See homepage announcement regarding free TLA's for tournaments held
in areas affected by Hurricane Katrina!
Tournament Announcements (TLAs)
National events determine national titles
and are available through our bidding process
Bidding Brochure
Events overdue for bids
Sponsorship opportunites
also available
Other Tournament Related Information
Welcome to USCF's new Membership and Tournament Registration Store
The membership and tournament entry webstore has been completely redesigned, we think
you'll find it easier to use than the older version of our JOIN/RENEW/ENTER.
You will now be able to join, renew and enter our national events in real time
from the US Chess website! You will receive confirmation of your charge, a receipt
you can print and if you joined or renewed you can print out your temporary membership card!
We are excited to offer this new feature to you. While it has been carefully tested,
if you have any problems with it, please contact us.
Email: uscf@uschess.org
Phone (8AM - 5PM Central Time, Mon-Fri) 800-903-USCF (800-903-8723)
Note: Most of the information pages are still being edited.
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USCF National Scholastic Chess Tournament Regulations - Revised August 2005
The US Chess Federation is a not-for-profit JOIN/RENEW organization devoted to extending the role of chess in the United States. USCF serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and as a participant in international chess organizations and projects. In addition to Over the Board (OTB) tournaments throughout the United States, it also sanctions correspondence chess and Scholastic events.
Unless otherwise specified, all tournaments are open to all USCF members, and you can join the USCF by calling 1-931-787-1234 or in person at most events. Members receive an official rating after playing four rated tournament games, and an "established" rating after playing over 25 games. For more information, see the Ratings Section. In addition to the benefits of tournament play, USCF members receive discounts on chess equipment and books or call 1-800-388-5464 (KING) to order.
Our Directory of Upcoming Events comes from the Tournament Life Announcements section of Chess Life magazine. In some cases events are shown in the online version which arrived too late to be included in the printed edition. In addition to Detail Listings by State, the National Events Calendar shows tournaments of 15 Grand Prix Points or more for the current month.
If we have received the TLA for a national event, you can check: National Events TLA section.
Or see the Plan Ahead Listing of Major Events which includes tournaments with prize funds of $5,000 or more planned for the next 18 months.
An explanation of the Announcements, including abbreviations used, is available.
US Chess Federation Tournament Life Online
Formats
USCF-rated tournaments are offered in several different formats. All require USCF membership.
- Grand Prix Events: Major tournaments with guaranteed prize funds. Listed in both state announcements and the Grand Prix section.
- Over the Board (OTB) Tournaments: Standard rated tournaments of all sizes played at a time control of Game in 30 minutes or slower. See the states directory.
- Scholastic Tournaments and Rated Beginners or Novice Opens: Special rated tournaments for young players, or for inexperienced players of all ages. These often are completed in one day, usually have low entry fees, and are a good way to obtain an initial rating and a taste of serious chess under tournament rules. The Beginners and Novice events are often open to players rated Under 1000 or Under 1200 and Unrated; larger events also sometimes have equivalent sections. NOTE: Nonrated novice and beginner tournaments are no longer listed here or in Chess Life magazine, as they have proven far less popular than rated beginner events.
- Correspondence Chess: Correspondence tournaments involving chess by mail or e-mail are available through our Correspondence Chess Department.
- Quick rated OTB and online tournaments: These have time controls between Game/5 (5 minutes per player per game) and Game/29, are rated under a separate Quick Chess rating system, and do not affect your regular rating. They are listed within the standard tournament announcements and identified with "QC." Many OTB events with time controls between Game/30 and Game/60 are "dual rated" in both the Regular and Quick rating systems.
- Leagues:USCF-rated leagues, either scholastic or those open to all ages. We will provide a free monthly TLA for each league consisting of league name, dates or time of year, site (if all teams play at same site), and contact info. See League Tla's.
- Non-ratable events: Simuls, Master Exhibitions, Chess Camps, Chess Variants, etc.
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