MADISON – Madison City Chess League or MCCL members are excited to host the 2021 All-Girls State Chess Championship.

The contest on Feb. 20 will transition to an online format.

In 2020, MCCL hosted a record-setting all-girls championship with 52 girls competing in K-3, K-6 and K-12 sections. Also held in February, that event was the last in-person Alabama Chess Federation championship before the pandemic.

“While the pandemic has certainly hampered our ability to gather to play over-the-board, we’ve seen a huge increase in online chess players. We hope this online format will allow us to continue to grow participation in this event for female scholastic players in Alabama,” MCCL Executive Director Ranae Bartlett said.

For the 2021 championship, players must have a ChessKid.com account. Students then can play and share their username with tournament organizers when they register. These accounts can be set up for free or with a paid subscription.

“Results will not be final until tournament directors can run a fair play analysis on all games played and validate the results,” Bartlett said.

State Sen. Arthur Orr is offering continued support by sponsoring the championship.

To register, visit madisonchess.com. Click the “Events” menu, and then click “Upcoming Events.” Scroll to and click “2021 All-Girls State Chess Championship.” Click “Online Tournament Registration Information”; after reading the details, click “Close.” At the page bottom, click “2021 All-Girls State Chess Championship” to complete registration.

If the player does not attend Madison City Schools, type the child’s ChessKid username in the “Notes” section on the registration page.

MCCL has a standing rule for online tournaments: Players can keep only one tab open on the browser during the tournament. Officials will issue a technical violation and disqualify players who open multiple tabs and toggle to other pages.

Sections will be open for grades K-3, K-6 and K-12. Players should join the tournament 10 minutes early.

For K-3 & K-6, play will start at 1 p.m. with Game 20 (5SS). For K-12, play will begin at 2 p.m. with Game 20 plus 5 seconds (5SS). In each section, the top three individual scores for a team from the same school will comprise the team score.

Entry fee is $25 if paid by Feb. 12, or $50 afterwards. Feb. 17 is registration deadline.

Before registration, players must have USCF and ACF memberships. For a membership, visit alabamachess.org or uschess.org. Officials will file a USCF Ratings Report after the tournament and will affect players’ Online Quick Rating only.

First- through fifth-place winners will receive trophies. All players who tie for fifth place in each section will receive medals. Teams in first through third places in all sections will receive medals.

“The top four scores in the K-12 Section will be finalists for an over-the-board playoff to determine the champion who will represent Alabama at the Ruth Haring National Girls Tournament of Champions,” Bartlett said.

For more information, email mccl.director@gmail.com.