How to Submit an Event for NWSRS Rating

  1. The files.  Most events submitted for rating are run in SwissSys.  The files needed for rating are the final round files.  Since most tournaments are 5-rounds, this would be the files created by SwissSys that end in .S5C (or if you are using the old DOS version of the program, they would have an extension of .5C).  But if it was a 3-round tournament it would be .S3C and so on.  Also, occasionally, tournaments are run in a round-robin format, in which case the file to send would have the extension .SRR.  There will be one of these files for every section in your tournament.  People usually e-mail these files to me.
  2. Occasionally, there are tournaments run by hand or using some other system.  In that case you need to provide the information to me in tabular form (Excel makes a convenient way to do this).  The following is an example of the format for submitting things by hand:
        Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4
No. Last Name First Name NWSRS ID Result Opp. Result Opp. Result Opp. Result Opp.
1 DUNKELBERG JOEL BALJ3010 W 21 W 5 W 4 W 10
2 MONROE STERLING SCHJH617 D 28 W 21        
3 RENOUARD FRANCESCA SPRJK008     W 32     W 21
4 RAMSEY MORGAN BALJ7492 L 9 W 26 L 1 L 5
5 SALAS RACHEL SPRL6259     L 1     W 4
6 WOODS TONY LSSM9533             W 7
7 JOHNSON CARL BALM9367 W 13   27 W 32 L 6
8 CONWAY BEN BALM7814     L 16     W 42
9 SNEDDEN MARC SPRKH619 W 4 W 10        
10 STEARNS SAM BALJ9944 W 26 L 9 W 27 L 1
11 ERICKSON WESLEY UPAKJ767     W 13        
12 SHOOP JONATHAN BALME132         W 19    
13 NIGGEMEYER KEVIN SPRKH896 L 7 L 11     W 32
14 FRIETAG ERIC SCHM5748 W 19 W 20        
15 JOHNSEN KYLE GARLB664     W 24        
16 MYHRVOLD CAMERON LSSL2948     W 8        
17 COUTTS OWEN LSSJ9069             W 40
18 HOFFMAN GRAY LSSM4707         W 42    
19 KVERNADZE NODARI ROOKH957 L 14 W 40 L 12    
20 CHAO JAMES ROOLC023 W 35 L 14        
21 SOLTOW REBECCA ROOME393 L 1 L 2     L 3
22 GREENE ARIEL ROOK9555                
23 TROIANI MICHAEL BLAK5747                
24 PALMER MARLEE SPRJC863 L 30 L 15        
25 SPILLANE MICHAEL LSSM1432                
26 SCHAAF JUSTIN SCHL3583 L 10 L 4        
27 CHRISTENSEN TODD ROOMJ993 W 41   7 L 10    
28 VEGA TIM SPRK6086 D 2            
30 LUMMUS COLE ROOJ1269 W 24            
32 JACKSON BRADLEY INML8980 W 40 L 3 L 7 L 13
35 BOYNTON JOEL CLEKC850 L 20            
36 LOI NGUYEN CLEJH408                
40 ALBI ISSY SPRJB704 L 32 L 19     L 17
41 WANG ALEX SCHL1067 L 27            
42 ENLOW RANDALL LSSL6522         L 18 L 8
  1. For unrated players it is necessary to provide an “initial” ID code for them.  That code is the first three digits of the school code, followed by the single digit grade code.  The allcodes.txt file available in the TDdata.zip file gives a complete list of school codes.  Grade codes are just A = kindergarten, B = first grade, C=second grade, etc.  Note that new this year is grade code “N” which standard for adult or anyone who is no longer in grades K-12.  So, for example, a new student from Lakeside Middle school in the 7th grade would have an initial ID code of LMSH without the final four digits.  The ratings program will assign the full ID as the event is being rated. 
  2. If the student is from a school that doesn’t have an ID code, you must make up a new code.  Make certain it is unique and the code is not already in use (see the allcodes.txt file).  In the text of the e-mail you send when you send me the files you must give me the following information about any new school code you make up:
    1. The new code
    2. The full name of the school it stands for
    3. The type of school it is, e.g. elementary, middle school, high school etc. – if it can’t be categorized, leave this information out
    4. The city the school is located in
    5. The state the school is located in
  3. Also in the text of the e-mail you need to provide a list of any changes you made to players already in the NWSRS.  It’s OK (in fact it’s preferred) to go ahead and make these changes in your SwissSys files, but I need a confirming note from you in your cover e-mail so I can tell accidental changes from intended changes.  These changes generally fall into 3 categories:
    1. Changes in the spelling of the first or last name
    2. Changes in the school code
    3. Changes in the grade code
  4. MOST IMPORTANT – the name and billing address for the rating invoice.  Rating fees for the NWSRS are $0.125 per rated game, so a typical event with 100 kids and 5 rounds would have 250 games and a rating fee of $31.25.  Note that we only bill for played games, so forfeits, byes and other unplayed games are not included in the number of games.  You don’t need to figure this out or pay in advance.  The ratings program figures the number of played games and sends a bill after the rating is complete.
  5. Be careful of adjusting SwissSys results.  There are only 3 acceptable results for a rated game: white wins, black wins or draw.  Some TDs have attempted to resolve a result on a board by giving wins or losses to both players.  SwissSys will not do this of its own accord, but will allow you to adjust the results this way.  This causes the ratings program to CRASH!!  Please do not do this.  If you want to award both players a point, give them both full-point byes, not wins.  If you want to give them both losses, give them both zero point byes or just call the game unplayed. 
  6. Any other information you want to provide is appreciated, but not necessary. 

Is My Event a WA State Elementary State Qualifier?

A lot of people ask if their event is a Washington State Elementary State Qualifier.  Events themselves are not qualifiers, but rather each section within an event can be a qualifier, so it is possible for an event to have multiple sections where some are qualifiers and others are not.  It is not necessary to apply to be a qualifier, and actual qualification cannot be established before the event is played, but rather only after an event is complete and rated.  All sections automatically become qualifiers if they meet the following criteria:

There are of course individual requirements for the players who play in these events to qualify for state.  Most important of these is the requirement that a qualified player must have a final score in the tournament that is greater than half the number of rounds in the tournament, unless the player is in kindergarten and playing in a multi-grade section (see table below). 

It is worth noting that a section can be mixed with students who are both elementary and higher grades and still be a state qualifier for the students in grades K-6.  So, for example, if there was a section in a tournament that allowed students in grades 6-9 and only one 6th grader played in the section, but he/she scored the requisite number of points, that section would still be a state qualifier for the 6th grader.

Qualifying Score for Washington State Elementary
No. of Rounds in Section Non-kindergarten or kindergartener in all-K section Special Rules for
Kindergartners in multi-grade Sections
4 3 2
5 3 2
6 3.5  
7 4  
8 4.5  
9 5