Chess Logo K-8th grade chess players of all skill levels are invited to the ...

Cascadia Chess State Qualifier Tournament

and Ferndale Schools Championships

Saturday, March 25, 2023 at Cascadia Elementary


Register here - - Flyer here - - Final Standings here

Location: Cascadia Elementary School, 6175 Church Rd, Ferndale WA. Parking in front lot, or along Pacific Highlands Ave.

Who Can Play: All Kindergarten through 8th grade students, from Canada to California, beginners welcome!

State Qualifier: Students in 1st - 5th grades who score three wins (or more) qualify to play in the State Championships on April 29, 2023, at the Tacoma Convention Center. (Kindergarten students qualify with two wins.)

Ferndale Schools Championship: Special recognition given to Ferndale schools champions at each grade level.

Three playing sections: K-2nd grades, 3rd-5th grades, 6th-8th grades.

Format: Five rounds, no elimination, so all players play all five rounds. Swiss pairings are used, so players of similar score face off each round. One point is awarded for a win, zero for a loss, a half point for a draw.

Schedule:
Check-in: 9:00 to 9:20am. Be prompt - late arrivals might not be paired for Round 1.
Player's Meeting: 9:30am
Round 1: 10:00
Round 2: 11:00
Lunch Gap
Round 3: 12:30
Round 4: 1:30 or asap
Round 5: 2:30 or asap
Awards ceremony 3:40pm or asap

Tournament Rules: NWSRS scholastic tournament rules are in effect. Those are clarified in the FAQ below, but the main ones are:

  • If you touch a piece, you must move it. (Accidental bumps don't count.)
  • Clocks will be used in the middle school section, and in later rounds, on top boards in the 3rd-5th grade section. 25 minutes per player, plus a five second time delay, so games will not last over an hour.
  • In the middle school section, both players must record the moves, until one player has 5 minutes or less on the clock. Then both players may cease recording if desired.

Awards: Trophies to top three in K-2, to top five in 3-5 and 6-8 divisions. Medals to all (non-trophied) players who qualify for State (3 of 5). All K-2 players get a participation prize at least. Team awards: Podium recognition to top five elementary teams and top three middle school teams. Team scoring adds up the best five results from a school for K-5th grades, and top four results for 6th-8th grades.
Ferndale Schools: Certificates to Top Three at each grade, K-5.

Entry fee: $15 to play. Spectators and parents free. Proceeds benefit Cascadia PTO and Cascadia Chess Club.

To Enter: Advance registration required. Fill out the registration form before 7:00pm Friday, March 24.

Concessions will be available on site, cash only. We'll take lunch pizza orders at check-in.

Questions: See FAQ below. If further questions, email Tournament Director Randy Kaech at CoachKaech@gmail.com.

Pawns


Cascadia Chess State Qualifier Tournament FAQ

(Also see Whatcom County Scholastic Chess FAQ)

I'm not a good chessplayer. Should I play?
If you enjoy chess, come play. Doesn't matter if you're experienced or not. Swiss pairings will pair you with other players around your same skill level. For example, if you don't win your first games, you'll play someone else with the same score. We're all learning together.

I can't play all day, just in the morning. Can I still join?
Yes. Examine the schedule, and then communicate to the tournament director which rounds you can play in, when you will be leaving, and exactly which rounds you will miss.

I grabbed a chess piece. If I haven't taken my hands off of the chess piece yet, can I change my mind?
In a rated tournament like this one, if you even touch a chess piece with your fingers, you must move it. And if you touch an opponent's piece, you must capture it. So sit on your hands until you know what you want to do. You have time. If a piece needs to be centered or adjusted, you may do so on your turn only, by first saying "I adjust". If you accidentally brush against a piece, you don't have to move it.

My opponent touched their knight, but then moved another piece. What do I do?
If you ever have any kind of issue, dispute or question during a game, raise your hand and a Tournament Director will come assist you. So, for example in this scenario, you'd politely (quietly) say "You touched your knight, and are required to move it." If they refuse, say "Let's get the TD." If you're using a clock, pause it, and raise your hand, or rise and find a TD. The TD will listen to both players and resolve matters according to USCF rules.

I'm in the 6th-8th grade section. How do I record my moves?
Yes, scorekeeping is required for middle schoolers, just like at State. To learn how, check out this web page. It takes some getting used to, but it's not hard. It will help you improve, as you'll be able to review your games. It helps avoid disputes. And, once you can read chess notation, you can read chess books from all around the planet. Scoresheets will be provided.

How do you determine who plays who? How do Swiss pairings work?
Check out the Wikipedia article or this video. But the basic Swiss Tournament rules are:

  • no elimination - everyone plays all rounds
  • players of similar score are paired together
  • you never play the same person twice
  • the computer tries to arrange it so you have the black and white pieces equally
  • in our tourney, pairing players from the same school is avoided (but not forbidden)

Chess Game In Motion

I'm in middle school, and I have no experience with chess clocks. What do I need to know?
Chess clocks are a great invention. They keep the game moving, and add a new dimension of excitement. So, after you move and release your piece, press the button nearest you on the chess clock. Then record your move. Your timer stopped, and your opponent's timer began. If you use up all your time, you lose, just like checkmate. If you want to get familiar with timed chess, just play a few games on lichess or Chess.com.

