Online registration is preferred; registration and payment via Paypal (credit card or bank account) will be accepted through 8:00 p.m. on the day prior to the start of the tournament. Registration on site is between 8:00 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. on the date of the tournament. Registration after 8:45 a.m. will result in a 1st round bye. Cash, credit card, and checks accepted.

5SS: K-3; K-5; K-8; K-12 (individual and team).

K-12; K-8; and K-5: Saturday 10:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 4:45 p.m.; Sunday 9:00 a.m., 12:30 p.m.

K-3: Saturday 10:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 3:30 p.m.; Sunday 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m.

Award Ceremony to follow approximate end time of each section.

$30.00 if pre-registered online. $40.00 before 8:45 a.m. on the date of the tournament.

Trophies to top 5 teams in each section. Trophies to top 15 individuals in K-3, K-5 and K-8 sections; individual trophies to top 10 in K-12. Also Best Kindergarten and 1st grade; Best 4th grade; Best 6th grade; and Best 9th grade in Sections K-3, K-5, K-8 and K-12, respectively. 1 Top Player in Girls in Sections K-3, K-5, K-8 and K-12.

One half-point bye allowed, except in the last round. Registration after 8:45 a.m. uses this bye for round one. We must be notified in advance of byes. Byes will be posted for pre-registrations on the web and on the wall charts after each round; correction requests are the responsibility of the player. Fourth round corrections must be submitted by 7 p.m. on Saturday.

All participants must have USCF membership current for the duration of the tournament. Membership can be purchased at the tournament. For information on fees or to apply online, go to the USCF website.

Please bring chess equipment and clocks. Concessions and discounted chess equipment will be available for purchase on site. We buy chess equipment in bulk and bring the savings to you.

The team score is the total of the four best scores of players from the same school. A school must have at least two players to be eligible for a prize.

Please note the updated information about Nationals.

Although every scholastic chess player is eligible and encouraged to participate in national chess tournaments, several individuals and teams from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools may once again be selected based on their results at this Southern Scholastic to receive funding from CMS to compete in the National Tournaments. The top one individual and one team (comprised of four players and one alternate) in the Elementary (K-3 and K-5), Middle School and High School sections may receive transportation, lodging (either partial or full depending on room sharing) and tournament entry fees sponsored by CMS.

Selected students must be currently enrolled in a CMS school (sorry, no private schools, homeschools, or schools outside Mecklenburg County). Only those individuals who participate in a winning school’s team at the Southern Scholastic are eligible for selection; in other words, students who are not present at the Southern Scholastic cannot replace participating players. Teams may be selected with the makeup of students as they are entered in the Southern Scholastic and for the same section, and a winning team cannot reorganize players or switch sections. More information about Nationals can be found at USCF website.

Please note that all terms and conditions are subject to change at any time without notice.