2026 Utah Rockefeller & Ashley Qualifier
Saturday, April 18, 2026, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Entry fee: $25
Register
2026 Utah Rockefeller & Ashley Qualifier
Saturday, April 18th, 2026
Warnock Engineering Building (“WEB”)University of Utah72 Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
This tournament will have two sections and the winners of them earn the right to be Utah’s representative for the 2026 John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary School State Champions and the 2026 GM Maurice Ashley National Tournament of K-3 State Champions. They are held on August 3 – August 6 in Grand Rapids, MI. More information about the event can be found here: https://new.uschess.org/rockefeller and https://new.uschess.org/ashley.
No trophies or other prizes! All proceeds will go to our representative stipends.
4-Round Swiss – Two Sections (K-3 and K-5): There are two sections in this tournament. The winner of the K-3 section will be Utah’s Ashley representative. The winner of the K-5 section will be Utah’s Rockefeller representative.
Players who are in K to 3 grades may choose either section to play in. Players who are in 4 to 5 grades must play in the K-5 section.
Eligibility: Players must be schooled in Utah, in grades Pre-K through 5th grade, and must otherwise meet the Rockefeller and Ashley eligibility criteria. Players who participate are expected to travel to Michigan at their own expense to play in the Rockefeller or Ashley (a small stipend will be provided).
This tournament is geared towards top players. The organizer reserves the right to limit the number of participants to maximize the chances of having a clear winner. If there is a tie for first, a fifth round with just the top two performers (according to the US Chess tiebreak method defined in US Chess Rule 34E) will follow the conclusion of the fourth round.
Players are responsible for supplying equipment (pieces, board and clock) and for knowing how to set clocks. Please bring them! (USCF Rule 16B)
Entry Fee: $25 if registered and paid by Friday, April 17, $40 onsite.
Time Control and Schedule: G/30 +5. First round is at 10:00 a.m., other rounds to follow as soon as possible (tentative end time is 2:00 pm).
Byes: Half-point byes – One (1) half-point bye may be taken but must be requested at least one hour before the bye round (see US Chess Rule 22C2). Last round bye requests must be made prior to Round 2. Last round bye requests are irrevocable. (See US Chess Rule 22C4.) Additional byes (i.e., more than one per player) will be zero-point byes. Do not sign up for byes if you intend to play all rounds.
Advance Registration: Register online at the registration link on www.utahchess.com. Online registration will close at 10 pm on April 17.
Onsite Registration: Onsite registration from 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Players registering on-site should expect to take a first round bye but may be paired at TD’s discretion.
This is a US Chess rated tournament and will use US Chess rules. Clocks will be used and players must keep notation in accordance with Rule 15.
Questions: Please e-mail questions to utchess@gmail.com.
2026 Utah Rockefeller & Ashley Qualifier
Saturday, April 18th, 2026
Warnock Engineering Building (“WEB”)University of Utah72 Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112
This tournament will have two sections and the winners of them earn the right to be Utah’s representative for the 2026 John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary School State Champions and the 2026 GM Maurice Ashley National Tournament of K-3 State Champions. They are held on August 3 – August 6 in Grand Rapids, MI. More information about the event can be found here: https://new.uschess.org/rockefeller and https://new.uschess.org/ashley.
No trophies or other prizes! All proceeds will go to our representative stipends.
4-Round Swiss – Two Sections (K-3 and K-5): There are two sections in this tournament. The winner of the K-3 section will be Utah’s Ashley representative. The winner of the K-5 section will be Utah’s Rockefeller representative.
Players who are in K to 3 grades may choose either section to play in. Players who are in 4 to 5 grades must play in the K-5 section.
Eligibility: Players must be schooled in Utah, in grades Pre-K through 5th grade, and must otherwise meet the Rockefeller and Ashley eligibility criteria. Players who participate are expected to travel to Michigan at their own expense to play in the Rockefeller or Ashley (a small stipend will be provided).
This tournament is geared towards top players. The organizer reserves the right to limit the number of participants to maximize the chances of having a clear winner. If there is a tie for first, a fifth round with just the top two performers (according to the US Chess tiebreak method defined in US Chess Rule 34E) will follow the conclusion of the fourth round.
Players are responsible for supplying equipment (pieces, board and clock) and for knowing how to set clocks. Please bring them! (USCF Rule 16B)
Entry Fee: $25 if registered and paid by Friday, April 17, $40 onsite.
Time Control and Schedule: G/30 +5. First round is at 10:00 a.m., other rounds to follow as soon as possible (tentative end time is 2:00 pm).
Byes: Half-point byes – One (1) half-point bye may be taken but must be requested at least one hour before the bye round (see US Chess Rule 22C2). Last round bye requests must be made prior to Round 2. Last round bye requests are irrevocable. (See US Chess Rule 22C4.) Additional byes (i.e., more than one per player) will be zero-point byes. Do not sign up for byes if you intend to play all rounds.
Advance Registration: Register online at the registration link on www.utahchess.com. Online registration will close at 10 pm on April 17.
Onsite Registration: Onsite registration from 9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. Players registering on-site should expect to take a first round bye but may be paired at TD’s discretion.
This is a US Chess rated tournament and will use US Chess rules. Clocks will be used and players must keep notation in accordance with Rule 15.
Questions: Please e-mail questions to utchess@gmail.com.