Claremore, Oklahoma setting

And the city don’t know that the city is getting

The creme de la creme of the chess state in a

Show with everything but Yul Brynner

Our town’s unlike any other

When your head’s down over your pieces, brother

It’s a drag, it’s a bore, it’s really such a pity

To be looking at the board, not looking at our city

With apologies to the musical “Chess.”

Winter weather having been trapped in a corner, organizers are expecting a crowd of more than 200 Saturday for the Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Championship Tournament.

The event is in the cafeteria at Claremore High School. Registration begins at 8 a.m., tournament play at 9:30 a.m. Award presentations will be made at about 5:30 p.m., according to Mike Swatek, local organizer.

“We are expecting over 200” students in grades K-12 to compete, Swatek said. “How far over 200, I’m not sure. We expect a lot of late registrations.”

A winter storm that left nearly all of Oklahoma on white squares threatened the event earlier in the week. March 29 long ago was announced as a makeup date.

But as weather improves, Swatek said, so do hopes for a big draw.

“I think we will have heavy registration at the door,” Swatek said. “I think a lot of people have been curious about the weather.”

Swatek said he received 160 advance registrations.

“It will be the biggest scholastic chess tournament in Oklahoma in more than two years,” Swatek said.

The tournament is sponsored by the Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Organization in conjunction with the Oklahoma Chess Association and the United States Chess Federation.

Players will enter both individually and as team members. A minimum of four players is needed to comprise a school team.

Claremore Upper Elementary Chess Club, the host organization, expects to have as many as 20 players on its team. “We’ll have at least 18,” Swatek said. “That’s almost half of our active members.”

“Our club members are really excited to have the chance to host the tournament,” Swatek said. “We’re excited about having the home court advantage.”

The CUE Club, in its first year, has placed in the top three in each of the tournaments it has entered this year.

Swatek said only one other Claremore entry, a student from Roosa Elementary School, has registered.

He’s hoping that will change.

“By hosting the state tournament,” Swatek said, “I am hoping we can make chess more visible to the public.”

RCB Bank, Java Dave’s and Web Sites by Leslie have aligned as local sponsors.

Divisions for the tournament will include K-3 Open, K-6 Under 750 USCF Rating, K-6 Open, 7-9 Open and 9-12 Open.

Top prize is a $1,000 scholarship for the 9-12 winner to represent Oklahoma in the Denker Tournament of High School Champions Aug. 3-8 in Los Angeles.

The tournament will follow the Swiss system and include five rounds. The first four rounds are limited to 40 minutes playing time, the fifth round 50 minutes.

The tournament also will include parents meetings and seminars, including “How to Start a Chess Club” by Swatek, and election of officers for the Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Organization.