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2024 National High School (K-12) Championship
April 5 - 7, 2024
· Baltimore MD (Bughouse & Blitz April 4)
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Playing site:
· Baltimore Convention Center
· 1 West Pratt Avenue
· Baltimore MD 21201
Host hotel:
· Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor test
· 401 West Pratt Avenue
· Baltimore MD 21201
· connected to Baltimore Convention Center
Click here to book a room at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor!
Book by March 12 or rate may increase!
Support US Chess and Ensure Future Events by staying at the host hotel!
As of 1/18/2024, the Hilton Baltimore is sold out of rooms in our block.
US Chess has secured overflow rooms at nearby hotels (see below). Additional overflow hotels will be added here as needed.
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OVERFLOW HOTELS |
Hyatt Regency Baltimore Inner Harbor, 300 Light Street, Baltimore MD 21202
(connected by skywalk to the tournament site)
$152/night single/double. Add $25/person after double. Must reserve by March 14!
Click here to make a reservation!
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Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, 300 South Charles Street, Baltimore MD 21201
(connected by skywalk to the tournament site)
$169/night, single/double. Must reserve by March 14!
Click here to make a reservation!!
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Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore, 550 Light Street, Baltimore MD 21202
(0.2 miles from the tournament site)
$169/night, single/double. Must reserve by March 14!
Click here to make a reservation!
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Network Information for Complimentary Wi-Fi
NOTE: This only works in the skittles room (Hall G).
Also, this is wi-fi suitable for texting, checking email, etc. - not streaming video or other high-bandwidth operations.
Network ID: Chess Champions
Password: Checkmate24 <<<< case-sensitive!!!
As of 9:15am 4/6/2024, internet service has been restored at the Baltimore Convention Center.
All operations are confirmed as back to normal, including Hall G. Thanks for your collective understanding while this was being resolved.
ROOM RESERVATION POLICY
All reservations must be secured with a valid credit card provided by the reserving party, along with a first night's deposit,
refundable up to 3 days in advance of arrival. All credit cards used to prepay the room deposit may be charged immediately.
Once the contracted block of rooms is sold out, additional rooms may be made available at the hotel's sole discretion. The hotel
has sole discretion over the rate of any rooms added to the contracted block.
IMPLEMENTATION OF US CHESS SAFE PLAY RULES
US Chess encourages a safe and welcoming environment for all our players and attendees. To protect you, we have adopted Safe Play policy.
If you feel unsafe or uncomfortable in interacting with anyone during this event, please report the problem to a tournament director or US Chess staff at Chess Control immediately (or ask your parent or coach to do so). Each tournament director and staff member wearing a yellow US Chess Safe Play button has been SafeSport trained and is able to assist you.
US Chess will follow up on your report in real time. Thank you for your attention to this important information.
NEW Girls Club location - Room 337!
PAIRINGS AND STANDINGS POSTED ONLINE!
For the 2024 National High School, board-order pairings and normal wallcharts will not be printed. We will post alphabetical pairings and standings with color history.
To see the current pairings and standings, click "Results & Pairings" in the upper left hand corner, then select the tournament and section you're interested in.
(There will be no data here before 11am local time, Friday, April 5.)
There will be QR codes that link to the pairings and standings posted all around the playing site. Copies of the QR codes are also available at Chess Control.
Subscribe to our national scholastic events mailing list!
US Chess now provides a way for coaches, faculty advisors, and other interested parties to receive our pre-tournament emails for national events.
Just use this form to subscribe!
You can select the event(s) you wish to receive emails about. If you wish to unsubscribe from these lists at any point, you do so by just
clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of the email.
Awards are provided by Trophies Plus, sponsor of the All-American Team. Trophies Plus will ship awards for you at the conclusion of the event. Just click on their icon for details!
NOTE: Unclaimed awards are discarded after one year - so don't wait!
Follow US Chess on Instagram and Twitter!
Use the hashtag #HSChessChamps for your posts and tweets!
We've put together a guide for those who are "New To Nationals!"
Click here for a primer on what to expect before you arrive!
US Chess COVID Policy
US Chess is not requiring masks, COVID-19 vaccinations, or negative COVID-19 tests for any attendees at this event.
Attendees are encouraged to take available precautions, including (but not limited to) bringing masks and hand sanitizer. However, the decision has been reached to return to pre-COVID conditions at the event.
US Chess will still sanitize all boards after each game. Attendees who wish to wear masks should bring their own.
US Chess reserves the right to alter this policy as needed, dependent upon the most recent regulatory or guidance updates from federal, state, and local health authorities. Please continue to check this space for any changes.
IMPORTANT SITE NOTES
The best point of entry to the convention center is the Otterbein Lobby. This point of entry is located on Sharp Street. Enter through the Otterbein Lobby for direct access to Chess Control, the playing hall (Hall F), and the skittles room (Hall G).
