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Welcome to the 2025-2026 season of the USTCL!  In Division 3 this year, we welcome Alabama and New Mexico from Division 2, Illinois and Missouri from Division 4, and Quebec who are new to USTCL. Below are the full rules, but you can always find them here, along with team membership and filtering guidelines: https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/us-team-chess-league-rules-regulations. The board minimum for Division 3 is 6 boards. There are only minor adjustments to the rules, which are highlighted in the page linked above.   This year we will be using a website to track results, which are updated daily.  Rules and Regulations Length of Season: 1 yearFormat: 7-round round-robin, followed by 2 rounds of cross-division challenges (details to follow).Match Settings: When setting up matches, please use the following parameters Match Name: USTCL 2026 R#: Team A vs Team B (replace # with the number of the round)Quick Description (optional): Opening databases without engine evaluation and opening books are permitted in Daily Chess, but the use of engines and tablebases is never permitted. See here for the applicable rules: https://support.chess.com/article/648-what-do-i-need-to-know-about-fair-play-on-chess-com. If you are not clear about the rules - ask.Game Type: Standard ChessDays per Move: 3Start Date: 14th of the month (see match dates below)Start Time: 7 PM PT (10 PM ET)Rating: None (Open)Players per Club: 6 players minimum, no maximumConcurrent Games per Player: 2Rated: YesAuto-Start: NoMinimum Games: 5League Standings: Standings are automatically updated daily. Only matches that have been clinched will be shown as a result in the standings.Prizes: Trophies for places 1 thru 3. Trophies will be awarded by January 1st of the following year.Player Eligibility: A player can only play for one team in this league throughout a season regardless of division. Once they play for a team, they must stay with that team throughout the season. USTCL admins will post notifications of multi-team players in the division thread a few days before the match is due to start.Promotion/Relegation: The top teams on June 30th will be promoted to Division 2, and the bottom two teams will be demoted to Division 4. Additional adjustments may be made by USTCL admins with agreement.Unfinished Matches: If a match result has not been determined by the season end date, but it is necessary that the match conclude in order to determine the divisional composition for the following season, then the remaining incomplete games within that match will be decided using chess.com's analysis tool. If a player is leading by a score of 2.0 or more, they will be determined to have won that game. If the difference is less than 2.0, the game will be determined to be a draw.Tiebreakers: The first tiebreaker will be head-to-head results. The second tiebreaker will be the Sonneborn-Berger score. Uncompleted games will not be scored for the purposes of the second tiebreaker.Removal of Players: Team admins may remove players from their roster who exceed a timeout ratio of 15%, or are ineligible due to rule 6. Removed players must be published in the team match thread prior to the start of the match. Example: Player A was removed in accordance with timeout rule: Timeout ratio 55%. Teams may not remove players from their roster or discourage players from joining a match to obtain a more favorable matchup.Score Adjustments: Match scores will be finalized after taking into consideration the account closures of members due to cheating or abuse, and also after applying penalties for multi-team players (see rule 6). This will occur prior to announcing the final standings.Forfeits: There are two types of forfeits that may be awarded.Challenge Forfeits: In order to claim a forfeit win due to no acceptance of a challenge, please post a note to the league forum thread that a challenge has been issued, and include a link to the active challenge. Challenges expire around 7-8 days after being issued. If a challenge expires, it shall be the responsibility of the team who did not accept the original challenge to send a new challenge, or a forfeit win will be awarded to the issuer of the original challenge. If match registration has not started at least 72 hours before the scheduled start time, a forfeit win will be awarded to the challenging team.If no note has been posted, the result will be a double forfeit, and will count as a 0-0.Minimum Board Forfeits: Forfeit wins will be awarded due to lack of boards, if the match link in registration was provided, and the opposing team did not meet the minimum boards at the match's intended start time. If both teams failed to meet the minimum boards, a double forfeit is awarded (no points for either team). It is important that matches are named correctly and the match start date and other parameters set correctly for this to be detected automatically. Communications: Team admins should not communicate directly with non-admin members of the opposing team. Please work directly with the opposing team admins and/or USTCL admins through private messages to avoid public conflict and confusion. Please see Team Admin best practices for additional details. League tables and match links: Results are updated daily at the following page https://www.chessleagues.org/ustcl/2026/division-3        

