This spring, over 1600 High School players will compete in the 2004 National High School Chess Championship held in Dallas, Texas. This event will rank among the largest chess events in the United States and attract the most talented scholastic players from across the country.

The Hyatt Regency DFW Hotel will host the tournament from April 16-18. Players will vie for trophies in five sections, including the prestigious K-12 Championship, and a full scholarship to UT Dallas!!

The University of Texas at Dallas will award the winner of the Championship section with a four-year, full-tuition and fees scholarship!! This includes a housing stipend of $1,000 a year. That winner must meet the appropriate entrance requirements to receive the award; if he or she does not, it does not pass to the next highest player. Further, in order to renew the scholarship, the student must maintain a 3.0 grade point average, and participate in all of the chess club and team activities.

Several stars of the UT Dallas Chess Team will be offering game analysis to the players. The UTD A team, with 5.5 points, finished clear first in the recently concluded (2003) PanAmerican Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship in Miami. The UTD B team tied for second with UMBC. Each scored 5 points; UMBC got the 2nd-place trophy on tiebreak.

Each event lasts seven rounds. Players play one game each round, scoring one point for a win and a half-point for a draw. At the end of the tournament, players are ranked by the number of points they have accumulated. In addition to individual championships, the children are also competing for their schools; team trophies are also awarded in each section.

Alongside the main events, a variety of additional activities will be held. These include championships for "blitz," or speed chess, and bughouse - a form of chess played by teams of two. There will also be simultaneous exhibitions: events where a grandmaster will play dozens of children at once! Each event wraps up with an awards ceremony, scheduled for 7 PM on Sunday, when trophy winners and the scholarship winner will be recognized on stage.

The United States Chess Federation (USCF) organizes this and other national scholastic events each year in order to foster scholastic chess in America.

The United States Chess Federation, founded in 1939, serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and is devoted to extending the role of chess in American society. It promotes the study and knowledge of the game of chess, for its own sake as an art and enjoyment, and as a means for the improvement of society. The USCF is a not-for-profit membership organization with more than 90,000 members. For more information, please see http://www.uschess.org.