Wisconsin State Scholastic Chess Championships TEAM format (ONLY WISCONSIN STUDENTS) – Saturday March 21 – Sunday March 22, 2026

2026 WISCONSIN STATE SCHOLASTIC CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

March 21-22

this page is for K-12 Varsity I and Varsity II  team sections; for Individual sections please go to: Individual Sections Registration 

 

Please note important changes compared to 2025:

1. registration deadline is March 4th

2. location: Madison

3. it is a 2-day event

4. there are five rounds

5. round 1 is at 10am on Saturday

6. round 4 is at 9:30am on Sunday

7. Reserve your hotel ASAP

Pairings and Standings: link will be added here at 9:30am on March 21st

 

Playing Site: Madison Marriott West, Middleton, WI 53562

1313 John Q Hammons Dr. 

Chess Rate of $125 (includes free parking, free internet, and a discounted breakfast buffet) is available for Friday and Saturday if reserved by February 27th or until all rooms are sold out.  Reservation link:  WI State Scholastic Chess Championships

**UPDATE**: our large room block for Saturday night is fully booked and the hotel is sold out for that night. It is possible that a few rooms will open up due to cancelations, please check the above link.

We were able to secure courtesy blocks with a few nearby hotels. Please reserve ASAP as these room blocks will likely sell out quickly: 

 

Comfort Suites Madison West – Middleton (1253 John Q Hammons Dr., Madison, WI 53717; (608) 820-2370): $125 (complimentary breakfast, parking, and Wi-Fi) Reservation link: State Scholastic Suites

 

Fairfield by Marriott Inn & Suites Madison West/Middleton (8212 Greenway Blvd, Middleton, WI 53562; (608) 831-1400; mention code WSCP if calling to reserve): $99 (complimentary hot breakfast, parking, and Wi-Fi). This hotel is undergoing renovation, so some noise is possible between 8am and 6pm. Reservation link: State Scholastic Fairfield

 

Hilton Garden Inn Madison West/Middleton (1801 Deming Way, Middleton, WI 53562; (608) 831-2220; mention code CHE26 if calling to reserve): single $109, double $119 (complimentary breakfast, parking, and Wi-Fi). Reservation link: State Scholastic Hilton

Courtyard by Marriott Madison West/Middleton (2266 Deming Way, Middleton, WI 53562; (608) 203-0100; mention code CCM if calling to reserve): $109 (complimentary breakfast, parking, and Wi-Fi) Reservation link: State Scholastic Courtyard

 

Baymont by Wyndham Madison West/Middleton (8102 Excelsior Dr., Madison, WI 53717; (608) 616-4527): $105 (complimentary breakfast, parking, and Wi-Fi). Reservation link: State Scholastic Baymont

 

K-12 TEAM VARSITY FORMAT:  5-Round team Swiss tournament with 4 players per team and one optional alternate. A match is won by the team scoring the most game points (2.5 points or more out of 4 games).

Varsity I Division is Open to teams with any average rating. Varsity II Division is open to teams with an average team rating of less than 1100. Teams will be seeded based on a team rating derived from the rating average of the four players. Players must play in rating order except that the players within 50 rating points of each other may permanently switch positions prior to round one.

Unrated players can play on any board. In calculating the average team rating, an unrated on board four is assigned 50 points below the rating of board three. An unrated on board three is assigned the average of the board two and four ratings. An unrated on board two is assigned the average of the board one and three ratings. An unrated on board one is assigned 50 points above the rating of board two.

Schools may enter multiple teams in either section. No club teams are allowed. Players of all abilities are encouraged to participate. This is not a US Chess rated event.

 

ELIGIBILITY and TEAM COMPOSITION:  Only Wisconsin students are eligible. All K-12 Varsity teams must be composed entirely of 9th through 12th graders OR 8th graders and below. All players must be full-time students from the same school that holds classes during week days. If a high school does not have a 9th grade, then they may tap 9th graders from eligible feeder schools. Students in grades K-8 may play as a team in K-12 Team Varsity sections if from the same school. 

A home school or virtual school student may play on either a public or private school team. To play on a public school team, the student must live within the attendance boundary (not district) from which that public school draws. Any private school seeking to have these students on their team must use the same public school attendance boundary in which their school building is located. Players from outside their boundaries are not allowed to play on that school’s team. Home-schooled students are considered to be in 9^th grade when they are 14 as of September 1^st of the school year. Players must be under the age of 19 as of September 1st of the school year.

 

RATINGS: March rating supplement will be used. Tournament Directors can choose the highest of the  US Chess ratings (regular, quick, live, online)  for pairing purposes only. Ratings are not affected by this event.

 

SCHEDULE:

Round 1         Saturday at 10:00am

Round 2         Saturday at 1:00pm

Round 3         Saturday at 4:00pm

Round 4         Sunday at 9:30am

Round 5         Sunday at 12:30pm

Awards           Sunday at 3:30pm or earlier

The time control is Game in 60 minutes with a 5-second delay. Accelerated pairings may be used for the first two rounds. Boards, sets, and clocks are provided. 

 

PRIZES:   Trophies/Plaques will be awarded to the top eight Division I teams and top eight Division II teams, first place team members, their coach, and each board champion. If a tie for 1^st place in Division I exists, a blitz playoff will determine the State Champion. Every participant is eligible for an additional award (medal, chocolate or fruit leather). 

 

TIEBREAKS: US Amateur Team tiebreaks will be used as a primary tiebreak for team standings (if needed, the order of additional tiebreaks is Solkoff, Cumulative Opposition, Cumulative, and Modified Median). For board prizes, every person involved in a tie will receive a prize.

 

ENTRY FEE:  $160 per team. Varsity teams need to register by March 4th. If you are unsure about the exact roster, please register your team(s) by emailing the organizers. All rosters must be finalized by 8:00am of March 21st.

Registrations after March 4th will likely not be accepted.

Online registration is best, but if you prefer Zelle, Venmo or check payments, please email Chris Wainscott at chris.wainscott13@outlook.com   

 

BUGHOUSE: Waupaca High School will sponsor the Wisconsin State Bughouse Championship. It will start at 7:30pm on Saturday. 2026 WI State Bughouse Championship

 

QUESTIONS:  please email Chris Wainscott chris.wainscott13@outlook.com or Alex Betaneli abetaneli@hotmail.com You may also reach Chris by texting 414-839-5232.

 

Refund Policy: If you register for the tournament and are unable to make it, please notify us at least two hours in advance of the start of round one. If this is done, then your entry will be refunded less the cost of online registration ($1) and payment processing ($0.30 + 2.9% of the entry fee.)