Question:
Is it better for the development of junior players to play in rated scholastic tournaments or adult tournaments? Maybe one advantage of playing adults is that adults are less likely to blitz through a game, regardless of the time control. There is a tendency to match the playing speed of one's opponent.
If a kid is clearly better than the other kids in his area, he needs to play adults of the same or higher rating to improve.
Answer:
I think kids should play other kids when they first start out. Once they have an established rating, and they've shown that they're near the top of the kids at their local tournaments, then it's time to start looking for tougher competition, which usually means adult tournaments. But that doesn't mean they should stop playing scholastic tournaments. They do need to keep up their skills at beating lower rated opponents, and besides, going to tournaments where they can win first place is a good morale booster. So I think kids who are good enough to compete against adults should do so, but they should also continue in the kids tournaments.
It's actually very similar to improving adult players who need to decide if they want to "play up" into a more difficult section of a tournament that's divided into sections. It's a good learning experience, but getting beat up every game can be demoralizing. That's why most coaches seem to recommend alternating between playing up and playing in your own section. That way, you'll have some good tournaments mixed in with all the ones where higher rated players clobber you.
