MADISON – Madison City Chess League or MCCL has scheduled the Championship Warm-up Quads on Feb. 24 to ready players who plan to compete in the 2024 City Chess Championship.

A new event, Championship Warm-up Quads will start at 9:15 a.m. at Mill Creek Elementary School, 847 Mill Road, in advance of the City Championship on March 1-2 at James Clemens High School.

The Warm-up Quads are a rated, round-robin chess event intended for scholastic chess players who plan to compete in the City Championship, 2024 State Scholastic Chess Championship or both events. (The state championship’s site is Pike Road Elementary School in Pike Road on March 23-24.)

“Players who register will be divided into groups of four (a ‘quad’) so they can play a three-round tournament against other players in their quad,” MCCL Executive Director Todd Guthrie said.

“The quads will be formed starting at the highest-rated player and working down so that each group has four players who are relatively close to each other in rating,” Guthrie said. “There are no byes. Because of the round-robin format, you should not register unless you plan to play all three rounds.”

If a player drops out, the round-robin play cannot be completed. “The benefit of this format is that each of the three games is likely to be competitive,” Guthrie said.

Warm-up Quads’ format will be four-player round robin. Time control will be G/45, d5. Round 1 will start at 9:30 a.m., followed by Round 2 at 11:45 a.m. and Round 3 at 1:45 p.m.

For awards, each quad’s winner will receive a medal. The warm-ups do not provide cash prizes or trophies. “The real benefit of this event is good, competitive chess before the upcoming championships,” Guthrie said.

To register for Warm-up Quads, visit madisonchess.com. Scroll to the “Donate * Join * Register” section, and click “MCCL Championship Warm-up Quads.” On the next window, complete the registration form.

Registration fee is $10 for MCCL members and $15 for players who are not members. Registration will close on Feb. 21 (or later) when the number of players is divisible by 4 (for quad setup).

Players should arrange for lunch. Breaks between rounds will allow time for players to eat.

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

Following preparatory Warm-up Quads, MCCL will hold its ninth annual grade-level City Chess Championship on March 1-2 at James Clemens.

The City Championship accepts any scholastic player if the student lives in Madison or attends Madison City Schools.

For more information, visit madisonchess.com.