Washington State Scholastic Chess Championships 2026 – Saturday, April 25, 2026
https://wsecc.squarespace.com/
Sections and Qualifications
Premier and Championship, which section should I Play?
Kindergarten – No qualification required. One section.
*For K Only – Limited space available, players will be allowed on a first come-first serve basis.
Grades 1-3 – Premier (U800) and Championship:
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Premier Sections are open to any player under the rating threshold (for grades 1-3, all players rated under 800). No additional qualifications required. NWSRS rated only. Players who qualify for Championship Sections may still choose to play in the Premier Section, so long as their rating falls under the threshold.
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Championship Sections have a qualification requirement. Players may qualify by earning a plus (>50% of the possible score) in a 4+ round tournament rated by the NWSRS. No rating requirement. Championship Sections will be dual NWSRS/USCF rated (see USCF Notes below).
Grades 4-6 – Premier (U1000) and Championship:
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Premier Sections are open to any player under the rating threshold (for grades 4-6, all players rated under 1000). No additional qualifications required. NWSRS rated only. Players who qualify for Championship Sections may still choose to play in the Premier Section, so long as their rating falls under the threshold.
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Championship Sections have a qualification requirement. Players may qualify by earning a plus (>50% of the possible score) in a 4+ round tournament rated by the NWSRS. No rating requirement. Championship Sections will be dual NWSRS/USCF rated (see USCF Notes below).
Middle School – U1100, U1500, and Open
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U1100 and U1500 Sections will be the same format (g/25;d5) and on the same schedule as the Grades 1-6 sections, all held at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. Open to any player in the specified grades playing under the rating threshold (all players under 1100/1500), no additional qualification required. NWSRS rated only.
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Open Sections will be held over 2-days (April 25-26), held separately in the Courtyard Marriott Tacoma (hotel across the street from the Convention Center). No qualification required, but intended for players rated 1500+. Open Sections will be dual NWSRS/USCF rated (see USCF Notes below).
High School – U1100 and Open
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High School sections will be the same format (g/25;d5) and on the same schedule as the Grades 1-6 sections, all held at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. Open to any player in the specified grades playing under the rating threshold (all players under 1100, otherwise Open to all), no additional qualification required. NWSRS rated only.
USCF Notes
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All USCF-rated sections require an active US Chess membership at the beginning of the competition. Those who do not have an active membership may not be paired for Round 1.
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Notation will be required by all players in USCF-rated (Championship) Sections, except grades K-2. Grades K-2 are exempt from notation requirements.
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In USCF-rated (Championship) sections either player may bring their own clock to use. In grades K-2 both players must agree to use the clock. In grades 3+ players may not decline the use of a clock if provided by their opponent.
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US Chess memberships may be purchased from the following site: https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess. Financial assistance for US Chess Membership is available upon request.
Additional Notes
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Premier Sections and Championship Sections (Grades 1-6) will all take place in the playing hall at the Greater Tacoma Convention Center. Games for all sections will begin at the same time and play on the same schedule.
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Players in both Premier and Championship Sections (Grades 1-6) will receive trophies if they score 3+ points at the event. Players in both sections will receive a commemorative medal if they do not win an individual trophy.
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Players may only play in their specific grade level section (ex: a 3rd grader may not play in any 4th grade Section)
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Players whose ratings rise over 800 at the time of the competition will be moved into the Championship Section. These players may be emailed prior to the event. Players who are moved into Championship Sections will require US Chess Memberships.
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6th Grade students may opt to play in the 6th Grade Sections or in the Middle School U1100, U1500, or Open.
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For Additional Questions: please contact Tournament Organizer Jacob Mayer at Jacob.MayerChess@gmail.com
*Note from the Organizer/Registrar — Take advantage of the early bird prices. You can register at any time regardless of qualification status. All players who qualify before the event may be moved into the championship sections, everyone else will be able to play in one of the Premier Sections.
*Team Tables will be determined based on registration as of April 16th. Team Table assignments/locations will be on the wsecc website, link will be shared when available.