The convention center has a new policy: no balls or other throwing items permitted. Anyone caught using such items in the convention center risks being trespassed from the site by security staff. US Chess strongly recommends only using such items outside the building.
DO NOT RUN OR WALK ON THE SLANTED CONCRETE WALLS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PUSH THROUGH LOCKED OR BARRED DOORS.
Hall F and Hall G are accessible from Otterbein Lobby by escalator and staircase. However, the vestibules outside those entrances, and the escalators and stairs connecting those to Otterbein Lobby, must be kept clear at all times. This is a public safety requirement. Security will clear those steps and vestibules.
Compliance with all instructions from tournament staff, convention center staff, and uniformed security personnel is required. US Chess thanks you for helping to maintain a safe environment!
Rating Review Report
The Tournament Review Group (defined in the Scholastic Regulations) reviews every entry to this tournament, and makes decisions about whether to assign a rating based
on alternate rating data found for a player. Players on the report have been assigned ratings that are different from their US Chess regular rating in the
March 2024 rating supplement. Any player who has been resectioned as a result of an assigned rating has been notified by email from US Chess. The most current version of the report is published here
for transparency. Contact the Director of Events with any questions.
TOWN HALL FOR PARENT/PLAYER INFORMATION!
US Chess offered an informative Town Hall for parents, coaches and players on Wednesday, March 27. The moderators were Pete Karagianis,
Assistant Director of Events; NTD Enrique Huerta, chief TD; and Dr. Judit Sztaray, Scholastic Council Representative.
Unexpected technical issues caused the town hall's start to be delayed for 30 minutes. US Chess apologizes to anyone inconvenienced by this
circumstance.
Click here for a recap of the Town Hall: https://youtu.be/enpddtepyZg?si=Z_GHrrArrfLhnl98.
Trophies Plus
All awards are provided by Trophies Plus, sponsor of the All-American Team. Trophies Plus will ship medals and trophies for you at the conclusion of the event. Just click the Trophies Plus logo for details!
Tournament Registration Desk (Chess Control)
Report corrections, byes, membership payments etc. at the Registration Desk.
Email: nationalevents@uschess.org
| Day | | Date | | Hours |
| Thursday |
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April 7 | |
9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
| Friday |
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April 8 | |
8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
| Saturday | |
April 9 | |
8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. |
| Sunday | |
April 10 | |
8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. |
7 Round Swiss in 6 Sections
K-12 Championship
K-12 Under 1900
K-12 Under 1600
K-12 Under 1200
K-12 Under 800
K-12 Unrated
March rating supplement will be used.
Players must disclose other Over-the-Board (OTB) ratings with entry. Players with other OTB ratings may be moved to a different section
at the discretion of US Chess.
Team score is total of top four finishers from each school per section.
A team must have at least two players but no maximum number of players.
The top four scores in a section will count for the team score in that section. All players on a team must come from the same school.
National Championship
First place individual and team in the K-12 Championship section, including ties, will be the National High School Champion.
Time Control:
Game/90 d10
Each player has 90 minutes to complete the game with a 10 second grace period each move.
This is a US Chess National Scholastic Championship tournament. You must meet US Chess eligibility requirements to play. Contact US Chess to resolve potential eligibility questions BEFORE entering or making travel arrangements.
Entry Fee:
$80 postmarked or online by February 26, $100 postmarked or online by March 11, $130 online by March 25, $180 thereafter online.
- ONLINE REGISTRATION CLOSES 11AM EASTERN APRIL 4! NO EXCEPTIONS!
- NO ON-SITE REGISTRATION! NO EXCEPTIONS!
- ONLINE REGISTRATION STRONGLY PREFERRED!
- DO NOT MAIL ANY REGISTRATIONS AFTER MARCH 11!
- $30 change fee for roster or section changes after March 11 or any on site changes.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND LINKS:
- Up to two 1/2 point byes available any round if requested before round 1.
- A half-point bye in round 1 must be requested at the time of registration, or on-site before 11 AM Friday.
- A half-point bye request for rounds 2-7 not requested in advance must be requested two hours before the scheduled start of round 2.
- Players requesting a section change late (after 11 AM Friday) will not be paired for round 1, will receive a half-point bye, and will begin play with round 2.
- Current US Chess Scholastic Regulations are linked here
- 2024 National HS Schedule of Events is linked here
- Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor: $36/day self-parking. No valet parking available.
- Click here for Baltimore Convention Center parking information.
Information for Accommodation Requests: Consistent with the Guidelines for Accessible Chess Events, requests for reasonable accommodations during the event should be made 2-3 weeks in advance of the event.
