2026 Missouri State Scholastic Chess Championship

• REGISTRATION: Advanced registration is strongly encouraged and will be available at www.mochess.org starting February 22. The deadline for advanced registration is 9:00 pm, Thursday, March 5. On-site tournament registration will be from 8:30 am to 9:30 am on the day of the tournament for an additional fee.

o Those who pre-register and pre-pay can skip the check-in line the morning of the event!

• ELIGIBILITY: All students in kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) who attend school in Missouri are eligible to participate.

• FORMAT:

• HIGH SCHOOL DIVISION: Students grades nine (9) through twelve (12) are eligible. Each school may enter any number of four-player teams and a partial team. The best player on each team should be assigned to Board One, the second best to Board Two, and so forth. A school that enters only a partial team must assign the players to the highest boards. Schools that enter partial teams in addition to one or more full teams may assign additional players to any board. Players will only play those in their section (i.e., Board 1 players play only other Board 1, Board 2 only Board 2, and so forth).
  •  ROUND TIMES: 10:30, 1:00, 3:30, and 6:00. Final round will start earlier if possible.
  • TIME CONTROL: Game in 55 minutes with a 5 second time delay
• UNDER SECTIONS: Ninth Grade and Under (K-9), Eighth Grade and Under (K-8), Sixth Grade and Under (K-6), Fifth Grade and Under (K-5), and Third Grade and Under (K-3) sections. Students must participate in a Section that includes their current grade level and is not higher than the highest grade of their school. Each school may enter any number of players.
  •  ROUND TIMES: 10:30, 12:00, 1:30, 3:00, 4:30, and 6:00. Final round will start earlier if possible.
  • TIME CONTROL: Game in 25 minutes with a 5 second time delay

• AWARDS:

• HIGH SCHOOL SECTION: Awards will be presented at 8:30 pm. No awards will be presented before this time.
  • Five (5) school trophies will be awarded. School score is the sum of the best scores on each board.
  • Six (6) individual trophies will be awarded per Board.
• UNDER SECTIONS (K-9, K-8, K-6, K-5, and K-3): Awards presentation will begin at 7:30 pm.
  • Three (3) school trophies will be awarded in each of the under sections. School score is the sum of the four highest player scores.
  • Eight (8) individual trophies will be awarded in each section.
  • National Invitational Qualification:
    • Winners of the K-3, K-5, and K-8 sections qualify to represent Missouri at the Ashley K-3, Rockefeller Elementary and Barber 6-8th Grade National Tournament of Champions, respectively.

• ENTRY FEE: The entry fee is $25.00 per player if pre-registered online. The entry fee is $30.00 per player if registering on-site. Players who begin registration after 10:00 may not be paired in round one. Payment may be made by CASH, CHECK, or CREDIT CARD. Please make checks payable to MISSOURI CHESS ASSOCIATION.

• MEMBERSHIP: All sections are rated and United States Chess Federation (USCF) membership is required for tournament participation. USCF Memberships can be purchased on site, cost is $15.00.

• TIE BREAKS: Ties will be broken using Modified Median, Solkoff, Cumulative, and Cumulative Opp. for individual trophies and using Solkoff, Cumulative, and Cumulative Opp. for team trophies. In the event of a tie for a national qualifier, a best-of-three Game in 5 minutes match between the top two players in the tie (based on numerical tiebreaks) will determine the winner.

• EQUIPMENT: Sets and boards will be provided for use in the Under Sections. A limited number of clocks will be available for loan each round. Notation sheets and pens will be provided.

• SPONSORS: Each school must have either a sponsor or parent present. There will be a sponsors and parents meeting approximately thirty minutes after the start of round one.

• TEAM ROOMS: Classrooms are available to reserve as private team rooms upon request. Cost is $200 per room.

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: For further information or questions, please visit www.mochess.org and see our new FAQ page! You may also contact the Chief Tournament Director, Thomas Rehmeier, at .