Can my child play in a chess tournament?
If your child knows how the pieces move and the rules of chess such as check, checkmate, stalemate and castling then they are ready to play! There are sections in our tournaments divided by skill level to provide an equal footing for all players no matter age or experience. We are one of the few organizations in the country that offer a U400 or U500 section perfect for first time tournament players.
Do we need a membership number in order to play?
No, you do not. Progress With Chess will actually buy you a 1 year USCF membership if you do not have one, or if yours expired we will renew it for you. We do this at no charge. After the tournament you will receive your USCF ID number and every player gets a USCF rating! USCF stands for United States Chess Federation.
What does G/25; d5 mean?
That is the time control! G/25 means “Game in 25 minutes”. This means that each player will receive 25 minutes on their clock to play the entire game. When that 25 minutes runs out, you lose. The d5 stands for “5 second delay”. This means that you when your opponent makes their move and presses their clock, your clock will tick for 5 seconds before it starts counting down.
That way, if you have 1 second left, you still will have 6 seconds to make a move before your time runs out and you “flag”. Flagging is what chess players call “losing the game on time”.
That way, if you have 1 second left, you still will have 6 seconds to make a move before your time runs out and you “flag”. Flagging is what chess players call “losing the game on time”.
Win a Trophy!
If your child scores the required amount of points they will win a trophy! For example, a tournament that has 4 games will award all players that score 3 out of 4. A tournament that has 5 games will award all players with 3.5 out of 5 with a trophy.
Win = 1 point
Lose = 0 points
Draw = 1/2 point
Win = 1 point
Lose = 0 points
Draw = 1/2 point
Have questions? Feel free to email us at mdjoelson@progresswithchess.org or stacia@progresswithchess.org.
Progress With Chess runs adult and scholastic tournaments monthly.
Check out our tournaments page for a full list of events.
