Suppl. used for section entry, pairings and
prizes. Highest of USCF and Chess.com rating applied for pairing and prizes.
[4] Contact. All questions/inquiries to events.CSCA@gmail.com.
[5] Refunds/Cancellation Policy. To withdraw registration or request a refund, email your
request to events.CSCA@gmail.com no later than March 22 at 11:59 PM. Refund requests not
received by email or received after the above deadline, will not be honored. Refunds are subject
to $15 administrative fee.