CAAS Scholastic Chess Tournament Rules and Regulations
As an affiliate of USChess, CAAS is under obligation to follow rules and regulations that USChess has made. Some of the rules and regulations followed are due to AAA requirements as all tournaments are AAA sanctioned. Fall/Winter tournaments will be deemed as pre-season tournaments and will not have the same requirements as the Regional and State Tournaments. Other rules and regulations are general understanding of tournaments.
Tournaments
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Registration
Students/Schools that participate in CAAS tournaments will need to be registered members prior to registering for a tournament.
Check In/Player Verification
Check in will begin at 7:30, and if a student is not signed up for the tournament prior to 8:30 am, they will not be accepted.
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Students that may be late may be given a half point bye for the first round. CAAS will only give one bye per student/school due to tardiness. ​
Eliminations
Students/schools are asked not to leave after a first round loss. If you have to leave early, be sure to tell us first. Otherwise you will be paired in the next round, leaving one player without an opponent.
Spectators
Parents and coaches are not permitted to remain in the playing hall during games. A few minutes is usually allowed at the start of the rounds for photos. Teammates are allowed to watch a fellow team members game while they are in the playing hall, but once their game is finished, they are not to be let back into the playing hall to spectate.
Cellphones,
Smart Watches & Music
Cellphones cannot be used during a tournament round in a CAAS tournament. In the event that a student has a cellphone or a smartwatch, they must remove the items from their person and leave the device screen side down on the table.
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Students may not pick up/touch the device during the game, this includes when/if they walk around the playing hall to observe other ongoing games, or when/if they go to use the restroom.
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In the event that a student requires to have music playing or wear headphones/earbuds, the coach/sponsor will need to provide an IEP or 504 plan to caaschesspaperwork@gmail.com prior to the tournament date, or may bring a hard copy of the form on the day of the game.
Clocks
It is recommended that players bring clocks that they are familiar with. In the event that a student does not know how to use a clock provided by CAAS, they may substitute the clock pending the tournament director's discretion.
Notations
Grand Prix Tournaments
Notations are not required during Grand Prix tournaments. Students are however encouraged to attempt notations. Cheat Sheet notation sheets will be provided by CAAS for as long as supply lasts. In the event that a student does not notate, they will be forfeiting their rights to making claims during/after their match for not having written proof of their game/moves.
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Regional/State Tournaments
During Regional/State Tournaments, all students must notate (See footnote after this section for exceptions.) In the event that a student is caught not notating, then they will be required to use their running clock's time to use their opponent's notation sheet to complete all notations that they are missing. In the event that a player's clock is under 5 minutes, the player will not have to continue notating.
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Notation Exceptions/Options
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If a student is unable to notate due to a disability, there are options that may be decided upon based on the tournament director's discretion. In some cases, the CAAS president may be asked to make a final decision in case of uncertainty.
Dyslexia, dysgraphia, or other disability
A student may choose to use a pictorial notation sheet. If your student requires pictorial notation sheets, they may bring their own, or contact caaschesspaperwork@gmail.com prior to the tournament day.
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Unofficial disability
If a student struggles with notation and has not been officially been identified as having a disability that may inhibit their ability to notate, the student may have their chess coach act as a notator. The coach will have to receive permission from the tournament director, and will not be allowed to speak at any point of time in the game.
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Blind/Seeing Impairment
Students that are blind or may have a seeing impairment may have notations forfeited, but will lose their rights for making claims during/after a game. The player may have a coach notate for them on their behalf at the discretion of the tournament director.
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During the Game
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Touch Move Rule:
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If you touch a piece, you must move it if you legally can.​
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Touch take Rule:
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If you touch your opponent's piece as if to capture it, you must do so if the capture is legal. ​
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Once you let go of a piece you have moved, you may not move it to a different square. ​
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Castling: Castling is a king move. Move the King first, then the rook. Don't use two hands to castle.
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Touch the clock with the same hand you use to move the pieces.
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You may quietly say things like "check," "adjust" (prior to moving and touching a piece in a square), "Draw?" or to indicate that your opponent has made an illegal move (if your opponent is in check, for example, and makes a move that does not get out of check). Other than that, no talking.
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Communicating with anyone other than your opponent and a tournament director is prohibited. This includes and is not limited to signals, spoken or sign language to:​
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Players at other boards​
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Your parent or coach​
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Behavior that is distracting to our opponent or to other players is prohibited. ​
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If you need to use the restroom during a match, you may do so, but leave your clock running. The same "no talking" rules apply when you're on a bathroom break.
