Tournament Registration Information
All students who attend grades K-12 in a public, private or home school, in any state, are welcome to participate in VSCA scholastic chess tournaments. (Only Virginia students may play in the Virginia Scholastic Championships, held in March.)
The VSCA is an affiliate of the United States Chess Federation (USCF), and all players in our tournaments must be current USCF members.
In order to play in a VSCA tournament, please follow these 4 steps:
1. Check Your USCF Membership
If you're not a member yet, or if your membership will expire before the tournament, please visit the USCF Web Store to join or renew online (credit or debit card). If you're not sure when your membership expires, you can check at the USCF Member Services Area. Please join or renew at least several days before the tournament, so that we will have time to verify that your membership is current.
If you are unable to join or renew online, membership applications will be available at the tournament registration desk. You will need to allow extra time at check-in, and pay the membership dues in addition to your entry fee.
If you have not registered for the tournament in advance, you will need to bring a current USCF membership card, or USCF magazine label, or a printout from the online USCF Member Services Area so that we can verify your membership at the registration desk.
2. Register for the Tournament
Advance Registration ($7 entry fee) is available online for two weeks before each tournament, until 7:00 am on Thursday before the event. Advance registration is online only. We cannot accept email, phone or postal entries. To register, enter the player's name, USCF ID, school and grade on the Advance Registration Form. You can check the online Advance Registration List to see who is registered for the tournament, and to verify that your registration information is correct and your USCF membership is current.
Late Registration ($14 entry fee) is available at the tournament from 8:00 am to 8:45 am. (Players registering later than 8:30 am may not be able to play in the first round, depending on the number of late entries.)
3. Pay Your Entry Fee
If you register in advance, you can pay your $7 entry fee either by mail (check only) or at the tournament (cash or check only, no credit cards). Your mail payment must be postmarked by Monday before the tournament. Make your check for $7 per player, payable to VSCA, and mail to
- Virginia Scholastic Chess Association (VSCA)
- PO Box 29901
- Richmond, VA 23242
- ** Please note: This is a new address **
If you are unable to attend the tournament, we will return your payment by mail. If we have not received your mail payment by the Wednesday before the tournament, you will need to pay the entry fee at the tournament registration desk, and we will return your mail payment when we receive it.
If you have not registered in advance, you will need to pay the $14 Late Entry Fee when you register at the tournament.
4. Check In at the Tournament
All players need to check in at the Registration Desk between 8:00 and 8:45 am on Saturday. If you have registered in advance and mailed in your entry fee, we can check your name off quickly. Otherwise, you will need to pay your entry fee, and register if you have not done so.
A Note About Travel Time
Our tournaments are hosted over a wide area of central Virginia. Please allow sufficient travel time to ensure that you arrive in time to register / check-in before the 8:45 am cut-off. If you use Google Maps or Mapquest to generate your driving directions please realize that these directions are not always accurate. Save time the day of the tournament by registering online and mailing in your entry fee in advance (postmarked by Monday before the tournament date).