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Tournament Information

2009 – 2010 Tournament Dates:

• Saturday, October 17, 2009

• Saturday, November 21, 2009

• Saturday, January 23, 2010

• Saturday, March 6, 2010

Tournament Location:

• Jekyll Island Convention Center
  1 Beachview Drive
  Jekyll Island, GA  31527

Tournament Schedule:

• Onsite Registration: (8:30 am – 9:00 am only)

  • Tournament pre-registration and pre-payment will be available until 6:00 pm on the day prior to the tournament.

  • Onsite registration is available from 8:30 am – 9:00 am only.  This deadline will be strictly enforced.

  • Onsite registration is not necessary for players who have pre-registered prior to the tournament.

  • Onsite registrations occurring after 9:00 am may be assigned a Bye for one or more rounds.
    
    

• Tournament Check-in: (8:30 am – 9:30 am)

  • For players who pre-registered prior to the tournament.

  • It is the players’ and parents’ responsibility to verify that all player information is correct on the check-in sheet.

  • Check-ins occurring after 9:30 am may be assigned a Bye for one or more rounds.
    
    

• Player and Section Roll Call: (9:50 am)

  • All scholastic players will report to the tables in their section to validate that they are placed in the correct sections prior to Round 1 pairings.
    
    

• Welcome and High-Level Rule Review (10:00 am)

  • The Chief Tournament Director will welcome everyone and provide a high-level review of tournament rules.

  • The most important piece of information (especially for new players) is:  “If you have a question during the round, immediately raise your hand and speak with a Tournament Director.  Do not wait until later or after the round.”
    
    

• Scholastic Tournament Rounds: (10:10 am – 3:50 pm)

  • Round 1 begins at approximately 10:10 am.

  • Round 2 begins at approximately 11:20 am.

  • Round 3 begins at approximately 12:30 pm.

  • Round 4 begins at approximately 1:40 pm.

  • Round 5 begins at approximately 2:50 pm.
    
    

• Adult Section Tournament Rounds: (10:20 am – 3:50 pm)

  • Round 1 begins at approximately 10:20 am.

  • Round 2 begins at approximately 12:20 pm.

  • Round 3 begins at approximately 2:20 pm.
    
    

• Awards Ceremony: (4:00 pm – 4:30 pm)

  • The awards ceremony will take place as soon as possible after the completion of the last round.

Scholastic Tournament Format:

• GISCA scholastic tournaments are five round Swiss System tournaments (i.e. no players are eliminated) open to all scholastic (K-12) players.  Players and teams from outside the state of Georgia are welcome to participate.
  
  

• GISCA tournaments are primarily individual USCF rated tournaments, yet also contain a team component.  The software (WinTD) pairs games such that the software attempts to avoid pairing teammates in the same section.  The software will not shift players out of a score group just to avoid pairing teammates though.  Consequently, the pairing of teammates may be necessary, especially in the later rounds, to determine individual standings within a section.
  
  

• Team scores are based upon the top five individual performers in a Grand Prix Section for each school.  A team must include at least two players in a Grand Prix Section for a specific school.
  
  

• Bye(s) requested prior to the day of the tournament or during registration on the day of the tournament:

  • Bye(s) should be requested during pre-registration prior to the tournament or during registration on the day of the tournament.

  • Players may receive up to two ½ point Byes for the tournament for rounds 1 through 5.

• Bye(s) requested during the tournament:

  • In cases when unexpected events result in the necessity for a player to request Bye(s) during the tournament, the GISCA Tournament Director may grant up to two ½ point Byes.

  • Players requesting Bye(s) during the tournament (but prior to the specific round) may, at the Tournament Director’s discretion, receive ½ point Bye(s) for rounds 1 through 4.

  • At the Tournament Director’s discretion, a 5th round Bye is available but no points will be awarded.
    
    

• If a player should need to temporarily leave the tournament or withdraw from the tournament for any reason, the player should check-out at the scorer’s table.