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It is, however, permitted to say "I'm still playing" if someone tries to speak to you. ​
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IMPORTANT:If a student things an opponent has broken a rule, they. must report it right away during the ongoing tournament to the tournament director. Do not wait until after the game is over. Pause the clock, raise a hand, and wait for a tournament director to come to you.
When the Game Ends
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When your game ends, reset the board and clock with your opponent.
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Both you and your opponent need to go to the tournament director's table to report your score.
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Once you have reported your results, you will need to leave the playing hall.​
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Return any borrowed pencils before leaving the playing hall.
Spectator Policy
Spectators are not permitted in the playing hall while games are being played. Players must exit the playing hall after finishing their games and reporting their scores.
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When the first round is paired, parents are encouraged to accompany their players as they find their boards and listen to morning announcements. You may remain for the first five minutes of the round only to observe your player and take a photo. After the first five minutes, we will ask you to return to the waiting area.
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General Rules and Policies
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OSCO tournaments are run in accordance with the U.S. Chess Federation's Rules of Chess, 7th Edition.
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The chief tournament director has final discretion on all questions, issues, and disputes.
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One 1/2-point bye available for any round except the last one. Coaches/sponsors must request in advance and check in with the chief tournament director following missed round.
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Schools cannot request for multiple byes for one student that is showing up late to the tournament. ​
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Pairings are team sensitive when possible, but players from large teams should expect to play each other now and then.
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As a Arkansas Activities Association sanctioned event, CAAS can only allow for 6th-12th grade participants for Grand Prix tournaments, and 7th-12th Grade for Regionals/State Tournaments.
Time Control
​All regular CAAS tournament games have a base time control of 30 minutes (G/30 = game in 30 minutes = each player has 30 minutes). Sections labeled d5 include a five-second delay. This means that when one player completes a move and touches the clock, five seconds will elapse before the other player's clock begins counting down.
Sections
Grand Prix Tournaments
This will be an individual tournament, and not based on schools/teams. The school's coach or sponsor may choose to bring their students, but are not required as long as a student under the age of 18 has a guardian present with them. Grand Prix will have an open format to help with provincial USCF rating regulation.
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Regional Tournament:
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Schools will be divided by the sections that their school falls under, 1A-3A and 4A-7A, and by grade level, Junior High and Senior High.
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In the event that one of the Jr. or Sr. High sections as too few of schools representing their division (1A-3A or 4A-7A) the two divisions will be combined; grade division will still remain separated. ​
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In the event that we combine 1A-7A, the tournament directors will observe the final results, and manually dictate which schools in each division placed 1st-3rd place, and to determine which student receives the MVP award for their division.​​​​
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State Tournament:
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Schools will be divided by the sections that their school falls under, 1A-3A and 4A-7A, and by grade level, Junior High and Senior High.
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In the event that one of the Jr. or Sr. High sections as too few of schools representing their division (1A-3A or 4A-7A) the two divisions will be combined; grade division will still remain separated. ​
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In the event that we combine 1A-7A, the tournament directors will observe the final results, and manually dictate which schools in each division placed 1st-3rd place, and to determine which student receives the MVP award for their division.​​​
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Tie Breaks
Tie breaks will be mathematically calculated by the computer software. There are different formulas used to complete tie breaks. All but the top two tied players are eliminated using these tiebreak systems, in order: Modified Median, Solkoff, Cumulative, Cumulative of Opposition.
Teams
Home School Teams
Teams made up of only homeschooled students may join CAAS as part of a co-op that they belong in. Homeschool teams may participate in the pre-season Grand Prix tournaments.
Due to AAA rules, a homeschool team cannot participate as a team in the Regional or State Tournament.
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A Homeschooled student may join a high school team as long as it has been mutually agreed upon and approved by the school and the student.
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Regional Tournaments allow for up to eight players to play as their schools representative during each round.
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Coaches may substitute players, but must inform the tournament director of the change as soon as possible. ​If a coach knows when each player will play, they may submit their play list for all five rounds to the tournament director at the morning check-in/registration.
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​In the event that the coach is wanting to make a substitute without knowing in advance, they will need to inform the CAAS president of the changes for the upcoming round prior to the end of the first round so that the tournament directors can be informed as quickly as possible.
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If a school only has two or three players, their team score will be lower than a school that has four or more players.​
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Student Eligibility:
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All students that are contenders for participating in the Regional and/or the State Tournament must be AAA approved. AAA sanctioned events for Regional and State Tournaments have the following requirements:
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Student must have academic good standing of a 2.0 for the previous semester.
