You DO NOT have to bring anything. We provide notation sheets, pencils, chess boards, and clocks. It is recommended that you bring water bottles and snacks.

If there’s an odd number of players, then someone has to sit out. You’ll still get a win in the tournament, but no ratings change. Byes are given to the lowest-scoring player in the section, with the exception of players for whom it’s their first tournament or players who have a scheduled zero or half-point bye coming up. Refunds are not given or expected for byes.

If you're familiar with the rules and have an active US Chess ID, you're eligible to participate! Players of all ages and skill levels are welcome, with participants ranging from 5 to 99 years old.

Among median tiebreak methods, this approach is widely used. It evaluates a player's competition strength by summing the scores of their opponents. Players with an even number of wins and losses discard both the highest and lowest opponent scores. Those with more wins discard the lowest score, while those with more losses discard the highest. In tournaments with nine or more rounds, the top two, bottom two, or all four scores are omitted, depending on the player's win/loss ratio. Unplayed games are counted as half a point each. If a tied player has unplayed games, those are treated as games against opponents with a score of zero.

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

The registration deadline for the tournament is 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. Players who register after this cutoff may receive a half-point bye for the first round.

In the first round, players are ranked by their monthly rating. The top half competes against the bottom half. In subsequent rounds, winners face off against each other, as do the losers. This pattern continues throughout the tournament.

FIDE-rated tournaments differ from US Chess-rated events in their rating systems and international scope. FIDE uses the Elo system globally, while US Chess focuses on American players. To get a FIDE ID, play in a FIDE tournament and complete the registration form. We’ll handle the rest.

Alternatively, you can request from USCF directly. To be officially FIDE-rated, you must play five games against rated FIDE players, score at least half a point, and achieve a performance rating of at least 1400.

In the United States, a player obtains a chess rating through the United States Chess Federation (USCF) by participating in rated tournaments. After playing and completing 4 games against other rated opponents in a sanctioned event, the USCF uses the results to calculate an initial rating for the player called a “Preliminary Rating”. This rating fluctuates as one continues to play in rated events, reflecting their performance relative to other players. In addition to the rating, players are assigned a unique US Chess ID, which helps in tracking their progress, tournament history, and rating adjustments over time. After 25 total rated games, they will receive their “Established Rating” which fluctuates less often.