Kingwood Christian School will partner with a Birmingham-based chess club to help area youth flex their intellectual muscles during a Jan. 16 event.

Caesar Chess will hold its first Martin Luther King Scholastic Chess Tournament at the Christian school off Royalty Drive in Alabaster for children in grades K-12.

The event will feature separate divisions for rated and non-rated chess players. Those who register for the rated division must provide proof of United States Chess Federation and Alabama Chess Federation or another state’s chess federation membership.

Matches in the rated division will begin at 9 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and will last 40 minutes. Matches in the non-rated division will last 30 minutes, and will begin at 9:15 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and 3 p.m.

The rated division will have sections for K-3, K-6 and K-12. Non-rated matches will be split up into K-3 and K-6 sections.

Entry fee for the rated division will be $20 if mailed by Jan. 9 and $30 at the event. Entry fee for the non-rated division will be $10 if mailed by Jan. 9, and $20 at the door.

Caesar Chess will award trophies to the top three winners in each division, and will award medals to third-through-sixth-place finishers.

The organization will also award team trophies to the top two teams in each section. Teams must be composed of four or more players from the same school or chess club.

For more information, including a registration form for the event, visit Caesarchess.com, or call 663-3441.