Pennsylvania State Scholastic Championships, Saturday March 7, 2026

https://sites.pitt.edu/~schach/Flyers/2026_PA_State_Scholastic_Championships.pdf

261 Trophies! 191 Individual & 70 Team!

Saturday March 7 Only Sections – 5 Round Swiss System: Saturday 10 am – Noon – 2 pm – 4 pm – 6 pm. Time Control: Game / 40 Minutes with 5-second Delay.

K to 3 Open – EF: $32 – Cash Scholarships: 1st $500, 1st Girl $150;
Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st U900, 1st U800, 1st U700, 1st U600, 1st U500, 1st-2nd Unrated, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.

K to 6 U800 – EF: $29 – Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st-2nd U700, 1st U600, 1st U500, 1st U400, 1st-2nd Unrated, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.

K to 6 U500 – EF: $28 – Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st-2nd U400, 1st-2nd U200, 1st-3rd Unrated, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.

2-day Sections – Saturday March 7 & Sunday March 8 – 5 Round Swiss System: Saturday 10 am – 2 pm – 5:30 pm; Sunday 9 am – 1 pm. Time Control: Game / 90 Minutes with 5-second Delay

K to 12 Open – EF: $35 – Cash Scholarships: 1st $500, 1st Girl $150;

Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st-2nd U1600, 1st-2nd U1400, 1st U1200, 1st-2nd Unrated, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.

6 to 12 U1300 – EF: $31 – Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st-2nd U1100, 1st-2nd U900, 1st-3rd Unrated, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.

6 to 12 U1000 – EF: $30 – Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st-3rd U800, 1st-3rd U600, 1st U400, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.

6 to 12 Unrated – EF: $30 – Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, included on teams in 6 to 12 U1000 section.

K to 8 Open – EF: $34 – Cash Scholarships: 1st $500, 1st Girl $150;

Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st U1400, 1st U1200, 1st U1000, 1st U800, 1st U600, 1st U400, 1st Unrated, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.
K to 5 Open – EF: $33 – Cash Scholarships: 1st $500, 1st Girl $150;

Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st U1200, 1st U1000, 1st U800, 1st U600, 1st U400, 1st-2nd Unrated, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.

Sunday March 8 Only Section – 5 Round Swiss System: Sunday 9 am – 10:45 am – 12:30 pm – 2:15 pm – 4 pm. Time Control: Game / 40 Minutes with 5-second Delay.

K to 9 U1100 – EF: $29.50 – Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st-3rd U900, 1st-3rd U700, 1st Unrated, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.
K to 9 U600 – EF: $28.50 – Trophies: 1st-10th, 1st Girl, 1st-3rd U500, 1st U300, 1st-3rd Unrated, 1st-5th School, 1st-2nd Club.

All Sections
Entry Fees: If received by 2/16; $10 more if received 2/17 – 2/28; $20 more after 2/28. February 2026 Ratings used.
Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey, 4751 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111

½-Byes: In order to allow participation by those players who might not be able to make all of their games, we allow players to
request a single ½-bye. They are not paired for that round and it is treated like a draw for scoring purposes.

You should request the ½-bye right on the entry form. Changes to byes after initial entry will incur a $5 change fee. You can let the pairing TDs know an hour before the 1st and 2nd rounds and for later rounds you must request the ½-bye by the 2nd round. (This is different than when
we force someone to take a bye because there is an odd number of players in their section, in that case they would receive a 1-bye.)

On-Site Registration: We do recommend that all players try to register in advance. That makes the tournament organizers’ and directors’ job much easier and it also saves you money. However for those who don’t, there are limited opportunies to register at the tournament. Entries will be taken on Friday night March 6 from 6 to 10 pm at the tournament site and on Saturday morning March 7 from 10 to 11 am at the site. Those players registering on Saturday will receive a ½-point bye for the 1st round. Entries for the Sunday-only sections will also be taken throughout Saturday until 5:30 pm.

Teams: School teams can include all players from that school that are playing in the particular section. Club teams must
represent a club which meets at least 8 months per year and is a USCF affiliate.

Club teams are limited to at most 10 players in a section and all players must have recently attended 6 or more regular meetings of the club. (A club officer must be able to provide verification that players are eligible to compete for their club.) Players may compete for both their school
and club teams.

Team scores are calculated by summing the top 4 scores from members of that team. However, teams
can consist of 2 or 3 players, though they will naturally be at a big disadvantage in competing for prizes.

For schools, we will be using the “Plus 2 Pairing” rules, so you won’t in general play a teammate unless you both have at least a +2 score
and there is no other way to pair your scoregroup. For clubs, we will avoid pairing teammates until the last two rounds of
the tournament. But for those final two rounds, club affiliation will be ignored in the pairing process. Changes to teams
after initial entry will incur a $5 change fee. The 6-12 U1000 and 6-12 Unrated sections will be paired separately, but will
have combined teams of players.

Information: For more information about the event visit our website at http://www.pscfchess.org/pascholasticchamp/
Once the USCF February rating supplement is available, we will begin posting entries as they are received. Please check
that we have handled your entry correctly and help us correct any problems before the event begins. You can also contact
Tom Martinak martinak_tom_m@hotmail.com 412-908-0286.

Hotel: The tournament is being played at the Red Lion Hotel Harrisburg Hershey, 4751 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA
17111. With the convenience of staying right at the tournament site, rooms are available for $125 for 1-4 per room. Mention
“PAST0305” for the best rate reserve by February 19. For further information and to reserve your room: 717-939-7841.
In order to encourage the providing of early and accurate information (which will greatly simplify the registration process),
there is a $5 handling fee for changes/refunds requested after 2/16.

A one year PSCF (Pennsylvania State Chess Federation) membership extension is provided to all entrants.
Bughouse Tournament: We will be continuing this popular event (now open to both scholastic or adult players).
You must register at the tournament site on Friday evening or on Saturday up until 8:30 pm. The tournament will begin
on Saturday at 8:45 pm. The entry fee will be $20/team. Tournament organization and the trophies to be awarded will
depend upon the number and distribution of entries.

On-Line Registration: Players can register on-line from February 1 (when the rating supplement being used will
become available) until Midnight on March 4. There is a $3 convenience fee added to on-line entries. Links will be on
the tournament website.