OVERVIEW
The 2024 NC K-12 Championship is the official scholastic state championship of North Carolina, and is the state qualifier for the Denker, Barber, and Rockefeller National Invitationals. It will award over 100 trophies.
Important: there is a registration cap of 500 players - online registration will close once capacity is reached.
WHEN
March 1-3, 2024
Blitz tournament and suggested arrival: Friday, March 1
K-1 and Bughouse: Saturday, March 2
K-12, K-8, K-5, K-3 Sections: Saturday March 2 – Sunday March 3
WHERE
Hilton Charlotte University Place
8629 J M Keynes Drive
Charlotte, NC 28262
HOTEL BOOKING
$115/Night - Free Internet, Parking
Booking Link - Reserve by Feb 1
If booking by phone, call 704-547-7444 and use group code: K12
ELIGIBILITY
Only scholastic players (K-12) who live in or attend school in North Carolina are permitted to play.
NEW – no unrated players in K-3 or higher sections.
Except for the K-1 section, all players must have a US Chess Over-the-Board Regular Rating based on at least 4 rated games. No exceptions.
Quick, blitz, and online ratings are not accepted. Players must have OTB regular USCF ratings from at least 4 rated games.
Unrated players in K-3 or above may register early, but must complete the 4 game requirement before the tournament, or they will be removed without a refund.
US Chess membership is required for all players. Membership renewal is not handled by the organizers and must be done before the tournament.
REGISTRATION
Registration is online only – coming soon. No mailed or on-site entries.
Registration cap – there will be a cap of 500 players in the main event.
Registration will close when we are full.
If we are not full, registration will close at 6:30pm on Friday, March 1.
Side event registration
Blitz – online or on-site by 6:30pm Friday.
Bughouse – on-site only by 6:30pm Saturday.
SECTIONS AND TIME CONTROLS
All sections are 2 days (Sat/Sun) except for K-1 (Saturday only)
K-12 Championship: 5 rounds. Rounds 1-3: G/60, inc/5. Rounds 4-5: G/75, inc/5.
K-12 Under 1500: 5 rounds. Rounds 1-3: G/60, inc/5. Rounds 4-5: G/75, inc/5.
K-8 Championship: 5 rounds. Rounds 1-3: G/60, inc/5. Rounds 4-5: G/75, inc/5.
K-8 Under 1200: 5 rounds. Rounds 1-3: G/60, inc/5. Rounds 4-5: G/75, inc/5.
K-5 Championship: 6 rounds. G/45, inc/5.
K-5 Under 900: 6 rounds, G/45, inc/5.
K-3 Championship: 6 rounds, G/45, inc/5.
K-3 Under 600: 6 rounds, G/45, inc/5.
K-1: Saturday only, 6 rounds. G/25, inc/5.
Blitz: Friday night. K-12 and K-5 Sections – 4 double rounds (8 games total). G/5, inc/0.
Bughouse: Saturday night. 1 section (K-12) – 5 double rounds (10 games total). G/5, inc/0.
SCHEDULE
K-12 Champ, K-12 U1500, K-8 Champ, K-8 U1200
Saturday Round Start Times: 10:00am, 1:00pm, 4:00pm
Sunday Round Start Times: 9:30am, 1:00pm
Awards Ceremony: Sunday 4:00pm
K-5 Champ, K-5 U900, K-3 Champ, K-3 U600
Saturday Round Start Times: 9:30am, 12:00pm, 2:30pm
Sunday Round Start Times: 9:00am, 11:30am, 2:00pm
Awards Ceremony: Sunday 4:00pm
K-1 (Saturday only)
Saturday Round Start Times: 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm
K-1 Awards Ceremony: Saturday 5:00pm
Blitz: Friday 7:00-8:30pm, blitz awards 8:45pm.
Bughouse: Saturday 7:00-8:15pm, bughouse awards 8:30pm.
AWARDS
K-12 Championship
Trophies to top 10 players
Trophies to top 3 teams
1st Place qualifies to Denker National Invitational
K-12 Under 1500
Trophies to top 10 players
Trophies to top 3 teams
K-8 Championship
Trophies to top 10 players
Trophies to top 3 teams
1st Place qualifies to Barber National Invitational
K-8 Under 1200
Trophies to top 10 players
Trophies to top 3 teams
K-5 Championship
Trophies to top 15 players
Trophies to top 3 teams
1st Place qualifies to Rockefeller National Invitational
K-5 Under 900
Trophies to top 15 players
Trophies to top 3 teams
K-3 Championship
Trophies to top 10 players
Trophies to top 3 teams
K-3 Under 600
Trophies to top 10 players
Trophies to top 3 teams
K-1
Trophies to top 10 players
Medals to all players
Trophies to top 3 teams
Blitz
Trophies to top 5 players in each section (K-12, K-5)
Trophies to top 2 teams in each section
Bughouse
Trophies to top 5 teams (2 trophies per team)
All prizes must be claimed on-site. No mailed prizes.