Scholastic Tournament Sections:

• GISCA will offer two major scholastic sections for the 2009-2010 GISCA tournament season.
  

• Youth eligible to compete in both the Grand Prix and Novice Sections are strongly encouraged to seek the guidance of their team coach.  Decisions will impact both a player’s ability to win tournament and Grand Prix trophies as well as potentially impact overall team scores.
  
  

• The Grand Prix Sections’ structure is identical to previous seasons.

• Players in the Grand Prix Sections must have valid USCF memberships.

• Players in the Grand Prix Sections will have their games reported to and rated by USCF.

• Players in the Grand Prix Sections will compete for individual tournament trophies, team tournament trophies, and Grand Prix individual trophies.

• Players in the Grand Prix Sections will be eligible for that tournament’s door prizes.
  
  

• The Novice Sections are reserved for new players who do not have USCF membership, are not yet rated by USCF, or with maximum USCF rating of 200 in the Junior Novice (K-5) section and maximum USCF rating of 500 in Senior Novice (6-12) section.

  • Players in the Novice Sections are not required to have USCF memberships.

  • Players in the Novice Sections will compete for individual tournament ribbons, but will not be eligible for individual tournament trophies or individual Grand Prix trophies.

  • There is no team component to the Novice Sections and players’ scores will not contribute to scholastic team scores.

  • Novice Section players’ games and scores will not be submitted to USCF and will not be USCF rated.  This is due to non-USCF players being allowed to compete in these sections.

  • Players in the Novice Sections will be eligible for that tournament’s door prizes.
    
    

• While youth who meet the criteria for Novice Sections may compete in either section in a GISCA tournament, youth cannot change sections between rounds of any tournament.  Additionally for players playing in both the Novice and Grand Prix Sections during the GISCA tournament season, performance while competing in Novice Sections will not be credited for Grand Prix individual ranking and trophies.

Scholastic Tournament Time Controls:

• Time Control G/30 (each player has 30 minutes to complete all moves in a game).
  
  

• Chess clocks:

  • The use of chess clocks by players in Grand Prix Sections is encouraged.

  • Chess clocks will not be provided by GISCA and, if desired, shall be provided by the player(s).

  • The use of a delay clock (a clock with time delay or add-back capabilities) is preferred for GISCA tournaments.

  • Players are responsible for correctly setting their own clocks and explaining their clock’s operation to their opponent prior to the start of the round.

  • For players in a Grand Prix Section, if one player in a game would like to use a clock, a clock shall be used in the game.  The clock must be provided by one of the players.

  • For players in a Novice Section, both players must agree to the use of a clock.  If one player chooses not to play with a clock, a clock shall not be used.  If both players agree to use a clock, it must be provided by one of the players.

  • If both players in any section have chess clocks and both delay clocks, Black chooses which clock to use.

  • Black chooses which side of the board to place the clock except if Black arrives at the board after the round begins.

  • If a player using a clock has a claim of any sort or needs to speak with a Tournament Director for any legitimate reason, both sides of the clock shall be stopped and the player must immediately raise their hand.

  • A player may not pick up a clock prior to the end of the game for any reason.

  • For a tournament game in which a clock is not being used and whose length may otherwise exceed one hour, a GISCA Tournament Director may insert a clock into the game such that the game will end within the allotted time.

Use of Chess Notation (Grand Prix Sections):

• Players are required to record the game (both the player’s moves and the opponent’s moves), move after move, as clearly and as legibly as possible, on the score sheet.

  • Beginners who have not yet learned to keep score may be excused from scorekeeping, at the Tournament Director’s discretion.

  • If either player has less than five minutes remaining to complete their moves in the game, both players are excused from their obligation to keep notation.

  • Notation sheets will be available at the tournament.

  • Chess notation may be used by GISCA Tournament Directors to assist in the resolution of disagreement between players.

  • A player’s notation can be later used by players, parents, coaches, and some chess software applications to review a player’s performance.

Scholastic Tournament Awards:

• The top three players in each of the Novice Sections will receive ribbons.
  
