Official Chess 1st Annual New York Metro Area Scholastic Chess Championships – January 3-4, 2026

Championship Chess is BACK in NYC – at the Crossroads of the World in Times Square!  

Start the New Year off right at the New York Marriott Marquis, the largest hotel in NYC, as we host the first major scholastic chess tournament in the city since before the pandemic.

Thousands of the best and brightest young chess players will gather in Times Square to showcase their mastery of the 64 squares.

The Metros promises an unforgettable weekend of competition, learning, and community.

SECURE THE EARLY BIRD PRICING NOW — SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM TO PURCHASE

Eligibility: Open to any students K-12 from anywhere

Location: New York Marriott Marquis, Times Square (1535 Broadway, New York, NY 10036)

Dates: Saturday January 3rd and Sunday January 4th, 2026

Format:

• 5 Championship Sections = 6 Round Swiss System, G/75 d5 or G/60 d5 for  – over 2 days
• 9 Under Sections = 5 Round Swiss System, G/35 d5 – over 1 day

Half Point Byes: 2 maximum; must be requested before start of Round 2

Marriott Marquis Room Rates: Rooms are a heavily discounted $299 per night (telephone reference code: Official Chess) but are extremely limited – please email info@officialchess.org if rooms are no longer available

Hotel Room link:  https://book.passkey.com/e/51089712?utm_source=1322&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=298072543&trkid=602065868&linkid=3745580102

  Your chess coaches should be reaching out soon to start forming your teams. If you haven’t heard from them yet, be sure to ask which sections to sign up for – coaches will definitely have great strategies to maximize your school’s chances at Team Trophies.

• Reminder: you can change sections for any reason for FREE until December 1, so there’s no reason to wait—secure your tickets at early bird pricing today!

Team Rooms (assigned on first come, first serve basis):

Also, let all your coaches / lead chess parents know that a limited number of Team Rooms are available! They can Reserve a Team Room for your school or chess academy by emailing info@officialchess.org

To keep the event as inclusive and as convenient as possible for everyone, Official Chess will assist with costs to keep pricing in line with other championship events – Schools and teams will not be charged typical Manhattan conference room rates!

There are 60-85 person and larger 120 person private team rooms available

Rooms can be combined or shared to accommodate larger groups and smaller groups

All-Star Cast:

The tournament under the direction of the most qualified and distinguished team available. Below are some of the key individuals helping to make it all happen.

Sunil Weeramantry – Special Tournament Advisor

Founder, National Scholastic Chess Foundation · NY State Chess Association Hall of Fame · Former Chair, US Chess Federation (USCF) Scholastic & Education Committees

David Hater – Chief Tournament Director (2,718 sections TDed)
Executive Board Member, USCF · Senior Executive, Continental Chess Association (CCA) · USCF National TD · FIDE International Arbiter · Retired Army Colonel

Stephen Lorimor – Associate National Tournament Director (1,267 sections TDed)
FIDE National Arbiter

Noreen Harkins Davisson – Senior Tournament Director (3,602 sections TDed)
FIDE National Arbiter

Polly Wright – Senior Tournament Director (3,458 sections TDed)

Ian Harris – Senior Tournament Director (1,349 sections TDed)
Founder, RedBandit Chess

Hector Rodriguez – Club Tournament Director (853 sections TDed)
President, The Right Move Chess Federation

Brandon De La Rosa – Club Tournament Director (248 sections TDed)

…and more to come!

Coach’s Corner:

No personal coach to review your games and no Team Room?  We have you covered! (Register for “Entry PLUS” at checkout)*

– Upgrade your experience and improve your chances at a title!