ENTRY FEES
NC K-12 Main Event
Registration will close when we reach 500 players.
$65 online by 2/5
$85 online by 2/26
$100 online after 2/26
$30 K-1 to K-3 re-entry: on-site only by Saturday 7:30pm.
Side Events
Blitz: $30 online by 2/26, $35 online after 2/26, $45 on-site. All blitz registration closes Friday 6:30pm.
Bughouse: $40 per team, on-site registration only. Bughouse registration closes Saturday 6:30pm.
STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS
The CCC is looking for paid tournament directors (experience and USCF certification necessary) as well as scorekeeping volunteers (no experience necessary, can be parents).
CONTACT
For all event related inquiries email: events@charlottechesscenter.org
RULES AND NOTES
Please read Terms and Conditions.
The 2024 NC K-12 Championship is the official state scholastic championship of North Carolina. It is organized by the Charlotte Chess Center with the approval of the North Carolina Chess Assocation.
During play, no spectators, parents, or coaches are allowed in the playing area or nearby hallways. No exceptions.
Withdrawals/Refunds
$10 transaction fee until 3/1, 5:00pm.
50% refunds after 3/1, 5:00pm until 1 hour before game.
Refunds must be requested by email at events@charlottechesscenter.org
Byes
Up to 2 optional half-point byes, request before round 1 begins.
All byes requested during the tournament are zero points.
Sections
Players are strongly suggested to play in the section as determined by their grade/age, not their rating.
For example, a 5th grader rated 1400 should play in K-5 Championship, not K-12 U1500, K-12 Championship, or K-8 Championship.
K-1 to K-3 Re-Entry
Players in the K-1 section (Saturday) may re-enter into K-3’s Sunday rounds for a $30 fee. Re-entry registration is on-site only, anytime until Saturday 8:30pm.
K-1 re-entries rated 600+ will be placed in the K-3 Championship section with a score of 1.0/3. K-1 re-entries rated under 600 will be placed in the K-3 U600 section with a score of 1.0/3.
Changes
All section or bye changes after registration must be submitted by email to events@charlottechesscenter.org by 3/1, 5:00pm.
Any changes after that may incur a $10 fee.
Read CCC Electronic Device Policy.
Boards, sets, and clocks are provided in all sections – must use our equipment.
All prizes must be claimed on-site. No mailed prizes.
In all sections, White’s clock will be started at the start of the round, even if players are not present.
By registering for or attending this event, players and guests grant permission to CCC to take and use photographs and video for purposes related to the event.
TECHNICAL REGULATIONS
This is an individual swiss tournament with no eliminations – players will play all scheduled rounds unless they request a bye.
Players are not required to be part of a school chess program or team to participate.
Accelerated pairings may be used at TD’s discretion.
Team awards – minimum 2 players from the same school in the same section.
Top 4 scores contribute to team scores.
Teammate pairings are avoided but are possible, particularly in the last 2 rounds.
March 2024 US Chess (supplement) ratings will be used for pairings and prizes in all sections.
Unrated players will usually have their unofficial live rating used.
TD reserves the right to assign a rating to any player for any reason.
The following USCF tiebreaks are used for individual and team prizes and final places, except for the national invitational spots.
TB1 - Modified Median, TB2 - Solkoff, TB3 - Cumulative, TB4 - Cumulative Opposition.
See explanation of tiebreaks here.
National Invitationals
The K-12 Champion (must be in 9th-12th grade) qualifies for the 2024 Denker National Invitational tournament with NCCA travel stipend.
The K-8 Champion (must be in 6th-8th grade) qualifies for the 2024 Barber National Invitational tournament with NCCA travel stipend.
The K-5 Champion qualifies for the 2024 Rockefeller National Invitational tournament with NCCA travel stipend.
In case of a tie for first place for the national qualifier spots, the top 2 eligible players on tiebreaks will play pairs of G/3 +2 blitz games until there is a winner.