Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is your refund policy?
Obtaining a refund for any of our tournaments is an easy and speedy process. All you need to do is to request the refund by email before the refund deadline and we will process your refund as soon as we are aware of the request. No excuse required. Please specify if you would like the refund to be issued to your original payment method or a registration credit usable for future tournaments. Credits are valid for two years after issuance.
All refunds must be requested by the seventh day before the event if online or the 30th day before the event if in-person. Afterwards, refunds are issued only in case of duplicate registrations or our cancellation of the event. Refunds are issued for the full amount of your entry fees, but do not include any Eventbrite fees you may have incurred in the original transaction.
Who is eligible to participate?
Every scholastic player who is a member of the United States Chess Federation in good standing is qualified to participate in any of our tournaments, regardless of geographic location. In addition to K-12 students and preschoolers, scholastic players include anyone under 17 who has graduated from high school and individuals who recently graduated from high school if the tournament is held during the summer. Unless the tournament director assigns a different rating, your rating for the purposes of our tournaments will be your regular USCF rating. Players with foreign ratings must disclose such ratings.
Are registrations assignable?
Entries are not assignable to other players.
Do you accept same-day registrations?
Same-day registrations are only accepted for our online tournaments and expire one hour before the tournament commences. We do not levy any same-day registration surcharge.
What forms of payment are accepted?
We accept all major credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Discovery and American Express) if you are registering electronically through Eventbrite. If you rather pay by cash or check, please contact us for further instructions. Cryptocurrency is not accepted until further notice.
In-Person Tournaments
How are prizes delivered?
After the final round of each over-the-board tournament, we hold an awards ceremony and expect that players attend to collect their trophies, plaques, etc. Medals are issued upon departing the Tournament Hall after each player completes their last game. However, if any of the players are unable to attend the awards ceremony, they may designate another person to collect the prize as their proxy by notifying us promptly prior to the awards ceremony. Otherwise, the prize will be shipped to their last mailing address of record; provided that no prize will be shipped until the cost of shipping has been fully paid by the registrant.
Is Check-in Required?
We no longer require registrants of our in-person tournaments to check-in at any time during the event. However, if you registered for any of our events and cannot participate, please notify us in advance so that the number of nonappearance forfeitures may be kept to a minimum.
What do I need to bring to the tournament?
During in-person tournaments, we provide chess sets, notation sheets and water. You only need to bring a chess clock (delay-capable preferred) if you have one. Possessing a clock is not, however, a qualification of participation.
When will pairings be released?
During in-person tournaments, the first round pairings are emailed to registrants the day prior to the tournament and subsequent round pairings are posted at a conspicuous place near the Tournament Hall.
Online Tournaments
When will my gift card arrive?
Gift cards are issued as prizes for our online tournaments. When the one-week fair play period has expired, we issue final standings for each section indicating who is receiving prizes and in what amounts. Although delivery times may vary, we generally email the Amazon gift cards to recipients within two to five business days following the issuance of the standings. If you have not received your gift card within a timely manner, there could have been a technical issue, so you should contact us in such case.
How do you combat violations of fair-play?
We take fair-play very seriously. Our online tournaments take several measures to ensure the integrity of the games involved and suppress improper practices. For more information about our commitment to fair-play, please click here.
Special Issues
What are the tax consequences of prizes?
Prizes you win in our tournaments may be taxable, including the fair market value of trophies and other nonmonetary awards. You alone are responsible for reporting and paying any taxes due on prizes unless otherwise provided by law. For more information on the taxation of prizes, please read our blog article concerning this issue.
What about Schools and Chess Clubs?
We have worked with several schools and chess clubs in the past to make our tournaments available to their students. Our online registration form allows you to register up to ten players at once, all in one payment. We also have paper forms designed especially for schools and chess clubs as well. Whether you need us to prepare special informational materials for your group, accept payment by check or something else, we are ready and willing to work with you to make your school/club’s participation in our tournaments a success!
Are opportunities for TD Experience Available?
We usually have opportunities for tournament directors, including K-12 students, to obtain directing experience in our in-person tournaments. Where possible, we endeavor to ensure our tournament directors receive experience credits necessary for higher levels of certification. If you are interested in learning more about the opportunities available, please contact us at least a few weeks before the tournament in question begins.