Team tournaments are a great way for new players to enter a tournament while enjoying the camaraderie of playing alongside friends from school. At a team tournament, school teams are grouped into "quads" (groups of 4 teams) of similar ages and/or abilities. The teams within a quad play each other team within the quad in a round-robin format. Every game that a team wins earns the team one point (ties earn one-half point and losses earn zero points). Accumulated points are totaled after all games are played; the team with the most points wins for that quad.

A "team" is a group of 3-5 children all from the same school. For example, if you have 20 children that can make it to a single tournament, the team sponsor should divide them into four teams of five students each. Even though there are four teams, they are all playing for the same school. It is best to put your players in order by ability and then take your top five on the first team, with the best player on the first board followed in order by the next best players. Then take your 6th through 10th players from your second team, and so on. Make a note on your sheets of each team�s ability level: highly competitive, moderately competitive, beginner or a mix of the above. You can also record each player�s approximate rating/ability level.

On the Day of the Tournament

Upon arriving, check the walls for the Team Sign-In sheets. These sheets notify the school coach who has arrived and who will be available to play on a team. This sheet also notes where the school�s team will be meeting. Sign in your child on your schools� sheet. If your child is the first one from his or her school to the site, fill out a blank form and tape it to the wall with the others.

Each team is allowed one Team Captain (a parent) that will stay in the tournament room with a team. Only the Team Captain is allowed to stay in the room. The tournament room does get noisy with so many games beginning and ending at different times, so limiting the number of people in the room helps to limit the noise. Let your school�s coach know if you are willing to be a Team Captain.

The Official will begin the first round; Team Captains jointly start subsequent rounds. Team Captains should monitor their players through each round. Play should not begin until the Official has begun the first round; subsequent rounds are started by Team Captains when all players of both teams are present and ready. If a player has an issue and raises his hand, the Team Captain should get the attention of an Official to help the player.

As soon as a game is finished, the players must report their scores and then leave the tournament room. Players report their scores to the Team Captains at the end of each table and Captains record the score on the score sheet provided. Please check with your child�s Team Captain so you know where your child is supposed to wait when a game is over. The Team Captain will need to know where to find your child for the next round.

There are no round times. As soon as a team is finished playing all of their games in a round, they may begin playing the next team. If you need to leave the site, please communicate with your school�s coach and your child�s Team Captain.

Trophies will be awarded to the winning school in each quad as soon as all games in that quad are finished. One trophy is awarded to the winning team (intended to go to the school). When your child�s team is done, you may leave.

Concessions are available during Team Tournaments, as for most other tournaments sponsored by the CMSCA. Pizza, sodas, candy, and other snacks are available for purchase during team tournaments. Usually, pizza must be ordered by 10:30 a.m., and should arrive around 11:15 in time for a lunch break.

How to Register

The CMSCA hosts three Team Tournaments each year. Be sure to check our website for updated information on the times and locations for our Team Tournaments. To register your school team for an upcoming Team Tournament, please download and print out the Registration Form and Quad Placement Form. The completed forms can be emailed to tournaments@cmsca.org or mailed along with payment to:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Scholastic Chess Association
P.O. Box 221882
Charlotte, NC 28222