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What are the Australian Junior Chess Championships (AJCC)?

The AJCC is held under the auspices of the Australian Junior Chess League, the Australian Chess Federation and the State Chess Association (Chess Association of Qld for this event). The AJCC is the premier national chess event, bringing together a wide age range of chess players, for 9 days of fun and games. As well as the main championship events, there are also a chess problem solving and a lightning tournament.

This chess event is held annually, usually on a rotational basis between each State association. In Adelaide 2009, Tasmania 2010 and Melbourne in 2011 and 2012

Who is eligible to play?

Any player under 18 as at 1 January in the year the event is held is eligible to play. Players that are not Australian residents can also play, though they are not eligible for the Australian title but they are eligible for the prize money.

What age group can my child play in?

The age group cutover is the 1 January. To play in:

• U8 you must have a birth year of 2005 or greater;
• U10 you must have a birth year of 2003 or greater;
• U12 you must have a birth year of 2001 or greater;
• U14 you must have a birth year of 1999 or greater;
• U16 you must have a birth year of 1997 or greater; and
• U18 you must have a birth year of 1995 or greater.

You may play in higher age groups.

Who should play?

If your children enjoy chess and chess competitions you should consider entering them into this competition even if you don't think they will win a prize.

• There are many levels of player ability.
• Most kids who play really enjoy the competition despite the emotional ups and downs of winning and losing.
• Having a big tournament gives your child a focus for the end of the year and will encourage them to work harder on their chess during the year.
• Chess tournaments are a very good way to improve children's chess.
• It's a great way for parents and kids to meet like-minded families from around Australia.

Will my child be playing against others of the same age?

There are a total of 12 championships. Players play in one of 6 age championships – U18, U16, U14, U12, U10 and U8, and in each age range there is an open (boys or girls) or girls only. Players can choose to play in an older age championship if they wish. If the player numbers in any one championship are very small, that championship may be combined with another age group championship.

Will my child be playing against others of the same chess ability?

There is no rating restriction as to who can play in any championship, just their age. Each championship uses the Swiss pairing system, meaning that players will usually play others on the same score at each round of the tournament, and they will usually alternate using the white or black pieces as well. Your child may be paired against someone in round 1 or 2 that is of a much higher or lower ability than your child, but after a few rounds any disparity in chess ability tends to be levelled out. And remember that there are 9 rounds in each championship.

If there are low numbers in any one age group we may hold that age group championship as a round robin. In which case your child would play every child in that age group.

Why should I register early?

If you can, registering early is important:

• Knowing the numbers of players early helps the organisers run a great tournament.
• Your kids will have more time to prepare and get involved in chess during the year.
• Early bird discounts.

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Tournament Questions

How many championships are there?

If there are sufficient entries, all the championships will be run separately. If not they will be grouped according to the number of entries.

Can my U8 / U10 child play in more than one championship event?

Yes! The timetable of the events allows for this.

An entry fee would be required for each championship event entered (with a $20 discount for the second championship).

The U8 / U10 championships run from Saturday to Monday (3 days), then your child could enter one of the U12 / U14 championships that starts on Wednesday. As the U16 / U18 championships run the full 9 days, it would not be possible for your child to play in one of those championships as a second event.

Will my child be eligible for the U16 title if he or she enters the U18 championship?

A player is only eligible for the title in the age-group championship in which he or she competes. So, if a player is enrolled to compete in the U18 championship then he or she is competing solely for the U18 title, despite eligibility to play in other age groups. Each age group championship is conducted as a separate tournament and could run concurrently (for example, the U16s and U18s).

This is the third year that this format has been implemented for Australian Junior Chess Championships. The Australian Junior Chess League (AusJCL) has mandated this format following surveys and discussions with its stakeholders since the national junior body was formed in 2008. The intent of this new format is to enable tournaments to start on Saturday and finish on Sunday the following week, allowing for 9 days of competition, but only taking one working week (ie more family-friendly).

The feedback on the format was positive from the previous year's event.

Does my child have to write down the chess moves?

Yes. For some children (especially in the U8 and U10 championships) this will be the first time they have to write down moves. Before you panic or get scared off, it's actually not that hard. The following article gives a good summary of how to do it.

http://www.chesshouse.com/how_to_read_and_write_chess_notation_a/166.htm

And the following video is also very good:

http://www.chesskid.com/video/player/how-to-keep-score-algebraic-notation

It worth while practising this several times before the competition so your child is comfortable with the notation. There is also an added benefit of writing moves down, as it forces the player to slow down. Note that it is not uncommon for poor moves to be made in haste.

Will the games be available in electronic format from the website?

Given the large number of competitors we expect (200 plus), we won't have the facilities or resources to record all the games in electronic format. We will however record the top boards and make them available on the website. We are currently working out the best way of doing this, but will update this FAQ entry when we have finalised the process.

How is the Lightning competition going to be run?

The Lightning competition is held on a single day. We intend to combine age groups into 5 separate competitions running concurrently:

• Open U14 / U16 / U18
• Girls U14 / U16 / U18
• Open U8 / U10 / U12
• Girls U8 / U10 / U12
• Parents, coaches and seniors

If there are enough players in each competition then it will be run using a swiss pairing system (11 rounds, 5 minutes per player), otherwise we might have to make it a round robin. (Note that the number of rounds or time controls may change on the day depending on the number of players registered). Playoffs for the title will be immediately after the 11 rounds in case of tied positions.

