2025 South Texas State Grade Championships
Content updated as of June 25, 2025.
Changelog:
- Registration links added
- Team Composition added
- Scholarship details added
- Schedule added
For pre-tournament communication, please contact us at chess@utrgv.edu or (956) 882-5761.
During the tournament, to improve the efficiency of mass communication, we will be using Telegram for the announcements. We recommend you installing it in advance.
The event will be played at the UTRGV Brownsville Campus. Precise building/location details to follow.
Interactive Map of UTRGV Brownsville Campus
PDF Map of UTRGV Brownsville Campus
Chief Tournament Organizers: GM Bartek Macieja and LTD Colt Smith-Munoz
Chief Tournament Director: IA Louis Reed
This tournament is open to any pre K to 12th grade student either living or attending school in Texas.
A team shall consist of any three players from the same school and same grade, and may be designated
at the conclusion of the tournament to include the top scorers from that school. At least two players are required to be considered a team.
Current USCF membership is required.
Current TCA membership is required. For most participants, "Junior Online" membership is most suitable. It costs $3 and allows them to participate in all Texas championships within a year without any additional payment to TCA.
USCF and TCA Memberships will not be processed by the organizers.
There will be 13 sections (one for each grade) and students will only play opponents in their grade, unless otherwise specified. Winners in each grade will be declared the State Champion of their respective grade throughout all of South Texas.
Grades:
- Kindergarten (includes Pre-K)
- 1st Grade
- 2nd Grade
- 3rd Grade
- 4th Grade
- 5th Grade
- 6th Grade
- 7th Grade
- 8th Grade
- 9th Grade
- 10th Grade
- 11th Grade
- 12th Grade
Round 1 will start at 10:00 AM on Saturday. Round 5 will start at 10:00 AM on Sunday All other rounds will start shortly after the conclusion of the previous round and be announced on site & via Telegram. Note that 9th-12th will play with G60;d5 for Rounds 5 & 6.
Registration and payment may be made below. We accept both card and electronic check payments.
2025 South Texas State Grade Championships Entry Fee
For convenience, schools with more than 5 entries may email the following batch form to chess@utrgv.edu.
Template: tournaments/2025-south-texas-state-grade-championships/2025-south-texas-state-grades-championship-batch-form1.xlsx
Entry Fees are as follows:
$40 by October 13
$50 by October 27
$60 by November 7
$80 on November 8
Entries on November 8 will be permitted till 9:00 am. Players not registered by the cutoff time shall be paired from Round 2 only, unless the Chief Tournament Director decides otherwise.
One 1/2-point bye is allowed if requested by November 8 at 9:00 am.
Refund requests must be made by October 25; $10 refund charge.
6 rounds, Swiss System
The latest version of Swiss Sys will be used. Pairings created by this program are considered legal and will stand even if a pairing is not ideal, especially if pairings have been already posted. Current version is 11.55.
When individual scores are equal, the following order of tie-break systems will be used to designate individual awards:
1) Modified Median
2) Median
3) Solkoff
4) Sonneborn-Berger
5) Cumulative
When team scores are equal, the following order of tie-break systems will be used to designate team awards:
1) Total Individual Median
2) Total Solkoff
3) Total Sonneborn-Berger
4) Total Cumulative
Total awards: 91 trophies, $2000 in scholarships from UTRGV and TCA
• Trophies will be awarded to the top 6 individual finishers in each section.
• A trophy will be awarded to the top team in each section.
• Awards will not be split between participants / teams with the same number of points – the tie-break point system described in the Tournament Regulations will be used.
Scholarships
The top placing player in the 11th and 12th grade section (determined by tiebreaks) will each receive a $500 TCA scholarship to attend any college. Additionally, after the conclusion of the last round, both of these players will play an Armageddon playoff in front of a live audience and the winner will receive a $1000 scholarship to attend UTRGV.
The colors for the Armaggedon game will be decided by a coin flip. White will have 5 minutes and Black will have 4 minutes on the clock. There will be a 1-second increment. A draw will count as a victory for Black, as per Armageddon rules.
Awards will not be given out in advance and must be picked up at the Awards Ceremony.
Upon timely request, team rooms in a walking distance from the playing venue will available. The cost of a standard-size room is $200 (total for both days). Please send us an email to chess@utrgv.edu advising how many people from your school (participants and accompanying people combined) will be attending the event, so we can assign a proper-size team room for you.
UTRGV remains committed to your safety, success, and experience. Read more
Parking will be free during the championships. Per university rules: "Any vehicle parked on university property must display a permit at all times, except on weekends and university-approved holidays that require campus closure."
TBD
• Chess sets, notations, pens, and clocks will be provided.
• Electronic notation devices shall not be used except for players with a disability and only with prior authorization.
• Accommodation for participants with disabilities will be ensured.
TBD