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Tournament 1 |
September 3 |
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Tournament 2 |
September 10 |
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Tournament 3 |
September 17 |
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Tournament 4 |
September 24 |
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Tournament 5 |
October 1 |
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Tournament 6 |
October 8 |
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Tournament 7 |
October 15 |
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No Tournament |
October 22 |
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Tournament 8 |
October 29 |
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Tournament 9 |
November 5 |
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Tournament 10 |
November 12 |
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Tournament 11 |
November 19 |
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No Tournament |
November 26 |
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Tournament 12 |
December 3 |
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Tournament 13 |
December 10 |
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Tournament 14 |
December 17 |
Tournaments are limited to members only.
Memberships are available for any player 12th grade or younger who is a USCF member, but we do not accept any members once we reach our space limitation.
Sometimes we have room for guests and visitors, but please send an e-mail to jeff@chesspanda.com ahead of time to confirm.
If you're interested in learning more or possibly becoming a member, please follow these steps:
1. Join the email list.
2. If you would like to receive information about memberships or have any questions in general, please email jeff@chesspanda.com.
3. Parents of members: It helps us start on time if you let us know ahead of time if you plan on attending. Please fill out the Quick Registration form at the top of this page or send an email to jeff@chesspanda.com with the name of the participants.
4. Parents of members: If you haven't done so already (or not sure if you have), please fill out this registration form that provides us with emergency contact and other information.
Tournament Information and Rules
- Located at: 9900 Westpark #106 Houston, TX 77067
- Gate code: #003
- Contact jeff@chesspanda.com for information.
- On Fridays after 5:45pm, call: 832-657-2991.
Tournaments are USCF Rated. To become a member of the United States Chess Federation, please visit http://www.uschess.org. Feel free to email jeff@chesspanda.com if you have any questions about joining the USCF.
Round 1 begins at 6:30pm and finishes between 8:30pm and 9:30pm.
There are 3 rounds and the time control is G/30 or 25 minutes with 5 second delay. Players are encouraged to bring their own chess clock if they own one (but please write your name on it). Chess sets, notation sheets and pencils are provided. Players are welcome to use their own notation books.
Entry fee: $15 for non-members (if space is available). If you are a member, entry fee is included. Non-members must confirm via e-mail if they wish to play.
We aim to have 3-4 sections sorted out by the official published rating (www.uschess.org/msa). We may advance a player to a higher section in the following week if he or she gets 1st place, only if requested by the player or parent. Please note that sometimes this is impossible, but we will do our best to make sure players are challenged while keeping the rules fair for everyone. We understand that players are sometimes underrated, but this is usually a temporary thing as a player's rating "catches up with them" as they play regularly.
The first place winner of each section receives a trophy. In the case of a tie, we use the tie-break system recommended in the USCF rule book. If there are two players with a perfect score (all wins, no draws), both players will win a trophy and be co-champions, but we structure our sections so this is unlikely.
We understand that some of our players might have to get to sleep early or they may have special plans. If a player wishes to go home early, a player may request a half-point bye for the final round, but this must be requested before round 1. Also, if a player wishes to go home early without receiving a bye, simply let us know before the next round begins. If a player wishes to miss the first round, let us know ahead of time and we can provide a half-point bye for round 1.
If a player shows up late without pre-registering, he or she might be forfeited in round 1. It is best to call 832-657-2991 if you are running late and are worried about a potential forfeit.
Code of Conduct for Players
The three things we emphasize most are: Focus, Sportsmanship, and Safety.
Focus: Our overall goal is to provide children with a valuable tournament experience that helps them improve their chess abilities, whether they win or lose.
A distraction-free environment that allows players to focus on their games is required. Coaches and tournament directors do their best if they can focus on their duties instead of reminding children to follow the rules.
Players must respect the rules and avoid distracting others between rounds. It is recommended that players play friendly practice games between rounds or read a book.
We accept children of all ages, but it is required that the player has a passion for chess and wishes to improve. Players who are uncertain about their desire to play chess might not appreciate the environment that we provide.
Sportsmanship: Players must exhibit good sportsmanship at all times. Absolutely no name-calling, bullying, or anything negative will be tolerated. We have never had a problem with this in the past and we hope to keep it this way.
Safety: Any potentially unsafe behavior is prohibited. Children of all ages are required to follow the same rules. Some important things to remember:
Older children or teenagers must be good examples for the younger children.
No horseplay, no running, and hands must be kept to themselves. Siblings must remember to follow these rules.
Leaving the office without notifying an adult is not permitted. If a player wishes to leave the office for any reason, he or she must notify an adult. Children must let a tournament director or adult volunteer know if they are leaving the office to use the restrooms. We usually have parent volunteers in the hallways to help escort the children, and the restrooms are located right next door to the academy.
If a player wishes to visit the vending machine on the 2nd floor, he or she must be accompanied by an adult. Parents must come inside to pick up their children or be escorted to the car by a tournament director, coach, or designated guardian. Parents, please communicate with the tournament directors about any friends, babysitters, or others who might pick up your child.
Tournament directors reserve the right to forfeit, suspend, or expel any player who violates the rules. A verbal or written warning may be issued, but this is not guaranteed.
In the past, our members have been exceptional about following rules. We wish to continue this tradition.
Our program has grown considerably over the last few years. We have a comfortable amount of members and are reaching maximum capacity. We may have space available for those interested, but right now our biggest goal is to maintain the quality that we have enjoyed over the last few years, while continuing to improve our events. We greatly appreciate all of those who have supported our efforts to run quality chess tournaments.
