Charles Carroll Carter Capital Chess Classic
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Feb 10, 2026 05:21 PM
Friends of Stead Park is hosting the inaugural Charles Carroll Carter Capital Chess Classic, a free youth chess tournament for DC residents in kindergarten through high school, taking place March 28–29 at Stead Park in NW DC. The tournament is open to players of all skill levels, and $10,000 in scholarship money will be awarded to the winners.
| When |
Mar 28, 2026 10:00 AM
to
Mar 29, 2026 04:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Where | Stead Park |
| Contact Name | Daniel Weissbarth |
| Add event to calendar |
|
Presented by Friends of Stead Park and Silver Knights Chess Academy
Grades K-5: Saturday, March 28th 10am - 4pm
Grades 6-12: Sunday, March 29th, 10am - 4pm
Stead Park Recreation Center, 1625 P St NW, Washington, DC 20036
Through the generosity of the Friends of Stead Park, this tournament is free for all participants and has a $10,000 college scholarship prize fund!
Tournament is only open to students in K-12 who live in the District of Columbia.
To ensure broad participation across the city, registrations will be first come first serve but are limited to 2 students per school in each age group and 8 students per ward in each age group, to help ensure that students from all over DC are able to participate until February 15th. After 2/15, spots will be filled on a purely first come first serve basis.
Because space is limited and this is a free event, parents will need to confirm child's participation in February after Silver Knights reaches out, and again the week of the tournament by Wednesday. Otherwise participants will lose their spot.
The tournament has different sections for students depending on their age. Children play only against opponents in their own age group. The first round is at 10:00am for all players. The tournament concludes between 3pm and 4pm with a brief awards ceremony where all players will receive a medal or a trophy.
Players should arrive by 9:45am
All sections are non-elimination, and all players participate in all five rounds
Games will be played with clocks, and the time control is G/25 with a 5-second time delay
This event is US Chess rated, and all players will be given a US Chess ID if they don't already have one.
Chess sets and clocks are provided.
Lunch is provided
Parking is free (but limited)
Scholarship Prizes
In addition to trophies, the Friends of Stead Park has incredibly generously donated $10,000 in college scholarships. This will be distributed as follows:
Middle and High School Sections
1st place $2,000
2nd place $1,250
3rd place $750
Elementary School Sections
1st place $500
2nd place $300
3rd place $200
In case of a tie, scholarships are split equally. For example, if there was a two way tie for 2nd and 3rd place in High School, each player would receive $1,000 in a scholarship fund ($1,250 + $750 is $2,000, divided in half). Another example is if there was a four way tie for 3rd in K-2, each player would receive $50 ($200/4).