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Regional and State Tournaments are scheduled in the Spring semester, so all players on the team must have a 2.0 GPA by the end of the Fall/Winter semester. If a student does not have a 2.0 GPA, they will need to participate in the SIP program and improve their GPA by 0.1% before the Regional Tournament in order to be eligible. ​
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Students cannot have been suspended/expelled from their school during the current school year. ​
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The AAA Eligibility form must be filled out by the coach/sponsor, signed by the principal and submitted before/on the day of the Regional Tournament the school is participating in. Once turned in, students cannot be added or substituted on the list. The list is final. ​
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It is better to list all of the potential candidates, and not play them, rather than not list a player and find out later that they can come, but are unable to play them because they were not included on your AAA Eligibility form.
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State Tournaments allow for up to four players to play as their schools representative during each round.
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Coaches may substitute players, but must inform the tournament director of the change as soon as possible. ​
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If a coach knows when each player will play, they may submit their play list for all five rounds to the tournament director at the morning check-in/registration. ​
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In the event that the coach is wanting to make a substitute without knowing in advance, they will need to inform the CAAS president of the changes for the upcoming round prior to the end of the first round so that the tournament directors can be informed as quickly as possible.
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Schools that have less than three players on their team will not be able to participate.​
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The total number of wins from all four players will be used to calculate which school receives a point.
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If Central High School (7A school) plays four players, and three of the players wins, and one receives a draw, their final score cumulatively will be a 3.5. Their opponent will then have a cumulative score of 0.5. ​
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In this case, the school with the most cumulative points will receive a team score of 1. ​
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The final score that will be used with the tournament director will be listed as LRCentral 1, Opponent 0
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Regional and State Score Keeping
Regional Tournament
The four players with the best scores out of 5 rounds for each school will be used to calculate the overall school score.
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For example:
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School A is from a 2A school, and they only brought three players. Of their three players, they got the following scores:
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John A: Round 1-1, Round 2-0.5, Round 3-0, Round 4-1 and Round 5-0.5 for a total of 3 points cumulatively​
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John B: Round 1-1, Round 2-1, Round 3-1, Round 4-0, Round 5-0.5 for a total of 3.5 points cumulatively
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Jane A: Round 1-0, Round 2-0.5, Round 3-0.5, Round 4-1, Round 5-1 for a total of 3 points cumulatively
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This would mean that School A will have a total of 9.5 points as a team.
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School B is from a 3A school, and they brought six players. Of their six players, they got the following scores:
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John A: Round 1-1, Round 2-0.5, Round 3-0, Round 4-1 and Round 5-0.5 for a total of 3 points cumulatively​
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John B: Round 1-1, Round 2-1, Round 3-1, Round 4-0, Round 5-0.5 for a total of 3.5 points cumulatively
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Jane A: Round 1-0, Round 2-0.5, Round 3-0.5, Round 4-1, Round 5-1 for a total of 3 points cumulatively
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Jane B: Round 1-1, Round 2-1, Round 3-1, Round 4-0.5, Round 5-0 for a total of 3.5 points cumulatively
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John C: Round 1-1, Round 2-1, Round 3-1, Round 4-1, Round 5-1 for a total of 5 points cumulatively
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Jane C: Round 1-1, Round 2-1, Round 3-1, Round 4-1, Round 5-0.5 for a total of 4.5 points cumulatively
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Out of the six players, CAAS will take the 4 best scores to calculate the school's points as a team. We would use John C (5 points), Jane C (4.5 points), Jane B (3.5 points) and John B (3.5) for a total of 16.5 points as a team.
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State Tournament
The players on each team will calculate the number of wins/losses to determine which team has the most wins. The team with the most wins will receive a point.
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For example:
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School A is from a 5A school, and they only brought four players. Of their four players, they got the following scores:
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John A: Round 1-1, Round 2-1, Round 3-0, Round 4-0 and Round 5-0.5
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John B: Round 1-1, Round 2-1, Round 3-1, Round 4-0, Round 5-0.5
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Jane A: Round 1-0, Round 2-0.5, Round 3-0.5, Round 4-1, Round 5-1
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John C:Round 1-1, Round 2-1, Round 3-1, Round 4-1, Round 5-0.5
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Based on these results, School A has 3/4 wins for Round 1, 3.5/4 wins for Round 2, 2.5/4 wins for Round 3, 2/4 wins for Round 4, and 2.5/4 wins for Round 5. ​
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Based on these results, the opponents' scores was 1/4 wins for Round 1, 0.5/4 wins for Round 2, 2/4 wins for Round 3, 2/4 wins for Round 4, and 1.5/4 wins for Round 5.
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Based on the results, School A would have 1 point for each round they have the majority of points in, making their team score a total of 4.5 points, and their opponent will have 0.5 points, and School A would be considered the winner of the round.​​
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