Details for the 36th Annual Scholastic Chess of Indiana Individual Championships are below

Please Note:

Please read this flyer carefully. Do not hesitate to email us at scichessin@gmail.com if anything is unclear.

Eligibility:

Any K-12th grade student who is a resident of Indiana may participate in this tournament. Public, private, and home-schooled students are eligible.

Tournament Organization: 

Players can enter one of 8 sections described below.  Championship sections will be USCF rated and competition will occur at the State Finals only.  Junior Varsity and Youth sections will compete in qualifying Regionals that are not USCF rated.  Players who advance to the Finals from Junior Varsity or Youth sections must have a valid USCF ID (details below).

Championship Sections:

Championship sections are for Indiana’s top scholastic chess players.  Winners in each championship section receive a college scholarship and the right to represent Indiana at a US Chess national tournament.  Players entered in these sections DO NOT play in Regional Qualifying tournaments.  These sections will compete at Hammond Central High School in Hammond, Indiana on January 25, 2025.  You must have a valid USCF ID to play in these sections.

  • High School Championship:  9-12 grade players with a USCF rating of 1400 or higher compete for the $2000 Teddy Jacobi Scholarship and entry to the Denker National Tournament of High School State Champions.
  • Middle School Championship:  6-8 grade players with a USCF rating of 1000 or higher compete for the $1000 Billy Colias Scholarship and entry to the Barber National Tournament of Middle School State Champions.
  • Elementary School Championship:  K-5 grade players with a USCF rating of 750 or higher compete for the $1000 Brian Yamin Scholarship and entry to the Rockefeller National Tournament of Elementary School State Champions.

Junior Varsity Sections:

These sections give Indiana’s up-and-coming chess players the opportunity to compete at a high level and win a state title.  Players entered in these sections MUST play at one of five Regional Qualifying tournaments.  Regional dates and locations are listed later in this flyer.  Regional rounds of these sections are not USCF rated, but the Finals rounds are USCF rated.  Players who win all their matches in the Regional tournament will be invited to “play up” in the Championship section for their age group at the State Finals.

  • High School Junior Varsity:  9-12 grade players with a USCF rating of 1399 or lower, or unrated, are eligible.
  • Middle School Junior Varsity:  6-8 grade players with a USCF rating of 999 or lower, or unrated, are eligible.
  • Elementary School Junior Varsity: 5th grade and under players with a USCF rating of 749 or lower, or unrated, are eligible.

Youth Sections:

These sections give Indiana’s youngest chess players an opportunity to get tournament experience while competing for a state title.  Players entered in these sections MUST play at one of five Regional Qualifying tournaments.  Regional dates and locations are listed later in this flyer.   Regional rounds of these sections are not USCF rated, but the Finals rounds are USCF rated.

  • 3rd Grade and Under:  3rd grade and under chess players are eligible.
  • 1st Grade and Under:  1st grade and under chess players are eligible.

USCF Ratings Determination: 

Eligibility for Championship, Junior Varsity, and Youth Sections will be determined by a student’s Regular US Chess Federation rating on the January 2025 rating list.  Any entrant who met the minimum requirement for a Championship section in 2024 may enter that section.

Dates, Times, and Locations: 

Please make note of the date, time, and location of the Regional and Finals locations.  A player may choose to play in the Regional of his or her choice.

Regional Sites:

  • Hammond Regional – January 4, 2025 – Hammond Central High School – 5926 Calumet Ave., Hammond, IN 46320 – Check in 8:30am Central Time; First Round at 9:00am Central Time.
  • Evansville Regional – January 11, 2025 – McCutchanville Elementary School – 10701 Petersburg Rd., Evansville, IN 47725 – Check in 8:30am Central Time; First Round at 9:00am Central Time.
  • Indianapolis Regional – January 11, 2025 – St Paul’s Episcopal Church – 6060 N Meridian St.,Indianapolis, IN 46208 – Check in 8:30am Eastern Time; First Round at 9:00am Eastern Time. (Due to venue size, the Indianapolis Regional is restricted to the first 96 entrants.)
  • Terre Haute Regional – January 11, 2025 – Honey Creek Middle School – 6601 S Carlisle St., Terre Haute, IN 47802 – Check in 8:30am Eastern Time; First Round at 9:00am Eastern Time.
  • Warsaw Regional – January 11, 2025 – Madison Elementary School, 1436 West 300 North, Warsaw, IN 46582 – – Check in 8:30am Eastern Time; First Round at 9:00am Eastern Time.

Finals Site:

  • SCI Individual Championships – January 25, 2025 – Hammond Central High School – 5926 Calumet Ave., Hammond, IN 46320 – Check in 8:30am Central Time; First Round at 9:00am Central Time.

Number of Rounds: 

All sections competing in the Regionals and the Finals will play 5 rounds or fewer each day. Rounds will be determined by the  number of participants in each section. All players will play all rounds – no player is ever eliminated.  Regional sections might be combined by the tournament director if there is a low number of entrants, but players will remain eligible to qualify for the state finals in the section they entered.  

Regional Players Qualifying for Finals: 

At the conclusion of each section at the Regional, finalists will be announced by the tournament staff.  The number of finalists from each region will be determined based on the number of players and the strength of each region.  Please be aware that players who advance to State Finals will be given a packet of information. It is very important that you receive this packet before leaving the regional site for the day.

For More Information and Official Rules:

The official rules for this tournament, and the most up to date information will be posted at http://www.scichess.org. Entries will be posted online here as they are received. Please allow a few days to process. Any changes to  the schedule or playing sites due to weather will also be posted here first.

Registration:

Players enter the tournament by registering online. Registration is being managed by Joe Riegsecker, Scholastic Chess of Indiana Vice President. Please use the link below to enter:

http://joepye.net/sci/25SCIInd.htm

The entry fee for this event is $35 for those entering a Championship section, and $20 for all  others. The entry deadline is January 2, 2025 for all players in all sections.  You may pay via PayPal, credit card, debit card, check, or Zelle.

Click here for a list of players entered in the tournament: http://sci.joepye.net/25SCIIndEntriesResults.htm

USCF Membership:

A valid US Chess Federation membership is required to play in the Finals at Hammond Central High School in Hammond on January 25, 2025.  You may join USCF here:  www.uschess.org.  A free junior tournament player (JTP) membership is available for first time members 3rd grade and under.  JTP membership details can be found here: https://joepye.net/sci/JTP.htm

Questions:

Please email us at scichessin@gmail.com with any questions you have.

Important Links:

Register using this link: http://joepye.net/sci/25SCIInd.htm

Click here for a printable flyer: https://scichess.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/25SCIIndFlyer-1.pdf

Click here for confirmed entries: http://sci.joepye.net/25SCIIndEntriesResults.htm