Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation

Oregon Chess at USCF Elementary Championship

Jeff Dobbins — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:12:51 +0000

Praveer Sharan, Kyle Liu, and Colin Liu

Congratulations to the Oregon elementary chess players who participated at the USCF Elementary (K-6) Championships in Nashville, TN, last weekend. In the K-3 Championship section, Praveer Sharan (a Primary Elite co-Champion at Seaside) had 6 points after seven rounds, tying for third place overall, while Colin Liu (third in Elementary Elite at Seaside) tied for top honors in his class (USCF rating 700-799), with 4.5 points during the tournament. In the K-1 section, Kyle Liu (the other Primary Elite co-Champion at Seaside) won 5 points and his own National Championship trophy. Congratulations to all three of our Oregon participants!

For those of you looking to become involved in the national chess scene, the US Chess Federation web site lists numerous national tournaments. Of particular note are two significant events are coming in the next year: First, one of the premiere events of the US Chess Federation’s year, the 2012 U.S. Open chess tournament, is being held this coming August in Vancouver, WA. More experienced players can play in the main tournament (nine games, with schedules ranging from one a day to a three-day schedule), while scholastic players might want to try out the scholastic tournament to be held Aug. 4-5. Second, and of particular relevance to our scholastic players, next April 5-7 brings Supernationals V to Nashville, TN. Supernationals is a multi-day event combining all three major national scholastic championships (elementary, middle school, and high school) in one place — the Gaylord Opryland resort in Nashville. It’s the weekend before the 8th Annual OSCF State Championship in Seaside, so you’ll be able to attend both events!

Spring 2012 All-Stars List

Jeff Dobbins — Sun, 13 May 2012 07:59:42 +0000

The Spring 2012 All-Stars list, which identifies the players active between January 1 and April 30 who achieved the top ten established (NWSRS or USCF) ratings, has been posted here. Those on this list, on the Winter 2012 list, or on the Summer 2012 or Lifetime Achievement lists (to be published in early September), are invited to the OSCF All-Stars Invitational Tournament, which we anticipate being held on October 12 this year. If you’d like to learn more about how to qualify, read about it here.

Seaside Statistics

Jeff Dobbins — Fri, 04 May 2012 00:05:39 +0000

The 2012 State Championship was the largest ever…thank you to everyone who helped make it happen!

493 Students qualified for the tournament (around 400 last year)
275 Students attended the tournament (268 last year)
92 Players competed in Blitz on Friday Night (87 last year)
164 Players (82 teams) competed in Bughouse on Friday Night (136 players / 68 teams last year)
75 Place Trophies, 30 Honorable Mention Trophies, and 74 Plus and Equal Score Medals were awarded on Saturday.

2012 OSCF State Championship

Jeff Dobbins — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:19:52 +0000

The 2012 State Championship in Seaside came to a close last Saturday evening, and students from throughout the state headed for home with awards of all sorts, as well as the satisfaction of games well played. Over the next several days we’ll be posting more details about the tournament, but let us begin with a big “thank you” to all of you who came, participated, and volunteered throughout the weekend to make this yet another fun event for all the players.

Thanks to the hard work of Lisa Still, our registrar and treasurer over the last several years, the rating report for the tournament has been posted.

Seaside Photos

Dan Dalthorp — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:56:17 +0000

A few hundred photos from the tournament are posted at Picasa. To view, click the “Photos” link on the left sidebar or go here.

Registering For Seaside

Dan Dalthorp — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 21:30:40 +0000

When you registered for Seaside, you should have received a confirmation message from the registration program. If you did not, please check the “Who’s Coming” list to be sure you have been properly registered. If your name is not there but should be, please contact us.

If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time! Deadline (with late fee) is Tuesday at midnight.

OSCF Championships: Not Just For The Top Players…

Dan Dalthorp — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 22:35:30 +0000

Yes, the strongest players in the state at each grade level will be there competing for “Grand Champion” titles, BUT there are FIFTEEN separate playing sections defined by grade and rating. Regardless of who you are, you will be matched ONLY against players near your age and ability.

At many large events, you might play several rounds against players much stronger or much weaker than yourself before finally getting someone near your own playing strength. But at the OSCF Championships, the competition is much more closely matched every round.

You are a beginning first grader? No problem. There is a K-2 section for players rated under 600.

You are 17 years old and have been playing seriously since you were in kindergarten? Great! You will find good competition in the High School Elite section.

You are in middle school but just started playing this year? The Middle School Green section is a perfect match for you…all MS players, all rated below 800.

Huge, beautiful trophy cups filled with locally made saltwater taffy for the top finishers in each section. Blitz and bughouse tournaments Friday night. Fun activities all day long in the skittles room. “Friends and Family” tournament for moms, dads, siblings, and friends.

The registration deadline is Sunday, April 22 (or register late through Tuesday, April 24 with additional $10 late fee).

Seaside Registration Deadline

Dan Dalthorp — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 21:55:18 +0000

The deadline to register for the OSCF State Championships without a late fee is Sunday, April 22. Late registration is available Monday and Tuesday (4/23, 4/24) with $10 late fee. Registration closes Tuesday midnight. Register online now by clicking “Online Registration” on the left sidebar or sending email to the OSCF Registrar via the “Contact Us” menu at the top of the page at oscf.org.

Chess Store At Seaside

Dan Dalthorp — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:53:49 +0000

The fabulous Chess Store in Portland will be holding at drawing at the OSCF Championships in Seaside, April 28. Details here.

Bughouse Rules For Seaside

Dan Dalthorp — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:31:06 +0000

Bughouse is a form of team chess. Two-player teams face off against each other on a pair of chessboards. One partner plays black; the other, white. Play proceeds like in standard chess, BUT with some absolutely critical differences—especially regarding the fate of captured pieces, as described below.

Detailed rules can be found here, and a copy will be available at the front desk at the tournament site.

Highlights include:

● When you capture a piece, pass it to your partner, who will keep it in reserve. On a player’s turn, there are two options: (i) make a normal chess move, or (ii) place a captured piece on any unoccupied square on the board. Exception: pawns may not be placed on the first or eighth rank.

● The game ends with unblockable checkmate, flag fall, or illegal move on either board. If a “checkmate” is blockable, the game is not yet over even if no piece is available to block the check with — the defending player may wait to get a piece from his or her partner. But if the flag falls during the wait, the game is then lost.

● “Clock move” — a move is determined only when the clock has been pressed. G/5 time-control without increment or delay.

● Illegal moves lose (e.g., “capture the king” is in effect). Moving before an opponent presses the clock is not considered a losing illegal move.