Welcome to the Scholastic Chess of Indiana 2026 Girls Championship!
Please read the following carefully. It will tell you almost all you need to know about the 2026 Girls Championship. Please recall that tournament organization is dependent on many factors, including the number of entrants, weather events, etc. We reserve the right to make changes as necessary to insure a good experience for students.
Any K-12 female student who is a resident of Indiana may participate in this tournament. Public, private, and home-schooled students are eligible. There will be four sections. Three of the sections will be rated by the United States Chess Federation (USCF) - the Championship section, for students rated 800 or higher; the Reserve section, for students rated under 800 or unrated; and the Primary section, for students in third grade and under. Students in third grade and under also have the option of playing in the Championship or Reserve section, depending on their rating. The winner of the Championship section will receive a $1000 scholarship and will be Indiana's representative to the WIM Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions (held in Grand Rapids, MI, August 3-6, 2026). Players in these three sections must have a valid USCF number. Visit this page for USCF details. There will be one section not rated by USCF - the Discovery section, open to all K-12 girls who have no USCF rating. A USCF number will NOT be required for the Discovery section. The April 2026 rating supplement will be used to determine eligiibility for all sections.
The Girls Chammpionship will be at University Elementary School, 1111 N Russell Rd, Bloomington, IN 47408 on April 25, 2026. Doors will open at 8:30AM local (Eastern) time. Players should be in the building ready for the players' meeting by 9:00am. The first round will begin immediately after the players' meeting. Please allow time to find your way around an unfamiliar campus. Specific parking and location information will be shared with registrants at least one week prior to the event. Players who are not present at the start of the first round may be forfeited.
Parents, coaches, and spectators are welcome, but they will not be allowed in the playing area during play.
It is very difficult to give an accurate ending time for a tournament. All sections will not necessarily end at the same time, but we should be done between 3:00-5:00PM. I suggest you try to keep the entire day open for chess, if possible.
Number of rounds and time controls will depend on the number of entants. We expect the Championship section will be 4-SS, G/45;d5; Reserve will be 5-SS, G/35;d5; and Primary and Discovery will be 5-SS, G/30;d5; but tht is subject to change.
Sets and boards will be supplied. Players may bring their own equipment for skittles play between rounds.
We will furnish clocks for the Championship section and for games going long in other sections. Students may use their own clocks. Games without clocks will get clocks 20 minutes from the projected end time of their game, with each player given 10 minutes with no delay.
Notation will be required in the Championship section.
Entry is $25, and all entries must be in by April 20, 2026.
Feel free to ask questions if there is anything you don't understand. Email scichessin@gmail.com