In our tournament, in the 6th-8th grade division, each side will start with 25 minutes for the whole game. Also, and this is helpful to know, we use the five second delay feature. Your time doesn't start to elapse until five seconds have passed. So, if you're down to one second on the clock, you can still finish the game, provided you make each move in less than five seconds!

Other clock rules to know:

  • You have to make moves and press the clock with the same hand. (You might sit on one of your hands, until you get the one hand habit going.)
  • The player with the black pieces gets to choose what side of the board the clock will be on.
  • You cannot pause the clock unless you are calling over a tournament director.
  • When "time trouble" happens, which is when one player has five minutes or less on the clock, a couple things happen. First, both players no longer have to record the chess moves. Second, if a player makes an illegal move, like leaving their king in check, the other player gets two extra minutes on the clock. Call over a TD if this happens.

How does team scoring work?
For elementary schools, the best five results by players attending the same school are added together, to determine the team score. (For middle school teams, it's four players.) Remember, scoring is 1 point for a win, 0 for a loss, and 1/2 for a draw. So for example, six players from Majestic Elementary School School are playing, and their final scores after five rounds are 4.0, 3.5, 2.0, 2.0, 1.0 and 0.5. Their team score would be 12.5 points.

Unlike elementary school players and high school chess teams, middle school players do not have to qualify to attend the State Middle School Chess Championships. Instead, Middle School State has three divisions based on ratings. The Washington State Middle School Championships will be held on April 29, 2023 at the Tacoma Convention Center, alsongside the Elementary State Championships. This event typically draws about 1000 chessplayers.

What if there's a tie after five rounds?
Ties will be broken by the standard "Modified Median" tiebreak method, except for first place, where the players will be declared co-champions. Basically, if you played opponents who scored well, you'll have high tiebreak points. Tiebreak systems calculate who has played the toughest opposition. Here's the Wikipedia article on the topic.

This tournament is rated by the NWSRS? What's that?
There are international, national and regional chess rating systems, which provide chess players with a number that is a rough indicator of their playing strength. It's similar to a golf handicap, bowling handicap or tennis ranking. Players enjoy improving their playing strength and their rating, and tournament directors can use ratings to place players of similar strength in playing sections together. Our tournament will be rated by the Northwest Scholastic Rating System.

Check it out - here's a video from the playing floor of the 2020 Washington State Middle School and Elementary School Championships, held at the Tacoma Convention Center.



Cascadia State Qualifier Final Team Standings

1st 18.5 Wade King
2nd 17.0 Skyline
3rd 16.5 Cascadia
4th 13.0 Eagleridge
5th 12.5 Custer
6th 12.5 Franklin Academy
7th 12.0 Central



Final Standings. Cascadia State Qualifier: Middle School

#NameRtngTeamGrdRd 1Rd 2Rd 3Rd 4Rd 5TotTBrk[M] TBrk[C]TBrk[O]
1Owen Scollon1539FHV7W4W5W3W2W6 5.0141550
2Declan Bosch1184FHV8W12W7W5L1W8 4.0121336
3Owen Zhang1288FHV7W11W6L1W7W4 4.0121242
4Samuel Moors692BLN8L1W8W11W6L3 3.013942
5James Kozaczuk1109SHK7W8L1L2W9W7 3.013846
6Kaleb Lewis1071WCA7W9L3W10L4L1 2.011846
7Blane Hildenbrand776PSM7W10L2W9L3L5 2.011843
8Latham McLoughlinunr.HOR8L5L4W12W10L2 2.08535
9Logan Fowlerunr.LYM7L6W11L7L5W12 2.05526
10Conner Williamsunr.LYM7L7W12L6L8W11 2.05523
11Jonathan Clarke484BLN8L3L9L4W12L10 1.07231
12Artem Belyatskiy465VST6L2L10L8L11L9 0.07030