Requests for accommodations made on site will be handled to the best of our ability.
Tournament Information Contact: [email protected].
Schedule:
- Opening ceremony Friday 12:45 p.m.
- Round start times: Friday 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 6 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
- Awards Ceremony: Sunday 6 p.m. (approximately)
Award list is final as of 12/25/2023.
All individual awards, including Blitz and Bughouse, will be custom medals. All team awards will be trophies.
| Awards: | Individual | Team |
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| K-12 Championship | Top 35 [plus ties for 35th place] | Top 20 |
| K-12 Under 1900 | Top 15 [plus ties for 15th place] | Top 10 |
| K-12 Under 1600 | Top 30 [plus ties for 30th place] | Top 20 |
| K-12 Under 1200 | Top 35 [plus ties for 35th place] | Top 25 |
| K-12 Under 800 | Top 35 [plus ties for 35th place] | Top 25 |
| K-12 Unrated | Top 15 [plus ties for 15th place] | Top 5 |
| Top five teams in each section receive 5 plaques per place (4 players and the coach). |
| NOTE: Unrated teams receive a trophy only - no individual plaques. This is per the Scholastic Regulations. |
Class awards to the top three in the following classes: |
| K-12 Championship |
1900-1999; 1800-1899; 1700-1799;
1600-1699; 1500-1599; 1400-1499;
Under 1400; Unrated |
National High School Blitz Championship (G/5;d0)
Thursday 5 p.m., entry fee $40 by 3/11, $60 after or on site.
Online registration closes at 2 p.m.
Onsite registration closes at 4 p.m.
Awards to Top 25 Individuals, Top 15 Teams and Top 3 in each Class
1900-1999; 1800-1899; 1700-1799; 1600-1699;
1500-1599; 1400-1499; Under 1400; Unrated.
Blitz Rules
National High School Bughouse Championship (G/5;d0):
Thursday 11 a.m., $30 per 2-player team on site only. Registration 9-10 a.m. One section K-12.
Awards (2 each) to top 5 teams.
Bughouse Rules
Friends and Family Tournament (G/30;d5):
4SS, G/30. Saturday 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., $30 onsite registration only. Anyone registering after 10 a.m. will take a half point bye in round 1. Rated and Unrated sections. Trophies for each category of combined player/student results.
Notes and Reminders:
- Important: Electronic Device Policy for National Scholastic Events.
- Please bring clocks. Sets and score sheets provided. Players are responsible for bringing and setting their own clocks, and explaining their operation when asked.
- US Chess membership through April 2024 is required.
- March 2024 rating supplement will be used in compliance with the Scholastic Regulations.
- Unrated players may play in the Championship Section or Unrated Section only!!!
- Players must disclose other Over-the-Board (OTB) ratings with entry.
- For a printable entry form, click here
- Mail-in entries must be postmarked by March 11th.
Entries and General Information Contact:
[email protected]
U.S. Chess Federation, Attn.: 2024 HS Championship, P.O. Box 775308, St. Louis MO 63177.
IF YOU'RE GETTING OLD INFORMATION, PLEASE CLEAR YOUR BROWSER CACHE
(The reservation link will be activated at 12:00 PM EDT on Monday, February 26.)
List of Available Team Rooms for National HS
Playing area: Exhibit Hall F, 100 Level
Skittles area: Exhibit Hall G, 100 Level
Team Rooms: 300 Level
How to Use the Room Reservation System - PowerPoint file - PDF file
Instructional Video on Using the Room Reservation System
Team Room Information Contact: Pete Karagianis at [email protected]
 courtesy CCSCSL
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Guest Grandmaster:
GM Elshan Moradiabadi
Iran national champion, 2001
US Open Co-Champion, 2022
Schedule for GM Moradiabadi:
- Friday, 9 AM -- 30-Board Simultaneous Exhibition
- Friday, 3:30 to 5:30 PM -- "Take-on-all-comers" Blitz
- Saturday, 12:30 PM -- Lecture and Q&A
- Saturday, 3:30 to 5:30 PM -- "Take-on-all-comers" Blitz
- Sunday, 11:00 AM -- Lecture and Q&A
- Sunday, 2:00 to 4:00 PM -- "Take-on-all-comers" Blitz
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Live Analysis on Twitch!
US Chess will be broadcasting top games from the National High School Championship section on our Twitch channel with live analysis in rounds 5 through 7!
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Analyst - IM Igor Khmelnitsky
Champion, National Chess Congress, 2001
Four-time US Championship participant
(photo credit: CCSCSL)
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Analyst - NM Gopal Menon
Instructor, Dynamic Chess Inc.
Coach, Whitney Young Magnet High School
(three-time Illinois state HS champions)
(photo credit: Gopal Menon)
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2024 National High School (K-12) Championship
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