Chess Program

Any delay or rescheduling due to Inclement weather will be posted here. 

FA Summer Chess Tournament

Date: August 8th, 2026

Location: 10725 Academy Drive, Fredericksburg, VA (Upper School Building).

If weather permits, we will located on the front lawn!

Who: Any K-12 student!

Cost: $7, Pizza lunch available at registration

Time: 9:00-1:00 Arrive by 8:30 for the free Chess-960 mini-tournament!

Highlights:

• Play 2300 FIDE rated Sam Smith in a simultaneous exhibition between your games!
• Free chess notation lessons are available between games!
• Trophies and prizes at the end!

Registration link coming soon!

The Spotsylvania Chess Club meets Friday nights at Wegmans. Come join in the upstairs dining area 6:00 - 8:30 pm!

Check the Spotsylvania Chess Club’s website for information about upcoming tournaments in our area.

Your local library may offer Chess Time on Wednesday nights!

FA’s Chess Summer Camp meets in the afternoons the week immediately before the FA Summer Tournament! This popular camp fills up early!

Chess tournaments at FA are designed to be welcoming, relaxed, and a great way to learn. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare.

Before the Tournament:

Registration:

• You may register online or at the door. Online registration helps planning- thank you!
• If cost is a barrier, you will be registered for free, email Mr. Kohlman: [email protected].

Bring:

• A positive attitude and a willingness to learn
• A snack and water (snacks are also available for sale)
• A pencil (score sheets are optional, but encouraged for experienced players)
• You do not need to bring your own board.

Arrive early:

• Please arrive around 9:00. Registration closes at 9:25.
• The first round begins at 9:30.
• Let a tournament director know if this is your first tournament. They are here to help.
• You are welcome to play a practice game while you wait!
• Before each FA chess tournament, registered students may participate in a free mini-tournament that follows alternate rules such as Bughouse or Chess-960. We only encourage experienced chess players to play in these. Rules will be posted on this website a few weeks before each tournament. Spectators are welcome!

How the Tournament Works:

Most scholastic tournaments are played in 4-5 rounds, following a Swiss format. All players play every round. Each new round you will paired with another player with a similar win/loss/draw score as you. 

Before each round the tournament director posts pairings, which shows your board number, your opponent, and your color (white or black).

Example: 

White always moves first.

Rules:

All players are expected to know the basic rules of chess: You should know how all the pieces move, how pawns make captures, and how promotion, castling, check, checkmate, and stalemate works. It is okay to not fully understand the rules in unusual situations like en passant or draw by repetition. When in doubt, raise your hand. Everybody is learning.

Touch-move: If you touch one of your own pieces, you must move it if it has a legal move. If you touch your opponent’s piece, you must capture it, if possible. If you need to adjust a piece say, “adjust” first.

No talking during the game: Once the game starts, do not discuss the position and do not ask for advice. Spectators should stay quiet.

Raise your hand for help: If something confusing happens (illegal move, disagreement, or question about the rules), raise your hand and a tournament director will come help. Do not negotiate a solution with the other player.

Ending the game: The game ends when one player is checkmated, a player resigns, the game is a draw, or a player runs out of time (if a clock is being used). When a game finishes the result should be promptly given to the tournament director.

Between rounds: You typically have 10-30 minutes between rounds. This is a good time to eat a snack, relax, talk about your games, or quietly watch other boards. There is often a dedicated room called the “skittles room” with extra boards to talk and play.

Chess clocks: We do not use chess clocks in most cases as we want to encourage students to slow down and think about their games. It is only when a game exceeds ordinary play time (typically 30 minutes) that a chess clock is used. The clock gives each players a designated amount of time, around 5 minutes. If your opponent runs out of time it is either a win for you (if you have sufficient material) or a draw (if you do not).

Good habits:

• Shake hands or fist bump before the game.
• Think before you move: Take your time. Look for checks, captures, and threats.
• Be a good sport: shake hands after the game and congratulate your opponent if they won. Don’t brag about your wins and be willing to learn from losses.
• Don’t resign without a fight. Push for stalemate, and work on your endgame strategy.
• Never ask your opponent if they want to resign. Give them the space they need to think.
• The most important thing is to have fun! You’ll meet other players who enjoy chess like you do! Whether you win or lose, every game helps you grow as a chess player.

Example Tournament Schedule

Times will adjust based on length of games.

Mini-tournament: 8:30-9:25

Registration: 9:00-9:25

Tournament begins: 9:30

Round 1: 9:30

Round 2: 10:15

Round 3: 11:00

Lunch: 11:45

Round 4: 12:05

Trophies and Prizes: 12:50

Tournament Ends: 1:00