Please take a moment to review the following procedures and expectations:

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• If a player can not make it to the round on time, a BYE must be requested prior to the tournament. 9:00pm on the Friday before the tournament is the deadline to request a BYE. Players who request a bye will receive half a point for the round that they may not attend. Up to two byes may be requested, but only half a point will be allowed for one of the byes. 

• Due to limiting parking, please carpool if possible.

• Pairings will be posted on the wall by 9:00am

• The pairing sheet will include the player names. A "W" next to the player name means the player is playing White and a "B" next to the name means the player is playing Black. The pairing sheet will also include the board number assigned to the players. Board numbers will be visible when players enter the playing hall and indicate where the players should play their game for a particular round. 

• Players are expected to mark the result of their game on the pairing sheet. "1" next to the name indicates the player won, "0" indicates the player lost, and ".5" or "1/2" indicates the game was a "draw" or tie.  The tournament directors will help the players, especially new players, mark the result of the their game. 

• It is not an elimination tournament, after the game is over, players may go back to their parents or a waiting room and wait for the next scheduled round to start. 

• No spectators are allowed in the playing area except for official helpers or TD's. However, parents may escort their kids to the playing hall and wait for their kids outside of playing hall for any round. Parents may also take pictures of their kids for the first two minutes of round one. 

• Players are normally expected to notate (write down their moves). In my chess classes, we will be working on this to prepare for the chess tournament. This avoids any confusion and reduces cheating accusations. However, if players are very young or new to chess, TD's are allowed to allow the players to not notate their moves. 

• Phones and other electronic devices must be silenced during the chess game. Players can turn on their phones again after the game is over. Time may be added to the opponent's clock if a phone rings during a game. 

• Games are "touch-move". This means that if a player touches a piece, they must move this piece or if they touch a piece that they can capture, they must capture the piece they touched. If multiple pieces can capture the piece, they may still choose which piece to capture the opponent's "touched" piece. The exception is if there is no legal move, then the player doesn't have to move the piece they touched. 

• Players are allowed to use the restroom while playing and do not need permission from a TD to do so. 

• If you have a question or if there is any confusion or disagreement, players should immediately raise their hand and wait for a tournament director (TD) to come and assist them. If there is a chess clock in use, players should pause the chess clock. 

• When the game is over, please raise your hand and call a TD. They will take a note of the result and show you where to go to record the result of the game and help guide you back to your parent or guardian. 

• Players who need to leave the tournament early must notify the chief TD to avoid players missing opponents for subsequent rounds. 

• Players are not allowed to talk while playing, unless they are offering a draw or saying good luck before the game, or good game after the game. Players are not required to say check, but it is also allowed to say check during the game. 

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Please be respectful, have fun, and do your best! Remember that you can lose more from losing than from winning in chess, especially if you notate your moves to review your mistakes.