Updated: March 1, 2020

The Massachusetts State Scholastic Chess Team Championship (Hurvitz Cup) is a USCF-rated team-versus-team Tournament, open to teams of students from public and private schools in Massachusetts, as well as teams composed of home-schooled Massachusetts-resident students.

Teams will compete in four Divisions (Sections): Kindergarten to 3rd Grade, Kindergarten to 5th Grade, Kindergarten to 8th Grade, and Kindergarten to 12th Grade. Trophies will be awarded to the Top 3 teams in all four Divisions (Sections) of the tournament. Individual players on winning teams will also receive awards. The winning school in each Division/Section shall be entitled to display the travelling Hurvitz Cup for that Division, returning it to MACA in time for the Hurvitz Cup in 2020.

1. Who Can Play

   The tournament is open to teams of students attending full-time, full-curriculum, public or private schools in Massachusetts. All players on a team must be from the same school (but see exceptions in the next section.) A school may enter more than one team, in the same or different sections. To be eligible for a section, all players on a team must be in the specified grade range for the division/section.

2. Schools and Grades

   All players in a team must be officially enrolled in the same Massachusetts school. A school is defined as an organization recognized by the Massachusetts Department of Education as a Public School, Public Charter School, or Private School. (See: http://profiles.doe.mass.edu).

   A team may also be composed entirely of home-schooled students who all reside in the same Massachusetts city or town, and who are all pursuing home schooling plans legally approved by the public school authorities in that city or town.

   School enrollment, grade in school, home-schooling status, and ages of unrated players are subject to verification by the MACA Scholastic Committee. Schools/coaches may be asked to submit documentation on these points.

3. Tournament Format

   Sections: K-3, K-5, K-8, and K-12. Every player on a team must be enrolled in a grade within the range specified for the section.

   Rounds and Format: 4-round Team Swiss System. The Chief TD may change the format to a Round-Robin if there are too few teams in a section for Swiss System competition.

   Time Controls: K-3, K-5: G/45;d5; K-8, K-12: G/60;d5.

   Start Time for Round 1: 9:30 AM sharp. Subsequent rounds ASAP.

   Scoring: 1 game point for a won game, 1/2 game point for a draw. For each team match, 1 match point is awarded to the team with the most game points. 1/2 match point is awarded to each team if the game-point score in a match is tied. A team receiving a bye in a round will receive a full match point. Match pairings, final team standings and prizes will be based on match points. The systems to break ties will be announced at the tournament by the Chief Tournament Director.

4. Team Formation

   Team size is three to five players, four players playing per round. Three-player teams will receive a loss on Board 4 when paired against a four- or five-player team.

   Teams must submit a ranked player list at the time of registration. The ranking is by official USCF rating as of the March 2020 rating list, as verified by the Tournament Director. Players who are unrated by the USCF may be assigned a rating by the Tournament Director according to USCF rules and ranked accordingly. Players not rated and not assigned a rating shall be placed in order by date of birth oldest to youngest, after the rated players.

   In matches, the team must assign players to boards in ranking order That is, the highest-ranked player of one team (playing in the round) will meet the highest-ranked player on the other team on Board 1; the next highest ranked players on each team will be paired on Board 2; and so forth. The ranking list will be used for all rounds, and the player rankings may not be changed during the tournament.

   On a five-player team, the fifth-ranked player is the Alternate. A team must notify the Tournament Director in advance of a round when one of the other members of the team will sit out and the Alternate will play in the round. The Alternate will play on Board 4 and the other players will move up to fill the Board vacated by the sitting-out player. The player sitting-out need not be the fourth-ranked player on the team.

   If a school has more than one team, each player, including Alternates, must be assigned to a single team and may not switch teams during the tournament.

5. To Enter Teams

   You will be able to enter your team(s) in advance and pay entry fees online here. Your entry will not be considered completed untill MACA receives the completed team roster form at info@masschess.org. On-site registration is from 8:00-8:45 am. All players, including Alternates, must be current members of the USCF [Federal] and MACA [State] on the day of the tournament. You can join or renew your MACA membership online by click this link. You can join/renew your USCF membership by click here. Memberships may also be obtained during on-site registration but if the required info is not received by 3/22 for teams entered online, your registration will not be considered finalized and your team will have to pay $20 EXTRA (for on-site registration)!.