You are eligible to win prizes in higher age groups (for example if you are an U14 player then you are also eligible for an U16 and U18 title/prize). You may only win one prize.

How is the Problem Solving competition going to be run?

The Problem Solving competition may be run as one paper for all age groups (this decision is pending) or as two separate two hour papers as per last year (an U14 / U16 / U18 paper and an U8 / U10 / U12 paper)

Who are the tournament arbiters?

Chief arbiter: IA Charles Zworestine
Other arbiters: Shaun Curtis, Toby Davies, Matt Gilpin and Jim Ritchie


Can I use an electronic recording device such as a Monroi?

The only electronic recording device a player can use is a Monroi Personal Chess Manager (PCM), as it is FIDE approved. AusJCL has formulated a policy for use of a Monroi in the Australian Junior Chess Championships as follows:

"Players are allowed to use a Monroi PCM they supply themselves to record their moves. It is the player's responsibility to ensure that the device works properly and if at any stage the device does not work then they must record moves using a paper scoresheet. The Monroi PCM must stay at the board at all times during the game and used only for recording the game moves, use for any other purpose will be considered as cheating. The Monroi PCM must be provided to the arbiters to be examined at any time during the tournament. Players must inform the organisers that they will be using a Monroi PCM. No other electronic devices are allowed to be used to record moves."

Can I get a half point bye?

You may get a half point by for up to three rounds, before and including round 6. This must be organised before the tournament.

Do my children have to play each other?

Often in tournaments you can request that your children not play each other. However because this tournament is for national titles we are not accepting any special requests of this nature. Sorry, but if you have more than one child in a championship then they may have to play each other. Same applies for the lightning.

Can spectators watch?

Yes, spectators will be welcome to watch all chess from outside the roped off area.

The play-offs for the U8/U10 championships will be held between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on Monday 21st January.

The play-offs for the U12/U14/U16/U18 championships will be held between 2.00pm and 4.00pm on Sunday 27th January.

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Payment Options

I have registered, how do I make a payment?

You may make payments by cheque, direct credit, credit card or cash in person. Please see the pay section for details.

How much do I have to pay?

Please look at the fees section to calculate how much you have to pay. Note that there are cut-off dates to be eligible for discounted entry fees, if you are making payments after those dates you will have to pay the higher amount. You will also have to add the fees for the various competitions you are entering - for example, the championship, lightning and/or problem solving.

If you are competing in the U8 / U10 championships and also the U12 / U14 championships then you are eligible for a $20 discount on the second championship.

In order to support families who have more than one player, we are offering a family discount, for example:

• 2 championship entries from one family will qualify for a $5 per player discount.
• 3 or more championship entries from one family will qualify for a $10 per player discount.

As part of our processes we will cross reference your payments with your entry form and contact you if there are any discrepancies.

Why have you taken me off the list of entries?

If we have not received payment or been in contact with you for more than seven days after you registered online then we may take you off the entries list as an unconfirmed entry.

We will make an attempt to contact you (via email or phone) before we take you off the list. It could be something simple like not including the players name in the payment.

If this happens to you then please just contact us so we can sort it out.

Why does my child's name appear in the list of entries before I have made the payment?

Every couple of days we will put new online entries in the entries list. Initially these entries will be marked with a payment due status. Once payment has been received the entry will be confirmed in the list. If the payment is not received within seven days of the entry it may be taken off the list.

Please contact us if you have any issues which will delay payment.

What do I do if I forgot to put the player's name in with the payment?

Contact us so we can try and work it out. But with over 200 competitors this could be a big problem, so please make sure it doesn't happen.
 

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Rules and Regulations

Will the Swiss pairing system be used?

The plan is to use the Swiss pairing system for each championship. Only if the numbers of entries in any championship are less than 10, then that championship may run as a round robin (everyone plays everyone else – perhaps more than once!). We may also try and combine championships if numbers are low.

Is each championship FIDE rated?

Only the U18 open championship is FIDE rated, meaning the competition counts toward your personal FIDE rating.

A FIDE rating is an international chess rating provided by FIDE - the world chess federation. It's generally seen as a bit of an achievement when a junior first gets his or her FIDE rating.

What is chess etiquette?

It can be pretty hard emotionally for some kids (and some adults) if they lose or feel as though they are losing. This section hopefully will provide some perspective.

This Australian Junior Chess Championship players should abide by the following etiquette:

• shake hands with your opponent before and after the game;
• do not distract or annoy your opponent in any way;
• players or spectators may not talk either to themselves or to each other within the hearing of players who are seated at the board;
• treat your opponent with respect and resigning, or receiving the opponent's resignation, with good grace;
• a player is allowed to stop the clock in order to seek the arbiter's assistance;
• a person is assumed to be aware of the FIDE Laws of Chess, any other rules or conditions applicable to an event in which he is a player, spectator or official;
• the arbiter's decision is final.

Please note that the FIDE Laws of Chess are pretty detailed, so intimately knowing all the fine details of the rules of chess may be a little difficult, especially for the younger age groups. If in doubt seek the arbiter's assistance.