2026 Madison Country Day School Chess Championship

Sunday, December 6th 

PLAYING SITE: Madison Country Day School (5606 River Road, Waunakee, WI 53597)

 

PARKNG and ENTERING: Please park in the visitor's parking lot (a large parking lot on the right as you enter the school driveway). Enter through the Lower School Entrance. Doors open at 9:00am.

 

DETAILS: this event is held in three sections (K-12 US Chess rated, K-8 non-rated, and K-5 non-rated) and is designed to be beginner-friendly. There is no elimination. Experienced tournament players are encouraged to join the K-12 section.

K-5 and K-8 sections: everyone plays 5 games.

K-12 section: everyone plays 4 games using official chess clocks. US Chess Membership is required and the event is rated (you may join or renew your membership here).

 

SCHEDULE: Please arrive by 9:45am.  Round 1 is at 10am, Round 2 is at 11:30am, subsequent rounds are ASAP (will be sooner for K-5 and K-8 than for K-12). Lunch is scheduled between rounds 1 and 2. Awards are shortly after all games are done for the section (will be sooner for K-5 and K-8 than for K-12).

Time control for all sections is G/30+5d (30 minutes per game per player with a 5 second delay for each move). Most games in K-5 and K-8 will not have clocks; all games in K-12 will have clocks. The event will definitely be concluded by 4:00pm, but K-5 and K-8 sections may be done even earlier.

 

LUNCH: concessions at school + places within a short driving distance. Bringing food to school is allowed.

 

BYES: do you need to skip a round because of other commitments? It is possible to get up to two 1/2-point byes if you let organizers know before the tournament begins.

 

PRIZES: top 10 individuals and top 5 teams in each section will receive a trophy. If there is a tie for 10th place or higher, everyone involved in a tie receives a trophy. Additional prizes include chocolate and fruit leather for taking notation and/or castling.

 

ENTRY FEE: early entry fee is $35 if entered by November 10th, regular entry fee is $45 if entered by December 1st, late entry fee is $50 if registered by 8am on December 6th (players registering afterwards may get a 1/2 bye in round one).

 

QUESTIONS (please texting on Sunday morning, but email before that): please email Alex Betaneli abetaneli@hotmail.com, 608-334-2574 or Chris Wainscott td@ia-chess.com, 414-839-5232. Texting works much better than calling. 

 

Refund Policy: If you register for the tournament and are unable to make it, please notify us at least two hours in advance of the start of round one. If this is done, then we will refund your entry fee less the $10 cancelation fee.