Cascadia State Qualifier

Final Standings. Cascadia State Qualifier: 3rd-5th Grade Section

#NameRtngTeamGrdRd 1Rd 2Rd 3Rd 4Rd 5TotTBrk[M] TBrk[C]TBrk[O]
1Danish Qureshi822BLE5W11W34W10W2W3 5.0141552.5
2Benito Celaya688CIA4W42W5W14L1W6 4.015.51352.5
3Enrico Luther712WKE5W35W26W25W7L1 4.012.51446
4Judah Brandt-Rupich793WKE5W24W29D6W12D8 4.012.51346
5Jonah Dworzakunr.WKE4W40L2W29W20W10 4.0121142.5
6Jordan Hallunr.CIA4W37W28D4W13L2 3.51312.548
7Mason Melius1005FAC5W23W15D13L3W19 3.51311.551
8Jonah Moore778WKE4W38L10W9W25D4 3.512.510.546
9Logan Fine-Gucker676EAG3D16W18L8W36W23 3.5129.538
10Henry Lervikunr.CIA3W39W8L1W14L5 3.015.51149
11Vaughn McLoughlinunr.CUE4L1W43D17W22D15 3.013.5843.5
12Cypress Bannisterunr.EAG5D18W16W28L4D17 3.0131043
13Shafter Manly616CUE4W43W22D7L6D16 3.012.51142
14Noah McAllisterunr.SKY5W30W17L2L10W29 3.0121045.5
15Walden Edwards390WKE4W31L7W26D21D11 3.011.59.538.5
16Oliver Kingunr.WKE3D9L12W38W30D13 3.011.5839.5
17Korbin Larcom583CIA4W45L14D11W28D12 3.011934
18Logan McNeil403SKY4D12L9D35W33W27 3.010.5734
19Nihal Bhatta477CIA3L26W35W24W27L7 3.010935
20Nicholas Cancelosi408SKY5W36L25W42L5W26 3.09.5936
21Luke McFarlaneunr.SKY5L22W45D41D15W25 3.09.57.531
22Tristan Martinezunr.EAG4W21L13D23L11W35 2.58.57.537.5
23Samuel Mamunr.SKY5L7W44D22W41L9 2.587.533.5
24Kalum Whitkopunr.SKY3L4W39L19D37W36 2.56634.5
25Ezaykiel Castrounr.CIA5W32W20L3L8L21 2.011.5945
26Colby Gibsonunr.CUE5W19L3L15W32L20 2.011745.5
27Arason Johnsonunr.CUE4L34W32W37L19L18 2.09731.5
28Reed Everbeck692FAC4W33L6L12L17W42 2.09639.5
29Ethan Wilkisonunr.EAG4W44L4L5W42L14 2.08.5738
30Cole Thomsonunr.CUE3L14D36W39L16D31 2.085.530
31Troy Sargentunr.SKY3L15D38L36W44D30 2.05.54.523.5
32Angelica Javedunr.SKY3L25L27W45L26W37 2.05.5428
33Mason Nymeyerunr.EAG3L28L37W44L18W43 2.05420.5
34Cassandra Statzel109CEE4W27L1H---H---U--- 2.026.522
35Cadence Hansonunr.CEE4L3L19D18W40L22 1.5103.540
36London Saurerunr.CIA4L20D30W31L9L24 1.59.5534.5
37Jack Miles361WKE3L6W33L27D24L32 1.58.5533.5
38Thomas Soranunr.CIA3L8D31L16D43D39 1.57.53.528
39Lexi Campbellunr.CAR5L10L24L30W45D38 1.562.526
40Quinn Unickunr.EAG4L5L42D43L35W45 1.53.52.521
41Shayne Lewisunr.CIA4H---H---D21L23U--- 1.52.5515
42Gina Trinkaunr.WKE3L2W40L20L29L28 1.08.5437.5
43Jaxon Darlandunr.SKY3L13L11D40D38L33 1.082.529
44Leilani Campbellunr.CAR3L29L23L33L31B--- 1.06023
45Reuben Kingunr.HSC4L17L21L32L39L40 0.08025.5

Cascadia State Qualifier

Final Standings. Cascadia State Qualifier: K - 2nd Grade Section

#NameRtngTeamGrdRd 1Rd 2Rd 3Rd 4Rd 5TotTBrk[M] TBrk[C]TBrk[O]
1Copen Tandon577FAC2W7W10W2W4L3 4.013.51448
2Yonit Rosenliebunr.SKY2W13W11L1W5W4 4.011.51246
3George Buckhamunr.SKY1W6L4W14W11W1 4.0111144
4Grey Everbeck281FAC2B---W3W9L1L2 3.014.51144.5
5Josh Whiteunr.CEE2D8W12W7L2D6 3.012.51038.5
6Damien Snyder513CEE2L3B---D8W12D5 3.011.5733.5
7Fedora Gongunr.SKY2L1W13L5W9W12 3.011740
8Lorenzo Santosunr.CIA2D5L9D6W14W11 3.010736.5
9Bentley Verduinunr.CUE2D12W8L4L7W15 2.577.531.5
10John Statzelunr.CEE2W15L1L11D13W14 2.54.5730
11Altair Bannisterunr.EAG1W14L2W10L3L8 2.010.5841
12Grayson Saurerunr.CIA1D9L5W15L6L7 1.58.55.532.5
13Landon Lewisunr.CIA2L2L7B---D10U--- 1.55.5326
14Anita Lutherunr.WKE2L11W15L3L8L10 1.08434
15Peter Javedunr.SKY1L10L14L12B---L9 1.05124