  

• The top three players in each of the Grand Prix Sections will receive trophies.
  
  

• The player with the greatest upset in each of the Grand Prix Sections will receive a trophy.
  
  

• The top three teams in each of the Grand Prix Sections will receive a trophy.
  
  

• Player standings and results are based upon their tournament scores (i.e. wins, draws, and loses).  In those cases when two or more players have tied tournament scores, trophies and ribbons will be awarded based upon the following tie-breakers:

  • Modified Median

  • Solkoff

  • Cumulative

  • Opponents Cumulative

  • Sonneborne-Berger

  • Percentage Score

  
  
  

• Team standings and results are based upon the cumulative tournament scores (i.e. wins, draws, and loses) of the top five players on the team in a specific Grand Prix Section.  In those cases when two or more teams have tied cumulative tournament scores, trophies will be awarded based upon the following tie-breakers:

• Cumulative (summed)

• Solkoff (summed)

• Opponents Cumulative (summed)

• Sonneborne-Berger (summed)
  
  

• Scholastic players in all sections will be eligible for Grand Prix Door Prizes if they attend a minimum of three GISCA chess tournament during the tournament season.

  • One Grand Prix Door Prize of significant value will be randomly awarded to a scholastic player in the Rated Primary Section, Rated Elementary Section, or the Junior Novice (K-5) section.  Past prizes include bicycles, Apple iPod Nano, Nintendo DS Lite, etc.

  • One Grand Prix Door Prize of significant value will be randomly awarded to a scholastic player in the Rated Middle School Section, Rated High School Section, or the Senior Novice (6-12) section.  Past prizes include bicycles, iPod Nano, Canon 5MP Digital Camera, Apple iTouch, etc.

  • Grand Prix Door Prizes are presented at the last tournament of the season.

  • Players must be present to claim Door Prizes.  If not present, another name will be randomly drawn and the Grand Prix Door Prize awarded to that individual.

2009-2010 Grand Prix Scholastic Tournament Awards:

• The top ten players over GISCA's four tournament season in each of the Grand Prix Sections will receive Grand Prix trophies.  Trophy winners will be determined based upon their cumulative performance throughout GISCA's 2009-2010 Grand Prix four tournament season.
  
  





• A score of 5.0 represents five wins by a player in a Grand Prix Section for a single GISCA five-round tournament.  This would equate to 250 Grand Prix points for that tournament.

• Note that the graph above shows a curve with greater "steepness" at each end rather than a linear slope.  The intent of the curve is to appropriately reward exceptional performance (e.g. 4.5 or 5.0 wins).

• For example, a Grand Prix Section player with 5.0 points in one tournament and 4.0 wins in a second tournament would have more Grand Prix points (180 + 250 = 430 Grand Prix points) than a Grand Prix Section player with 4.5 wins in two tournaments (210 + 210 = 420 Grand Prix points).

• Also note though, that the Grand Prix Section player with 4.5 wins in each of two tournaments would have more points than a Grand Prix Section player with 5.0 wins in one tournament and 3.0 wins in a second tournament (250 + 142 = 392 Grand Prix points).
  
  

• The GISCA 2009-2010 Grand Prix points curve rewards "exceptional" performance over "very good" performance, but also rewards "consistently very good" performance over the more erratic mixture of "exception" and "good" performance.
  
  

• There may be cases when Grand Prix Section players within the top ten have tied Grand Prix scores after the four GISCA 2009-2010 Grand Prix tournaments.  The tie-breaker system that will be used will be to first examine head-to-head competition between the players with the identical Grand Prix scores.  If examination of head-to-head competition is not able to break the tie, the following priority tie-breakers will be used:

  • Second tie-breaker: "Modified Median" (MMed) of the tied players summed over the four tournaments.

  • Third tie-breaker: "Solkoff" (Solk) of the tied players summed over the four tournaments.

  • Fourth tie-breaker: "Cumulative" (Cum) of the tied players summed over the four tournaments.