For Grades 1-6:
Players who score 3.0 or more in any 5-round qualifying tournament are eligible to compete in their respective Grade Level (K-6) Championship. US Chess Memberships are required for any players participating in any Championship Sections. Players who score 3.0 or more in any 5-round qualifying event who are rated under the maximum threshold (Under 800 in Grades 1-3, Under 1000 in Grades 4-6) may still opt to play in their grade level Premier section. Players who do not score 3.0 or more in any 5-round qualifying tournament are still eligible to play in their grade level Premier Section. There is a place for everyone to come and play!
For Kindergarten:
All Kindergarten players are eligible to participate in the Kindergarten Section (limited space is available). No qualification requred!
For Middle School and High School Sections:
*This does not apply to the Grade 6-specific sections, only the Middle School and High School Rapid Championship Sections
These sections do not require qualifications.
U1100 Sections will be 5 rounds of G/25;d5 in the main tournament hall. U1100 sections will be NWSRS rated only.
Open sections will be 4 rounds of G/55;d5, held in the adjoining Marriott Tacoma Downtown Hotel. Open Sections will be dual NWSRS/US Chess rated and all players will be required to obtain US Chess memberships prior to competing
Many qualifying events are held throughout the state! For any questions, please see information below and/or contact the organizers.
List of Qualified Players – https://ratingsnw.com/qualifiers.html
Interested in hosting a Qualifying Event, or wondering if your event counts as a Qualifier? Check out https://ratingsnw.com/more/is-my-event-a-wa-state-elementary-state-qualifier.html
Contact Information:
Registration Fee (per registrant):
For registration questions, please email Ben Radin (Ben@chessreg.com). For all other questions please email Jacob Mayer (Jacob.MayerChess@gmail.com).
For Scholarship Information please reach out to Ben Radin.
$45
Increases to:
$60 on Feb 15, 2025, 12:00am
$75 on Mar 15, 2025, 12:00am
$90 on Apr 15, 2025, 12:00am
Registration cutoff is on Apr 24, 2025,
11:00pm. After the cutoff you may
register on the waitlist (you will not be
charged at this time).
Player refund cutoff is Thursday, April
24, 2025, 11:00 PM. Refunds are
subject to an $5.00 fee per player.
https://chessreg.com/wsscc#
Event Info
Date: the event will be held at 8:00 AM on Saturday, April 25, 2026.
Contact Information
For registration questions, email Ben Radin ben@chessreg.com – for all other questions please email the Tournament Director, Jacob Mayer jacob.mayerchess@gmail.com
Notes from the Event Director
Find the most up to date event details, schedule, hotel recommendations, food options and more on the event website: https://wsecc.squarespace.com/
NOTE: Event website has not been updated for 2026 yet, please check back soon for updated info.
Championship sections require qualification at a state qualifier tournament during the school year. Premier sections are open to all students under the ratings threshold, regardless of qualification. This includes players who qualified for the Championship section but are below the ratings cutoff. All sections will be NWSRS rated. Championship sections and MS/HS Open sections will be dual rated NWSRS/USCF. Participants in those sections will need a current US Chess Membership. Financial assistance for USCF Membership is available upon request. No qualification required for Kindergarten students.
For a list of qualified students and a more detailed breakdown of the qualification requirements, please visit: http://ratingsnw.com/qualifiers.html
Players can register at any time, regardless of qualification. Players who qualify after registering can switch to the Championship section at any time prior to the registration cutoff.
Take advantage of the early bird registration price!
The Middle School Open (2 Day) event will be held at the Courtyard Marriott across the street from the convention center.
Team tables will be assigned based on the registration list as of 4/16/2026. Players may still register after that date but they will not be accounted for in the team table assignments.
For 2025 WSECC:
For Registration-Specific Questions:
Ben Radin – Ben@chessreg.com
For Tournament-Related Questions:
Jacob Mayer, Lead Organizer – Jacob.MayerChess@gmail.com
For Scholarship Information:
Reach out to Chess Enrichment Association: Link