Scholastic Cup – Hampton Roads Chess Association

HRCA Scholastic Cup

Hampton Roads Chess Association is pleased to announce the implementation of a season-long competition for kids called the HRCA Scholastic Cup.

Kids earn points for their performance in HRCA tournaments per the rules below. At the culmination of the season, during the Seven Cities School Chess Championship in late spring, top finishers will be recognized with trophies.

Students MUST be HRCA members to qualify. If not already a member, Players can join HRCA within one week of the conclusion of an eligible tournament for that tournament to count. Points are NOT counted retroactively.

The Rules

These rules are designed to give all players an equal chance to earn points and to encourage players to continue to move up and challenge themselves.

1. Eligible Tournament Criteria

Run directly by HRCA and located within Hampton Roads
Both rated and non-rated sections available
Cannot be restricted to a single gender (e.g. Girls Rock)
Cannot have a residency restriction (e.g. limited to a single city)
Cannot be restricted to students enrolled in a single club
May also include Adults in specified sections (adults do not earn Cup points)
Quick, Dual, or Regular time controls only. No Blitz.
Occurs on or after September 1st , 2024 and before the Seven Cities School Chess Championship

2. Eligible Player Criteria

In grades Pre-K through 12th grade
Any schooling method: Public, Private, Homeschool, In-person or Virtual
No residency restrictions. Players do not need to reside in Hampton Roads.
HRCA Member (see #3) — if not a member, must join within one week of the conclusion of the tournament for that tournament to count.

3. HRCA Membership is Required

Students enrolled in the following HRCA programs are automatically members when they enroll and pay their registration fee for the year (or if fees are funded by grants or donors):

HRCA Master Class
Girls Rock Chess Club
Guppy Chess
Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club
Homeschool Chess Club
Most HRCA-coached School Chess programs

Students not enrolled in these programs and wishing to participate in the HRCA Scholastic Cup can join HRCA at the $10 HRCA Basic Membership rate HERE.

**New members must join within one week of the conclusion of a tournament for the points to count. Joining later in the season will NOT allow students to retroactively count earlier tournament points before they became members.

Other rules

Players in Rookie (non-rated) sections, as well as players in the lowest rated section they are eligible to play (e.g. a 499 rated player in a U500 section) earn 1 point for each point earned in a tournament (1 point for a win, .5 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss).
Players who “play up” (e.g. a 499 rated player entering the Open section when there is also a U500 section available), as well as unrated players in their FIRST rated event earn 1.5 points for each point earned in a tournament (1.5 points for a win, .75 points for a draw, 0 points for a loss). This weighted score is designed to encourage players to challenge themselves and improve through tougher competition.
Full point byes (forced for an uneven number of players) DO count but will NOT have the multiplier applied for the rated sections.
Half point byes (known missed rounds, limited to one per tournament) DO count but will NOT have the multiplier applied for the rated sections.
In events where one section may have more rounds than other sections (e.g. four or five rounds depending on registration), players in the section with the extra round can only earn up to a maximum of the number of points available in the section with the fewest rounds.
Rookie players are limited to THREE Cup-eligible tournaments in which they EARN A TOP 5 PLACE TROPHY in a non-rated section this season. “Class” trophies for things like “Top K-1” do not count in this limit. Trophies from non-Cup-eligible tournaments such as a Rookie Training Tournament do not count in this limit. HRCA strongly encourages successful Rookies to join US Chess and become rated players. Kids who choose to continue playing in non-rated sections after placing in the top 5 at three tournaments will NOT earn Cup points
for those subsequent tournaments.

Current List of HRCA Scholastic Cup Tournaments for 2024-2025

This list will be continually updated with tournaments that meet eligibility criteria.

Zofchak Memorial Open, September 21-22, 2024
India Fest Competition, September 28, 2024
National Chess Day, October 12, 2024
VBPD Title 1 Fundraiser Tournament, November 9, 2024
HRCA Holiday Hustle, December 21, 2024
January Scholastic – January 4 or 11, 2025. – TBD
Coastal Virginia Open, February 1-2, 2025
February Scholastic – February 22, 2025
State Champ Warm-Ups – March 29, 2025
BB64 Tournament – April 19, 2025