State chess tourney comes to Madison
The 2017 State Scholastic Chess Championship will be held on March 11-12 at Bob Jones High School. Youth in the photo attended the Summer Knights Chess Camp in 2016. CONTRIBUTED
MADISON – Alabama’s largest chess event will convene in Madison when the 2017 State Scholastic Chess Championship is held on March 11-12.
Bob Jones High School will host Alabama’s top chess-playing students to compete for the top prize. “Madison City Chess League is sponsoring this event and plans to have an assortment of food vendors to offer competitors and families both days,” MCCL Executive Director Ranae Bartlett said.
Individual competition will occur on March 11, followed by team competition on March 12. The awards ceremony will be held in Zompa Auditorium on the Bob Jones campus.
“In 2016, Madison school chess teams swept all team awards in the Primary and Elementary sections and repeated as State Champs in the Junior High school section,” Bartlett said. “So, the bar has been set pretty high as Madison now hosts the rest of the state this spring.”
“MCCL, Madison City Schools, State Sen. Arthur Orr and Adtran are pleased to sponsor this event and help bring it to Madison in 2017,” Bartlett said. “Chess programs in Madison have contributed to the growth in competitive chess players in the State of Alabama, and our families have traveled as far as Mobile to compete in the State Scholastic Chess Championship.”
Previously, the championship has attracted 200-plus students. Bartlett expects record attendance in spring 2017. “I hope every Madison student takes advantage of this opportunity to play in a state chess tournament held in their hometown,” she said.
Individual and Team registration forms must be mailed to MCCL, Attn: Bill Nash, P.O. Box 843, Madison, AL 35758. Links to registration forms are available at madisonchess.com on the state championship page. Early fee is $25 through Feb. 28 deadline but increases to $35 afterwards. A family fee of $55 also is available until Feb. 28.
Coaches or team sponsors can register four-person teams for the Team tournament on March 12 in either a School or Club team category. Early fee is $50 through March 8 but increases to $100 afterwards. Register teams by mail to the address stated earlier.
All students must have USCF and ACF memberships. For more information, visit madisonchess.com.
