Frequently Asked Questions

Scholastic Players:

Q: How many scholastic players are in your club?
A: We have about 20 scholastic players participating in our weekly tournaments. Beginners rated less than 1000 play in a separate section. This section has about 14 to 16 players.

Q: Do you offer chess lessons?
A: The short answer is no. We offer USCF-rated tournaments with a time control of 60 minutes per game.

New to Chess:

Q: Why do I have to be a member of USCF?
A: Good question. The main reason is establish and maintain a rating that will allow us to pair you with the appropriate opponents. Having an official rating allows you to track you progress over time. One of the things the USCF does is to calculate the official ratings for its members.

Q: How do I become a member of USCF?
A: You can either sign up yourself at the USCF website following this link or talk to the Tournament Director at the club. He can sign you up as well.

Q: What do I have to bring to the meetings?
A: You don't have to bring anything. Most likely your opponent will bring his chess set including a chess clock. Also, the chess club has a limited number of chess sets and clocks that can be used for tournament play.

Others:

Q: How strong is your chess club?
A: We have typically somewhere around 30 to 40 players participating in two section (Open and Juniors) in our tournaments. Players in the Open section range from about 1000 to 2000 and in the Junior section from about 300 to 900. A list of all players who played at our club in the last 2 years can be found under this link on the USCF website.
 
Q: When can I join a tournament?
A  You can join a tournament anytime you want. We are glad to welcome new players at any time. Since we normally don't have prizes there is no downside of joining a tournament after Round 1. We will pair you for the remaining rounds in the most appropriate score group.