Joining Zoom with a camera is required for this tournament!
Zoom link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87847541219

 

GOALS

1. Determination of the representatives for Denker, Haring, Barber, and Rockefeller National Invitationals.
2. Provide top scholastic players from across the state an elite tournament experience and opportunity to earn a chance to represent their state.

ORGANIZER AND ARBITER

1. The Texas Junior Invitational is organized by the Texas Chess Association.
2. Chief Organizer: David Ortiz, david@texaschess.org
3. Chief Tournament Director: Chacha Nugroho, raynoe@gmail.com
4. Chess Stream Administrator: Chacha Nugroho, raynoe@gmail.com

VENUE, FORMAT AND TIME CONTROL

1. The championship is hosted on the lichess.org platform.
2. The information on: tournament rules, registration, pre-entries, pairings, and standings is published on this website.
3. The built-in lichess.org rules are used.
4. The championship is played as a six-round Swiss System individual tournament.
5. The time control is G/60+2.
6. At the start of the round, all clocks will be started. The game shall be lost by the player who arrives at the chessboard 10 minutes after the start of the round.

SCHEDULE

Note: all times in Central Standard Time!

REGISTRATION AND ELIGIBILITY

1. Players shall register through this website.
2. Players shall use their email address for the registration and communication purposes.
3. There is no entry fee.
4. A US Chess and TCA membership is required.
5. This tournament is exclusively open to players who have received an invitation through their designated qualifying pathway in accordance with the Invitationals Policy.
6. If you have any problems with the registration, please send an email to Chacha Nugroho,  raynoe@gmail.com.

BYES, WITHDRAWALS, CANCELLATIONS

1. No byes will be permitted in this tournament. All players are expected to compete in all scheduled rounds.
2. Players wishing to withdraw during the championship shall inform the Chief Tournament Director before the pairings for the next round have been published.
3. If you need to cancel/withdraw before the tournament, please use this form.

PAIRINGS AND RATINGS

1. Players will be paired within their respective sections, regardless of their educational institution or affiliation.
2. The April Supplement will be used for pairing purposes.
3. The event is US Chess rated.

STANDINGS

1. A win is worth 1 point, a draw is worth ½ point, and a loss is worth 0 points in every game.
2. Tiebreaks - The Final Standings are determined by (in the descending order):
   1. Number of scored points.
   2. Solkoff: For each player, this system sums the number of points earned by the player's opponents. Unplayed games by the opponents count ½ point. Unplayed games by the player count zero points.
   3. Cumulative: To calculate this, sum the running score for each round. For example, if a player has (in order) a win, loss, win, draw, and a loss; his round-by-round score will be 1, 1, 2, 2½, 2½. The sum of these numbers is 9. Additionally, one point is subtracted from the sum for each unplayed win, and ½ point is subtracted for each unplayed draw. In the previous example, if the fourth-round draw was instead a ½ point bye, then ½ point would be subtracted and the final sum would be 8 ½.
   4. Cumulative of Opposition: This sums the cumulative scores of the player's opponents.
   5. Coin Toss: If necessary, a coin toss will be the final tiebreak.
3. If two or more players tie for first place, all tying players shall be recognized as co-champions and the two players with the highest tiebreak (8.2) shall play an Armageddon game to determine the distribution awards. The player with the highest tiebreaks shall choose color. White shall have 5 minutes, Black 4 minutes, and there is a 1 second increment. Black wins in the case of a draw.

AWARDS

Final standings in each section will be determined based on the designated tiebreak system. The following awards will be given in each section:

1. High School Section:
   1. Top High School Player: Will be the 2025 Denker Representative, selected to compete in the 41^st Annual GM Arnold Denker National Tournament of High School State Champions and will receive the Texas Candidate Master title and will receive a $2,000 college scholarship (see Invitationals Policy for limitations)
   2. Top Three: Plaque
   3. All other participants: Certificate of participation
2. Middle School Section:
   1. Top Middle School Player: Will be the 2025 Barber Representative, selected to compete in the 15^th Annual Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle School State Champions.
   2. Top Three: Plaque
   3. All other participants: Certificate of participation
3. Elementary Section:
   1. Top Elementary Player: Will be the 2025 Rockefeller Representative, selected to compete in the 6^th Annual John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary School State Champions.
   2. Top Three: Plaque
   3. All other participants: Certificate of participation
4. Girls Section
   1. Top Girls Player: Will be the 2025 Haring Representative, selected to compete in the 13^th Annual WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions and will receive the Texas Candidate Master title and a $2,000 college scholarship (see Invitationals Policy for limitations)
   2. Top Three: Plaque
   3. All other participants: Certificate of participation

