Frequently-asked questions about the 2015 OSCF State Championship

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Hope you’re all ready for the tenth annual OSCF State Championship at Seaside! As we enter the final few days, there are questions that you may have. Much of the info is in the Details document, but here is a handy FAQ that might answer some of them:

1. When do I check in? If you’re not playing blitz or bughouse (see #6, below), check-in for almost EVERYONE, is no later than 9 am on Saturday, April 25th.  The only exception is if your child is in the Middle School or High School Open/Elite sections (ratings 1300+ for middle schoolers, 1400+ for high schoolers, or those who elected in). Check in for the Middle School and High School Open/Elite sections no later than 10:30 am on Friday, April 24th.

2. Where do I check in? The Seaside Convention Center front desk. Just walk into the front of the building, and you’ll see us. No checking in to the main event by e-mail–you have to be there in person.

3. What if I have to cancel? If you have to cancel, please send an e-mail to oscf@oscf.org. It will help us to start on time. If you’re facing a last minute emergency, you can either e-mail us at oscf@oscf.org or call area code 503, phone 936-0593.

4. In which section will my child play? We’ll try to post section assignments after final registration closes on Wednesday at midnight. In the meantime, just know that all sections start on Saturday morning at the same time, except for MS and HS Open/Elite, which start on Friday. Your child’s section will also be printed on the name tag that you will receive during registration, along with the planned schedule for their rounds.

5. Can I bring food? The Convention Center will have food service during lunch hour. Since it’s an anniversary event, there will likely be cake. 🙂 There are also lots of nearby restaurants as well. But if you prefer to bring your own food, please do!  We do have time scheduled in for lunch, but that is also a time that we’ll use to catch up, so (like at every tournament) take advantage of the breaks you have.

6. When do I check in for blitz and bughouse? Check in no later than 4 pm on Friday for blitz, 6 pm for bughouse. You can also do so by e-mail if you’re pre-registered; we will send an email to pre-registered people about how to do that in the next day or so. If you don’t have a bughouse partner, we can match you with one. You can also purchase tickets on the day of the event at registration. Competition will begin at 5 pm for blitz, 7 pm for bughouse.

7. What is “crazy hats”?  We invite all bughouse participants to wear their craziest chess-themed hats. Hats can be crazy, wacky, funny, and loud. Everyone votes on the craziest hats, and there are prizes for the winners. Check out some of the photos last year for examples.

8.  I volunteered.  What’s my job?  We have already sent out a schedule for floor judges / tournament directors by email; a list of non-TD volunteers will come out sometime on Wednesday.

9.  When will we be done?  The Green Room players will finish on Saturday around 4pm, with awards to follow as soon after that as possible.  We’re likely to be done no earlier than, but somewhere around, 5pm, but the upper sections won’t finish until 6:15, with awards not done until 7:15 at the very earliest.