– Dedicated MASTER-level players and professional coaches will be on-site in the Coach’s Corner, offering real-time game reviews, tips, and personalized advice in between rounds

• Gain insights in real time while your moves and reasoning is still fresh
• Quickly uncover critical mistakes and missed opportunities to strengthen your play and boost your chances in the very next round
• There’s no faster or more effective way to build both short-term results and long-term chess skills
• The list of coaches can be found at the end of this posting and will be continuously updated at the officialchess.org listing

🎟 Entry Costs

📅 Original Early Bird Price (ended 11/3/25)

• Basic: $100 (1-day) / $120 (2-day)
• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $140 (1-day) / $180 (2-day)*

📅 Prices after 11/3/25 – Current Prices

• Basic: $125 (1-day) / $145 (2-day)
• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $165 (1-day) / $205 (2-day)*

📅 Prices after 11/30/25

• Basic: $175 (1-day) / $195 (2-day)
• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $215 (1-day) / $255 (2-day)*

📅 Prices after 12/31/25

• Basic: $225 (1-day) / $245 (2-day)
• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $265 (1-day) / $305 (2-day)*

📅 On-Site Prices

• Basic: $275 (1-day) / $295 (2-day)
• Entry PLUS (includes Coaches Corner): $315 (1-day) / $355 (2-day)*
• Tickets will be available for purchase at the venue. However, to avoid pairing delays and ensure a smooth start to the event, all on-site registrations will automatically receive a ½-point bye for Round 1, even if purchased before Round 1 begins. Players will be paired normally starting with Round 2.

NOTE – Playing in TWO “Under” sections on BOTH Saturday and Sunday WILL BE ALLOWED. Please treat as two tickets and purchase entries separately.  If playing in any Championship sections, players will be limited to that one section entry.

Format and Section Scheduling (December 2025 Published USCF Regular Ratings will be used):

Unrated players allowed in all sections

6 rounds – Two-Day Section Round Start Times – Saturday Jan 3rd (9:30am, 1pm, 4pm) Sunday Jan 4th (9am, 12:30pm, 3:30pm) Awards (~6:30pm)

• High School Championship – 12th grade or below, G/75 d5 (Open to All Ratings)
• Junior High Championship – 8th grade or below, G/75 d5 (Open to All Ratings)
• Elementary Championship – 5th grade or below, G/75 d5 (Open to All Ratings)
• Primary Championship – 3rd grade or below, G/75 d5 (Open to All Ratings)
• K-1 Championship – 1st grade or below, G/75 d5 (Open to All Ratings)

5 rounds – Saturday-Only Section Round Start Times – Jan 3rd (10am, 12:30pm, 2pm, 3:30pm, 5pm) Awards (~6:30pm)

• High School U1900 / U1200 –  12th grade or below, G/35 d5
• Elementary U1500 / U1100 / U700 – 5th grade or below, G/35 d5

5 rounds – Sunday-Only Section Round Start Times – Jan 4th (9am, 10:30am, 1pm, 2:30pm, 4pm) Awards (~5:30pm)

• Junior High U1300 – 8th grade or below, G/35 d5
• Primary U1000 / U600 – 3rd grade or below, G/35 d5
• K-1 U400 – 1st grade or below, G/35 d5

NOTE – Playing in TWO “Under” sections on BOTH Saturday and Sunday WILL BE ALLOWED. Please treat as two tickets and purchase entries separately. If playing in any Championship sections, players will be limited to that one section entry.

Awards:

Trophies to top 10 individual players in EVERY section plus 10th place ties!!!

• First-place winners in every section will also receive 50% off entry fees for next year’s Metros (discount off of early bird pricing)
• Second through fifth place winners in every section will also receive 30% off and sixth through 10th place winners will receive 15% off (discount off of early bird pricing)
• Championship Calibre Trophies – Every podium trophy will be at least a triple post design
• Individual players with the same tournament score as lowest “podium winner” (10th place) but falling lower due to tiebreakers will still receive 10th Place Tie Trophies
• Class Prize trophies will be awarded for the top 2 players (using tiebreaks) every 200 points below the rating ceiling (up to 3 thresholds) for Under Sections (e.g. HS u1900 section will be awarded Class Prizes for the top two scorers with ratings under 1700, 1500 and 1300 thresholds)
  • N.B. Players who win Podium or “10th Place Tie” trophies are not eligible for Class Prizes
• Class Prize trophies in the Championship sections will be awarded to the top 2 players (using tiebreaks) under the following rating thresholds 
  • High School Championship (up to 12th grade) – under 1900, 1700 and 1500
  • Junior High Championship (up to 8th grade) – under 1800, 1600 and 1400
  • Elementary Championship (up to 5th grade) – under 1700, 1500 and 1300
  • Primary Championship (up to 3rd grade) – under 1400, 1200 and 1000
  • K-1 Championship – under 800, 600, and 400
  • Note: The ratings listed above are only used to determine Class Prize trophies. They are not rating restrictions for entering the sections — every Championship section is open to all players, regardless of rating.