DISCONNECTIONS AND TECHNICAL ISSUES

1. A short disconnect (<1 minute) will keep the clock running. A longer disconnect will result in a forfeit.
2. It is every player’s individual responsibility to have:
   1. Working playing device,
   2. Working camera,
   3. Working microphone,
   4. Stable Internet connection,
   5. Account created and verified on lichess.org,
   6. Knowledge and experience how to play on lichess.org.
3. Players are required to be on a video call via Zoom during the championship.
4. The Zoom link will be e-mailed to all the participants before the start of the first round.
5. Players are required to share their screen with the Zoom call.
6. Players are not allowed to use virtual background.
7. Players shall have their microphones off.
8. The tournament staff may turn on a player’s microphone for the purpose of ensuring fair play.
9. Players without a camera, or refusing to turn it on, will be forfeited for that round.
10. Players shall remain in front of the camera during the game. Players that go off-camera may be forfeited for that round.
11. For the purpose of the championships, the playing area is defined as a room in a dwelling where a player has the device connected to Zoom.
12. Players are required to move their webcam to show the Chief Tournament Director their playing area upon request.
13. Zoom monitoring sessions, including video or/and audio, may be recorded for the purpose of ensuring fair play.
14. Headphones, earphones and any kind of audio device or electronic devices not used for playing is not allowed during the rounds.
15. No other software shall be running during games besides:
    1. Operating System,
    2. Antivirus,
    3. Zoom,
    4. Web browser that is connecting to lichess.org,
    5. Software needed to make the camera work,
    6. Software needed to make the microphone work.
16. Outside assistance of any kind is strictly prohibited.
17. No spectators are allowed in the playing area.

ZOOM

1. While playing in the event, all players must be in the event’s Zoom meeting with video enabled.
2. Players should join the Zoom meeting 20 minutes before the first round on each day to ensure connectivity and receive announcements.
3. Even during games, players must agree to Zoom requests by tournament arbiters, including turning on audio, giving a scan of the playing area, adjusting the camera angle, etc.
4. If possible, players are strongly encouraged to provide a side or rear-view angle of the entire playing area (see image below) in addition to the front-facing webcam from the playing computer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAIR PLAY

1. Players shall obey the Terms of Service of lichess.org.
2. Fair play concerns will be governed by organizers and tournament directors.
3. A fair play violation may potentially lead to severe punishments, including:
   1. Warning,
   2. Forfeit of a single game,
   3. Expulsion from the championship,
   4. Other penalties the Chief Arbiter deems adequate
4. Upon consultation with the Fair Play Panel, it is at the sole discretion of the Chief TD to choose the most adequate penalty for a fair play violation.
5. Serious fair play violations may be reported to the US Chess Ethics Committee. Players found guilty of cheating may be excluded from further chess competitions, including over-the-board events.
6. If a player was forfeited for a violation of the Fair Play Rules or the Terms of Service of lichess.org, the opponent shall receive:
   1. One point (1.0), if the following round has not started,
   2. Extra half point (0.5) for that game, not to exceed one point (1.0), if the following round has started.
7. Upon the completion of the last round of the championship, the Chief TD will be given two weeks to analyze fair play data gathered by lichess.org and the Fair Play Panel. This time can be extended at the sole discretion of the organizer.
8. By entering the tournament, each player accepts the above-mentioned fair play measures as a condition of entry in a voluntary event and agrees that his/her participation takes place subject to these fair play measures. Each player acknowledges and agrees that he/she consents to the transfer of all his/her personal data by lichess.org to the tournament staff and the US Chess Federation, including his/her real name, games played, evidence of non-compliance with the fair play rules, including audio or/and video recording of games (if any).

MISCELLANEOUS

1. Decisions of the Chief TD and Organizers are final and not appealable.
2. The Invitationals Policy is incorporated by reference into these rules.
3. For any topics not strictly addressed by these regulations, the Chief TD and Organizers have sole authority to make relevant decisions.