This is the complete list of FAQs on the site, by category. You will find the same FAQs, filtered by category, in the appropriate sections of the web site. If there is an FAQ you would like to see, please email us at oscf@oscf.org
| About OSCF |
Question: Why did the Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation form?
Answer: The OSCF formed in 2005 in order to provide additional opportunities for scholastic chess players in Oregon. The mission of OSCF is to promote, support, sponsor and coordinate scholastic chess activities in Oregon.
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Question: What makes up the OSCF "membership" and governing body?
Answer: The OSCF, Inc. is a registered non-profit corporation, governed by a five-member board.
The "members" are scholastic chess clubs.
The board makes decisions and sets policies, which are brought before the membership for a vote at the annual meeting. There are no membership dues, size or affiliation requirements. Most clubs are sponsored by schools, but commercial enterprises, homeschool associations, coaching co-ops, adult chess clubs and others are welcome to join. The only requirement is that at least one function of the organization is specifically dedicated to providing training and playing opportunities to scholastic players (K-12) in Oregon. All member clubs must be primarily located in Oregon. (These are general requirements; please see the OSCF bylaws and procedures for information concerning voting privileges and other details.)
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| OSCF Championship |
Question: How do I qualify for the annual OSCF Championship tournament?
Answer: Play lots of chess! To qualify for the tournament, you need to play in two "Championship Qualifying Tournaments" and earn an established rating in the NWSRS or the USCF. See official qualifying rules for details.
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Question: I've seen announcements for the Oregon Junior Championships, CFS State, Oregon Scholastic Class Championships, Oregon Grade-Level Championships and others -- the OSCF has its OSCF State Championship! Which one is the "real" state championship?
Answer: More chess! More titles! More tournaments! Isn't it wonderful? They are all real. Certain tournaments are "sanctioned" by other organizations. For example, the Oregon Junior Championship is sanctioned by the Oregon Chess Federation, which is, in turn, sanctioned by the USCF. All of this sanctioning gives the OCF the privilege of sending players to certain national events. But any organization can run a "state" tournament and crown "champions." This happens on the national level and in other states all the time. Oregon chess organizations work together so that events are not scheduled on the same date. This means you can set your sights on all of them! We think that's a terrific thing for chess in Oregon!
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Question: What makes a tournament a "Championship Qualifier"?
Answer: An event must meet some simple minimum standards, as outlined in the "How to Certify a Tournament as an OSCF Qualifer" article. In short, a qualifying event will be: held in Oregon, rated by the NWSRS and/or the USCF, meet certain standards for quality, and be open to all scholastic players.
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Question: Why did you decide to base championship qualification on participation and earning established ratings, rather than a particular score in a tournament?
Answer: There are many legitimate ways to determine which players should qualify for an annual event. We developed our participation-based qualification system in Oregon for a variety of reasons, but here's the top two:
1) We believe ratings -- once they are established -- more accurately reflect a player's strength among his/her peers than does a single performance on a particular day with a particular group of opponents. This makes for better placement in the various sections we offer at our championship.
2) Earning a certain score works well when all of the tournaments in the state are of a similar format -- and similiar to the annual tournament format. For example: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 and so on are very popular sections in Washington. However, scholastic tournaments in Oregon have tended to a larger variety of formats, from grade-based to ratings-based and some combination in-between. With this in mind, by focusing on participation and earning established ratings, the greatest flexibility to tournament organizers, allows more tournaments to be considered "qualifiers," and gives players more options to choose the tournament formats - and enroll in the tournament sections - most appropriate for them, their playing level, and their personal goals.
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Question: I live in a border state. Am I eligible to compete in the OSCF Championship or the OSCF Primary challenge?
Answer: No. By a vote of the membership, only Oregon players can compete in the OSCF Championship and the OSCF Primary Challenge.
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Question: Why don't you require OSCF Championship Qualifier events to follow a particular format in regards to rating system, sections and so forth?
Answer: The OSCF recommends tournament formats that best suit the local playing population, facility constraints, and attendance goals of the tournament organizers. To that end, other than requiring that the event be rated and meet standards for quality and fairness, we do not dictate the format of OSCF Championship Qualifiers. We are happy to offer suggestions to new organizers, but we do not want to limit the number of qualifying events nor do we want to eliminate the flexibility of organizers, players, and parents to choose to attend the kinds of events that appeal to them most.
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| Player Ratings |
Question: What is a "rating" and why do I need one?
Answer: A chess rating is a numerical grading that indicates the history of a player's performance - and a statistical prediction of his/her near-future performance among other players in the same rating community
A rating helps players to measure individual progress and seek out appropriate competition.
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Question: What are the rating systems available to scholastic players in Oregon?
Answer: The most common and widespread chess rating system is managed by the US Chess Federation (USCF), but you might also be familiar with the Northwest Scholastic Rating System (NWSRS) or the ratings assigned by various online chess clubs and chess programs.
The OSCF endorses and uses two rating systems: The USCF and the NWSRS.
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Question: What's a "good" rating for a scholastic player?
Answer: Ratings in the USCF and NWSRS from 100 to 2800. Chess Masters are 2200 and above; experts are 2000 and above. The vast majority of active scholastic chess players in America have ratings under 1200. If players have ratings in both the NWSRS and the USCF, they are often fairly close. Online club ratings tend to be a bit "inflated" over NWSRS and USCF ratings, and ratings assigned by programs like ChessMaster tend to be greatly inflated, so don't be disappointed if your first rating is significantly lower than what the computer tells you it is.