Trophies to top 5 school teams in each section

• Team scores will be based on the top 4 scores from each school building in each section – teams of 2 or 3 allowed, but are at a disadvantage
• Top Team Trophies will be 50 inch quadruple post design

All participants will receive a full-sized commemorative award – 3 inch custom medal with spinning insert

Cancellations/Changes:

• $20 charge for any section changes after  11/30/25 – no changes allowed after 12/26/25 at 12pm ET
• $15 charge for any refunds – no refunds allowed after 12/15/25 at 12pm ET

Other Important Notes:

• Boards and pieces will be provided, but please bring your own clocks.
• Notation books ok but cell phones must remain out of sight and turned off during tournament play.
• A.I. or any electronic eyeglasses strictly prohibited in the tournament rooms.
• Parents not allowed in tournament rooms during matches,
• Parents must chaperone children at all times in between matches.
• For the safety of all young participants, K–5 students will not be permitted to enter the hallway areas unchaperoned once their matches are finished. Players will be released directly to their parent or guardian if present but if a guardian cannot be located, the child will remain under the supervision of Official Tournament Staff in the designated waiting area. Parents or guardians will be notified at that time and must pick up their child within 15 minutes of notification. Please ensure your cell phone remains on and accessible during the tournament.
• By registering your child for the tournament, you acknowledge and agree that photographs and/or video footage may be taken during the event by authorized staff, media representatives, or partners for promotional and educational purposes.
• These images and video may be used (without compensation) in publications, promotional materials, websites, and social media platforms associated with the NYC Scholastic Chess Championships, its organizers, and affiliated partners.
• All players will have their names displayed in the tournament results and reports as typical with any US Chess Federation rated event.
• Official Chess reserves the right to refuse entry or revoke any registration at its sole discretion, or in accordance to rules and regulations set forth by US Chess including, but not limited to, adherence to the US Chess Safe Play Policies and Sanction List. https://new.uschess.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/us-chess-safe-play-guidelines.pdf https://new.uschess.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/sanctionedmembers_10202025.pdf

Tie Break Methods:

1) Modified Median – Total points scored by your opponents (half-points for early withdrawals), and disregards the least-significant (usually the lowest scoring) opponent.  The player with the highest total has played opponents with the best scores in the tournament‑‑ in theory, the hardest opponents.

2) Solkoff – Total points scored by your opponents (half-points for early withdrawals), including the lowest scoring opponents

3) Cumulative – Sum of your total points after each round (each rounds score is added to the previous rounds which means players who won in earlier rounds score higher than those won in later rounds)

4) Opponents Cumulative – Same as above except this method is based on your opponents’ score

Coach’s Corner Masters (subject to change at any time):

• Jon Edwards, Current Correspondence Chess World Champion and Correspondence Chess Grandmaster
• Eric Fleischman, Original Life Master
• Olga Sagalchik, Woman FIDE Master
• Fred Wilson, National Master

More coaches will be added as needed

VIP Organizations:

A big thank you to the local educators and organizations shaping young chess players across the metro area. Their daily efforts are critical to scholastic chess generally and to this event. Check out their websites at the bottom of this post to see all the wonderful programs they offer and what they are all about!

• Chess in the Schools · chessintheschools.org
• National Scholastic Chess Foundation · nscfchess.org
• The Right Move Chess Federation · chesstrm.org/NYC
• Marshall Chess Foundation · marshallchessfoundation.org
• Brooklyn Chess · chessinbrooklyn.com
• ChessNYC · chessnyc.com
• Kids Infinity Chess · kidsinfinitychess.com
• Tri-State Chess · tristatechess.com
• Long Island ChessMates · lichessmates.com
• New York Chess Academy · newyorkchessacademy.us
• Empire Chess Training · empirechesstraining.com
• Chess Father · chessfather.com
• Make Your Move Chess Academy · mymchess.com
• Chess Advance · chessadvance.com
• Mastermind Chess · mastermindchess.com

*Any details may change but any significant changes will be announced

Advance Entries: