ELIGIBILITY

1. School Teams compete in three Divisions: Grades K-5 (Elementary School Team Championship), K-8 (Middle School Team Championship), and K-12 (High School Team Championship). Divisions may be further subdivided into Sections (Open and Reserve) based on rating.

2. Schools are encouraged to enter multiple teams (for instance, two K-5 teams, or one K-8 team and one K-12 team). If Divisions are split into Open and Reserve Sections, then only a school’s highest rated team may compete in the Open Section, while an unlimited number of teams can compete in the Reserve Sections.

3. A fourth “Mixed Team” Division shall be created for teams that have students from different schools. Individuals who would like to participate in the tournament but do not have a team may register as Individuals. Pending capacity, the Tournament Director will place them on a Mixed Team.

4. School Teams may play up to a higher division. For instance, a team consisting of students in grades K-5 may choose to compete in the K-8 or K-12 division. However, they would then only be eligible for K-8 or K-12 awards.

5. Each team typically consists of five players who (1) attend the same school or (2) attend the same school and schools which are zoned “feeders” for that school. For instance, a K-8 public school team may consist of players both from a Middle School and the Elementary Schools which are its feeders. Private School Teams may be made up of students who attend the private school in any grade, but may not draw on students who attend a different school (private or public).

6. Due to limitations of Lichess pairing software, teams may not have “alternates.” Only registered players may compete. 

7. Homeschool players may form a “Homeschool Team” and compete in K-5, K-8, or K-12 if all players on the team reside within the same school boundary. If players on a homeschool team reside in different school boundaries, then they will compete as a Mixed Team. Homeschool players may not compete for a school they are not enrolled in, but they may compete for a school they would feed into. For instance, a 3rd grader who homeschools could not represent her neighborhood K5 school, but she could represent the public middle or public high school that she is zoned to attend, as those schools can recruit all players within their catchment.

8. Only schools physically located in the State of Oregon are eligible to compete. “Online” schools may be exempt from this requirement if all team members reside in the State of Oregon, in which case they will be subject to the same rules as homeschool students.

RULES AND FORMAT

1. Teams will play 5 rounds. Time control for Round 1 and 2 will be G25+5. Time controls for Round 3, 4, and 5 will be G40+5. The exact time control and number of rounds may be adjusted based on number of entries and the strength of the playing field.

2. The Open Sections will operate as modified Round Robins with the 6 highest rated teams. The Tournament Director retains the right to change the Open Section from a Round Robin to a modified Team Swiss.

3. The Reserve Sections will be modified Team Swisses and contain all the teams not in the Open Sections. 

4. Each board will count for one (1) point. The winning player on each board scores the point for their team. In the case of a draw on the board each team will score a half point (1/2). The team scoring three (3) or more points will be awarded a match point and the team scoring two (2) or less points will lose the match point. If both teams score two and half points (2½), the match point will be split with both teams scoring one half (1/2) match point.

5. Notation is not required since Lichess provides automatic game recording.

6. If Divisions are divided into Open and Reserve Sections, then average team NWS rating will be used for the purpose of section placement. Unrated players will be assigned a rating of 100 multiplied by their grade level.

7. Lichess classical ratings will be used for the purpose of pairing. Players who want a higher seed are encouraged to play classical games on Lichess to get an established classical rating.

8. Board colors cannot be controlled by the Tournament Director. It is possible a team will get the black pieces more times than they would in an over the board tournament.

9. Each team must compete in order of NWS rating, with the highest rated member playing Board 1, the second-highest on Board 2, and so forth. Requests for changes in board order (for instance, in the case of a strong, unrated player) must be sent to the Tournament Director in advance. Failure to compete in correct Board order may result in forfeit or disqualification.

10. Players will be expected to be in the Zoom call throughout the tournament with their cameras on. Failure to keep a camera on may result is loss of prize eligibility for the individual and their team. Exceptions must be approved by the Tournament Director.

11. All participants must agree to and abide by the OSCF Fair Play Agreement.