Welcome to the 11th
Edition of the New York State Magnus High School and Junior High Chess League
(Out-of-State Players
Are Welcome)!
Covid-19
Policy
Oct. 5, Nov. 9, Dec. 7, 2025;
Jan. 25, Feb. 22, Mar. 15, April 26, 2026
Our format this
season for the Magnus League is seven separate matches, each one is a two-Round
Swiss-System tournament on each of the above dates.
1.
We are open to players in Grades 7-12 (who are also born after 4/26/2006).
2. Players
can play as individuals as well as part of a school team.
We have both individual and team prizes!
3. We also
have Mixed Doubles
Teams Bonus Prizes!
Mixed Doubles Teams are two players,
one male, one female (they can be from different sections and different
schools), with an average team rating Under 2200 at signup deadline.
Players must sign up by February 22nd for Mixed Doubles.
4. We have three separate sections!
1. Varsity Section, for players rated 1800
and above (at match date or within the prior 12 months), or players
rated 1700 and above who have also scored 2-0 in a Magnus League Season Ten
or Eleven J-V or Varsity section match, or invitees;
2. Junior-Varsity Section, for players
whose Official Rating is Under 1900 at match date and who are also rated
1300/above within 12 months of match date, or invitees;
3. Novice Section, for
players whose Official Rating is Under 1400 at match date or Unrateds.
5. We
have two rounds each date: 10:00 am and 1:30 pm (possibly earlier for
Round 2 if feasible).
6. Our
Magnus League time control: Game/60 +
30-second delay (please bring a delay clock if you have
one).
7. There are $800
in individual prizes each match date!
1. Varsity Section: $200 to First, $100 to Second, $50 to Third;
2. Junior-Varsity Section: $150 to
First, $100 to Second, $50 to Third;
3. Novice Section: $100 to First,
$50 to Second
(there is a $50 prize limit to Unrated Players in the Novice Section),
Prizes not claimed at site may be paid by PayPal (may take a
couple of weeks).
8. $800 Season
Eleven Individual Bonus Prizes, to the three
top-scoring players across all 3 sections after all 7 matches: First $400,
Second $200, Third $100.
9. Season Eleven School Prizes (the top 4 scores from the
same school): Awards
to the 4 highest-scoring overall school team scores, and any school teams tied with them, across all 3 sections after all 7
matches (school team scores with more rounds played, including forfeit wins and
full-point byes, may receive extra credit if tied).
10. Season Eleven $750
Mixed Doubles Team Prizes (split equally among winning team members):
across all 3 sections after all 7 matches!
First Mixed Doubles Team $300, Second Mixed Doubles Team $200,
Third Mixed Doubles Team $150, Fourth Mixed Doubles Team $100!
11. The USCF Official Rating
List in effect for the month during which a match takes place will govern the parings and section eligibility for that match
date. USCF Online Regular Ratings or unofficial USCF ratings are usually
used for players who would otherwise be unrated, or who wish to enter
the Varsity Section (or to play up in the Junior-Varsity Section). Players
cannot play at a rating below their USCF Online Regular Rating (at match date) minus 100 points. The
Tournament Director reserves the right to assign estimated ratings to players
with non-USCF ratings or Online Ratings.
12.
Limit of eight half-point byes over all seven match dates (limit of two
byes March 15-April 26), must commit by March 14
(commit by April 25 for players with minus scores if team also has minus score). All byes for the second game of each
match date must also commit by 11 am of match date.
13. Players must check all cell
phones, electronic communication devices, smart watches and devices with
chess-playing capabilities with the Tournament Director until after their games
are over. Possession of a cell phone in the restroom (or in a place where
the player is not observed) is a very serious offense, and will
result in a forfeit loss to the player (the TD may instead issue a warning if
such an offense happens within the first five moves of the game).
14. Players'
electronic scorekeeping devices are not allowed. The tournament supplies
official duplicate scoresheets to use in recording games.
15. Players are not
allowed to leave the tournament area without permission of the Tournament
Director.
16. Notice to Late
Players: The Tournament Director
reserves the right to re-pair and issue
forfeit losses to players who have not arrived and have not
contacted the TD within 15 minutes after the advertised starting time of the
round.
17. THERE IS A $20 FINE FOR PLAYERS WHO
FORFEIT THEIR GAMES BY NOT GIVING THE TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR PROPER NOTICE
THAT THEY WILL NOT PLAY. Please email director@magnusleague.org
by 9 am Sunday (Saturday is even better)!
18. IMPORTANT:
Players who have already been registered by their school must also
confirm their participation for this Sunday’s matches
using our website registration— OTHERWISE THEY WILL NOT BE PAIRED!
Late registration fees may apply anytime after
5 pm Saturday!
19. Entries may be limited to 64 players on each date!
20. Players can register at the early entry fee on the Magnus
Chess League website until 5:00 pm of the Saturday before the next
match date, at www.magnusleague.org
Individuals can enter a match date without a team for $60 in
advance until 5 pm the night before each date (entry fee will go up to $70),
until 9 am on the match).
The optional school team entry fee is
$1,700 for a team of up to eight players from the same school, for all seven
Magnus match dates (14 games total). A school can have the same or
different players on each match date.
21. All players are responsible for having current U.S. Chess
Federation memberships during all their match dates: http://www.uschess.org/msa/MbrLst.php
One-year USCF membership dues may either be paid in advance
at a discount when registering for the tournament, or directly through the U.S.
Chess Federation at: https://secure2.uschess.org/webstore/member.php
You can check out the Tournament
Life Announcement on the USCF website, under New York State (shown below):
Thank You Again, Chess Aficionados, for (re-)joining us for our Eleventh
Annual Season of the Magnus League!
Please visit us at www.magnusleague.org
for tournament updates and online registration.