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Question: How do I earn a rating?
Answer: To earn a rating in the USCF, you must join the USCF for an annual fee and play in a USCF rated tournament. To earn a rating in the NWSRS, you do not have to join an organization or pay an annual fee. You simply play in a NWSRS rated tournament and earn a rating!
Some tournaments are "dual-rated," which means your play in the tournament affects both ratings.
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Question: What is the difference between established and provisional ratings?
Answer: Until a certain number of games are rated, NWSRS and US Chess Federation ratings are considered "provisional." While it is provisional, your rating may move rapidly up or down. If you have an excellent score against other beginners in your first rated tournament, or a not-so-great finish in a tournament with lots of experienced players, your provisional rating may be a bit (or a quite a bit) inflated or deflated. Don't worry. As you play more rated games, it will settle to a more realistic level. "Established" ratings are those in which a minimum number of games have been rated. In the NWSRS, the minimum is 15 games. In the US Chess Federation, the minimum number of rated games is 26.
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Question: I already have a rating. Do I have to start "from scratch" when I play under another rating system?
Answer: USCF: Scholastic players who are new to the USCF start out as "unrated" -- no other rating system rating is accepted as a starting point. When an unrated player competes in a USCF rated tournament, his/her baseline rating is based on age and performance at that first tournament. Thereafter the rating is based purely on performance.
NWSRS: Many Oregon players will be able to enter the NWSRS system with a previously established rating. If you already have a USCF rating and play in a NWSRS rated tournament, give the tournament organizer your USCF member ID and rating; that will be your initial rating in the NWSRS. When a player with neither a USCF nor a NWSRS rating competes in a NWSRS rated tournament, his/her baseline rating is based on age and performance at that first tournament. Thereafter the rating is based purely on performance.
No over-the-board rating system, that we know of, accepts computer or online ratings as a "baseline" or for new players.
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Question: Why does the OSCF think ratings are beneficial to scholastic players?
Answer: Ratings provide many benefits to both players and organizers:
As Chess Master Carl Haessler points out, "Ratings provide a forum where kids of all ages and playing strengths are able to measure themselves, not by comparing themselves to others, but by evaluating their individual progress."Ratings help players and organizers seek out appropriate competition.When appropriately used with computerized tournament pairing programs, ratings make for fairer -- and more exciting events. The winners are less likely to earn awards based on the "luck of the draw" in getting paired with less skilled players.
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Question: My NWSRS and USCF ratings are very different. Why is that?
Answer: First, let's define "very different." The USCF considers two players to be in the same class grouping if their ratings are within 200 points of each other. Ratings within 100 points are considered nearly equal by the rating algorithms.
Next, the difference can also often be explained by provisional and established status. Ratings are provisional -- and change rapidly -- until they are established. In the USCF, a rating is considered established at 26 games and in the NWSRS a rating is considered established at 15 games. However, the more games you have in either system, the "truer" the rating will be. If there is a big difference between the number of games you've played in one system over the other, there is a greater likelihood that the ratings will be different. Further, if you've played more recently under one rating system than the other, the rating gap will widen. For example, a perfect score under either system results in bonus points added to your rating. So, if you have a great performance at a particular tournament, it could impact one rating but not the other.
Finally, if your rating is under 1000, there's a greater chance for large gaps in rating. One reason for this is that U1000 players are still learning -- a lot -- and growing. Play can be unpredictable. But a more obvious answer lies in the fact that the lowest possible rating in the NWSRS is 400. The lowest possible rating in the USCF is 100. A win against a 400-rated player is "worth more" in rating points than a win against a 100-rated player.
As you play more and improve, and play in more dual-rated events, you'll probably find that your ratings settle out to within 100 points of each other.
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Question: What does it mean when a tournament announcement says "Dual-Rated"?
Answer: A dual-rated event in Oregon means that the results of one or more sections are submitted for rating to both the USCF and the NWSRS. The players' ratings in both systems will be impacted. If a tournament offers some NWSRS-only sections and some dual-rated sections, the dual-rated sections will be for the highest rated players. Anyone participating in a dual-rated section will be required to have USCF membership.
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| Tournament Director Guidelines |
Question: How do I get my event rated by the NWSRS? Is it hard?
Answer: We are trying to make it as easy as possible for players' games to be rated in a variety of settings. We believe fast, free, easy rating is one simple way to motivate players to track their own progress and improve their play. See the rating guidelines published on the OSCF web site.
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Question: Do I need to be a USCF certified tournament director in order to run a NWSRS-rated event?
Answer: No. But it's helpful if you are. If you choose not to become a USCF TD, we plan to offer online training and simple certification requirements for chess coaches and advisors who want to submit their club's events for rating. The specific requirements and procedures for rated events will be published later this spring.
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Question: I've heard that "OSCF is all about standards and quality." What do you mean by that?
Answer: At OSCF we believe excellent coaching is only part of the quality equation. Oregon is blessed with chess master professionals, masters who act as part-time teachers, and other chess-saavy folks who do a great job of teaching chess to our kids. We also believe that many organizers are already providing quality competition and playing opportunities. We'd like to see more of it. So over the next several weeks and months, we'll be publishing standards, "best practices," and guidelines for new advisors and tournament organizers.
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Tournaments