  • Fifth tie-breaker: "Cumulative of Opposition" (CumOp) of the tied players summed over the four tournaments.

GISCA Invitation to the 2010 Georgia Scholastic Team Championship:

• The Georgia Chess Association allows GISCA to invite high performing GISCA scholastic chess teams from the state of Georgia to the 2010 Georgia Scholastic Team Championship.  Scholastic teams from GISCA Grand Prix Primary, Elementary, and Middle School sections compete for this honor.
  
  

• Invitations are not required for High School chess teams to compete in the Georgia High School Chess Team Championship.
  
  

• GISCA will pay the entrance fee for any GISCA team invited to and participating in the Georgia Chess Team Championship.  This includes high school chess teams participating in the Georgia High School Chess Team Championship.
  
  

• While some level of subjectivity is involved in the selection for teams invited to compete in the state championship, team strength and progress is evaluated using the points-based system shown below.
  
  

• By combining the scores of the top five players on a team within a given Grand Prix Section, a cumulative total of 25 points is theoretically possible.  Because players with like scores are paired against one another, it is mathematically possible (yet still highly unlikely) for a team to have a cumulative total of 25 points only if a single Grand Prix Section had a minimum of 132 players.  For this reason, the top point bracket is based upon a cumulative total of 20 points (an average score of 4.0 for the top five players on the team).

• Teams in a specific Grand Prix Section should have a minimum total of 614 Team Points over the four tournament season to receive an invitation to the Georgia Scholastic State Team Championship.

  • 614 Team Points can be achieved by a team earning 152 Team Points at each of GISCA’s four tournaments.

  • 152 Team Points can be achieved in a GISCA tournament by the top five players on a team averaging a score of 3.0 (e.g. three wins, two wins and two draws, etc.).
    
    

• The methodology described above to assist in the determination of teams invited by GISCA to attend the Georgia Scholastic Chess Team Championship is used solely by GISCA.  The criterion used for team selection by other chess organizations will be different.

Adult Section Tournament Format:

• Open to all adults, including those outside of Georgia.  Scholastic players (those attending K-12 schools) should not typically compete in this section.
  
  

• GISCA Adult Section is a three round Swiss System (no players are eliminated) tournament.
  
  

• While USCF membership is required to compete, one day USCF memberships are available at the tournament (Adult Section only).
  
  

• Adults will be typically placed into groups of no more that eight players based upon their USCF rating.
  
  

• Bye(s) requested prior to the day of the tournament or during registration on the day of the tournament:

• Players may receive up to two ½ point Byes for the tournament for rounds 1 through 3.
  
  

• Bye(s) requested during the tournament:

• In cases when unexpected events result in the necessity for a player to request Bye(s) during the tournament, the GISCA Tournament Director may grant up to two ½ point Byes.

• Players requesting Bye(s) during the tournament (but prior to the specific round) may, at the Tournament Director’s discretion, receive ½ point Bye(s) for rounds 1 and 2.

• At the Tournament Director’s discretion, a 3rd round Bye is available but no points will be awarded.
  
  

• If a player should need to temporarily leave the tournament or withdraw from the tournament for any reason, the player should check-out at the scorer’s table.

Adult Section Tournament Time Controls:

• Time Control G/45 (each player has 45 minutes to complete all moves in a game).

Adult Section Tournament Awards:

• Monetary prizes will be provided to the top two scorers in each group of eight players.

  • For a full group of eight players, 1st place will receive $50.00 and 2nd place will receive $20.00.

  • If any group has less than eight players, 1st and 2nd place prizes will be proportionally decreased, but will not be less than 50% of the monetary prizes shown above.

  • If any group has more than eight players, 1st and 2nd place prizes will be proportionally increased.

  • Tie breakers are not used in the Adult section.

    • When two or more players are tied for 1st place, the sum of the cash awards for 1st and 2nd place is evenly split among the tied players.

    • When two or more players are tied for 2nd place, (i.e. there cannot be a tie for 1st place in this case), the cash award for 2nd place is evenly split among the tied players.