Registration is now open for our two Memorial Day tournaments: the Inaugural Memorial Day Team Rapid and the Bughouse State Championship. Both events will take place at Mary, Star of the Sea School, located at 4469 Malia Street in Honolulu. Please see additional details below for each event.
Memorial Day Team Rapid: REGISTER HERE
Teams of four players will compete against each other, with the match result determined by individual team member results. For example, a team scoring 2.5 points or more in a round (e.g., two wins and one draw) will earn a victory for that round, while a score of 2.0 points will result in a draw for that round.
Players must register with all four team members listed - incomplete registrations will not be accepted. However, teams may include an additional “alternate” player in case one team member is unable to compete or must leave early.
Teams can be comprised of any four players - the only restriction is that the average team rating must be below 2000 USCF. Quick ratings will be used where available, but a player’s regular or blitz rating will be used if a quick rating is not available.
Teams will play 4 rounds using Swiss System team pairings (based on the team’s score and average rating)
Time control for the tournament is G/15+10 (15-minutes per player, plus a 10-second increment per move).
All team members MUST have active USCF memberships in order to participate. Players must report individual results, as individual games will be USCF rated.
Tournament Schedule:
8-8:30am - Check-in
8:30am - Announcements and players’ meeting
9am - Round 1
10am - Round 2
11am - Round 3
Lunch Break
12:30pm - Round 4
1:30pm - Award Ceremony
Registration Fees:
Early Registration: $80/team ($20/player) on or before May 15th, 2026, at 11:59pm Hawaii Time
Regular Registration: $100/team ($25/player) on or before May 24th, 2026, at 11:59pm Hawaii Time
Onsite Registration: $160/team ($40/player) at the tournament, before 8:30am Hawaii Time
Prizes:
Trophies awarded to the top overall team
Plaques awarded to the top teams in each of the following categories (teams may compete in multiple categories but are only eligible to win one prize):
High School Team (all players must be in grades 9-12, but not necessarily at the same school)
Middle School Team (all players must be in grades 6-8)
Elementary School Team (all players must be in grades 3-5)
Primary School Team (all players must be in grades K-2)
Young Guns (all players must be age 6 or younger)
Women’s Team (all female players)
Mixed Doubles (two male and two female players)
Parents & Kids (two parents and two children, can be from the same family or two different families)
Senior Team (all players must be age 50 or older)
Perfect score - any player with an individual score of 4.0 / 4.0 will receive a $25 Amazon gift card
Bughouse State Championship: REGISTER HERE
Teams consist of two players - during each round, one player plays with the white pieces, the other with the black pieces.
Piece drops:
Instead of making a move, a player may place a piece captured by their partner onto any empty square
Piece drops may make check or checkmate
Restrictions on piece drops:
Pawns cannot be placed on the 1st or 8th rank.
Pawns dropped on the 2nd rank can move two squares on their first move.
Promoted pawns, when captured, return to a normal pawn in the partner's hand
Illegal moves - an illegal move results in an instant loss if claimed before the opponent makes their next move (same as in a standard blitz tournament)
The match ends when a checkmate occurs, a player resigns, a player runs out of time on either board, or a player makes an illegal move (see above)
Both games do not need to be played to completion - the first player on either team to win claims victory in the match
Communication - verbal communication between partners is allowed, meaning teammates can ask for pieces, advise on strategy, or even suggest specific moves; however, a player may not physically move their teammate’s pieces
Handling Pieces - captured pieces must be kept visible and placed on the table next to the board, not hidden
Clock move rules - until a player presses their clock, they may touch/adjust/move any pieces they wish (i.e., not “touch move”)
Teams will play 5 rounds using Swiss System team pairings (based on the team’s score and average rating)
Time control for the tournament is G/5 (5 minutes per player, no increment).
This is NOT a USCF rated event, meaning USCF membership is not required; however, pairings will use USCF ratings where available
Tournament Schedule:
2:30-3pm - Check-in
3pm - Announcements and players’ meeting
3:30pm - Play begins
~5pm - Award Ceremony
Registration Fees:
Early Registration: $40/team ($20/player) on or before May 15th, 2026, at 11:59pm Hawaii Time
Regular Registration: $50/team ($25/player) on or before May 24th, 2026, at 11:59pm Hawaii Time
Onsite Registration: $60/team ($30/player) at the tournament, before 3:00pm Hawaii Time
Prizes:
Trophies awarded to the top overall team, along with the title of 2026 state champions
Cash prizes awarded to the top ~25% of teams, depending on the number of entries