• Four rounds. The first round begins promptly at 10 am. There are no scheduled round times. Rounds occur ASAP. The tournament should last roughly 4 hours (this is just an approximation--it could be shorter or longer).

• This tournament is US Chess rated, so an active US Chess membership is required. Click here to join the US Chess Federation for the first time or to renew an inactive membership: https://new.uschess.org/user/login?destination=/form/membership

• Four sections: K-12, K-8, K-5, and K-3

  • Click here to view details about the 3-day long-time-control Newcomb Memorial Tournament: https://caissachess.net/online-registration/index/5699

    • Note: The Newcomb Memorial Tournament (3 days long with a 2-day option) is for both adults and children, whereas The Newcomb Memorial Scholastic Championship (1-day event) is only open to scholastic players

      • It is possible for kids to register for and play in both events--when registering leave a note that your child wants to do both events and we will issue bye(s) accordingly.

• Trophies will be awarded to the top five finishers in each section (additional prizes for 1st place--see prize table below)

• Time control: Game in 25 minutes with a 5-second delay

• Entry fee: $35 by 2/7, $40 by 3/1, $45 by 3/15, and $50 on the day of the tournament (on-site registration closes 30 minutes before round 1)

• Boards and pieces will be provided for all players

• This tournament is US Chess rated--affects both regular and quick ratings (i.e. dual rated)

• PARKING INFORMATION: There is plenty of parking at the venue.

• Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at josh@dmvchess.com with any questions

PRIZES

Trophies for 1st through 5th in each section, plus special prizes for the 1st place winner in each section!

Note: For trophies and free course pries, ties will be broken using standard US Chess tiebreaks. If multiple players get a perfect score, each of them will receive a free course entry.

*The Friday advanced course is currently almost full, so we might not be able to give a free entry into that specific course.

Hotel Accommodations:

Information regarding sleeping rooms will be posted soon.

About Murray and Philip

On May 5, 2021, Murray Newcomb, a pillar of the DC-area chess scene, died of esophageal cancer at his home in Reston, VA. Murray was a family man, veteran, and one-of-a-kind conversationalist. He was fearlessly outspoken--he was never afraid to express his opinion on any topic, which made him so much fun to be around. Murray was one of the most interesting people that we knew, but he was also generous, caring, and deeply devoted to his friends and family. Murray was passionate about many subjects--especially the game of chess. When it became evident that he was going to die, Murray asked DMV Chess to organize a tournament to commemorate his life.

On June 16, 2024, Philip Newcomb died from the same form of esophageal cancer as his brother Murray. Philip was an avid chess player just like Murray. Murray, Philip, and their third sibling Twilight regularly competed in tournaments together and bonded over their mutual love of chess. In the business world, Philip was known for his success in software and technology. Philip founded The Software Revolution Inc. and won the Stevens Award in 2012 for his contributions to the field of software development. Within the chess community, Philip was well known for being generous, kind, gregarious, brilliant, and creative. Philip developed his own form of chess notation and introduced it by giving a lecture at the old DMV Chess Tysons WeWork site. Philip was extremely fond of his siblings and was instrumental in promoting/financing the Murray Newcomb Memorial to honor his brother. Philip was truly a wonderful person who everyone in the chess community loved. You can read more about Philip on his Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Newcomb

In consultation with the Newcomb family, we have decided to change the tournament name from The Murray Newcomb Memorial Tournament to simply The Newcomb Memorial Tournament to honor both Murray and Philip.