Hey everyone, not sure how active this is but I recently discovered clubs and, in turn, the ustcl, and I love it! But I cant seem to find a homepage or any sorts of standings for the league. Does anyone know where this info is located? cheers

Use this forum thread to upload a picture you suggest for a new background. We'll discuss and move on from there.

Welcome to the 2022-2023 season of USTCL! After last year's mega-division of 14 teams, we are back down to a standard 10 teams in Division 3, welcoming Indiana and Tennessee from Division 2 as well. Below are the full rules, but you can always find them here, along with team membership and filtering guidelines https://www.chess.com/clubs/forum/view/us-team-chess-league-rules-regulations Here are the major changes from previous years: 1. The Minimum number of players has increased from 3 to 6 for Division 3. 2. Multi-team players will be enforced or penalties will be applied - see rules 6 and 11.3. The threshold for removing players from matches has been reduced from 25% to 15%.This season, the top 2 teams will be promoted to Division 2, and the bottom 2 teams will be relegated to Division 4, at the end of June 2023. US Team Chess League Season 2023 Division 3 Spirit: The US Team Chess League (USTCL) is an interstate competition between teams representing the USA states and territories and Canadian provinces Team Eligibility: USTCL accepts teams representing US states or territories, or Canadian provinces, that do not overlap geographically with those states already represented in the league. Teams are expected to limit their membership to those with a past or present association with the state/territory. Eligibility Disputes: In case of disputes or questions, contact the admin of your opposing team first, then the League admins prior to commenting publicly.Rules and Regulations1. Length of Season: 1 year, July 4th, 2022 to June 30th, 20232. Format: 9-Rd Round Robin.3. Match Settings: When setting up matches, please use the following parameters a. Match Name: USTCL 2023 R#: Team A vs Team B (replace # with the number of the round)b. Game Type: Standard Chessc. Days per Move: 3 daysd. Description (not required): The following text may be optionally used:Opening databases without engine evaluation and opening books are permitted in Daily Chess, but the use of engines and tablebases is never permitted. See here for the applicable rules: https://support.chess.com/article/648-what-do-i-need-to-know-about-fair-play-on-chess-com. If you are not clear about the rules - ask.e. Rating Range: Open f. Minimum Games: 5g. Players per Club: 6 players minimum, no maximumh. Concurrent Games per Player: 2i. Start Date: 14th of the month (see match schedule below)j. Start Time: 7 PM PT (10 PM ET)k. Auto-Start: No l. Rated: Yes4. League Standings: Standings will be posted periodically in this thread. Only matches that have been clinched will be shown as a result in the standings. 5. Prizes: Trophies for places 1 thru 3. Trophies will be awarded by January 1st, 2024. 6. Player Eligibility: A player can only play for one team in this league throughout a season regardless of division. Once they play for a team, they must stay with that team throughout the season.7. Promotion/Relegation: The 1st and 2nd place teams will be promoted to Division 2. The 9th and 10th place teams will be relegated to Division 4.8. Unfinished Matches: If a match result has not been determined by the season end date, but it is necessary that the match conclude in order to determine the divisional composition for the following season, then the remaining incomplete games within that match will be decided using chess.com's analysis tool. If a player is leading by a score of 2.0 or more, they will be determined to have won that game. If the difference is less than 2.0, the game will be determined to be a draw.9. Tiebreakers: The first tiebreaker will be head-to-head results. The second tiebreaker will be the differential between match points won and lost across the entire season. Uncompleted games will not be scored for the purposes of the second tiebreaker.10. Removal of Players: Team admins may remove players from their roster who exceed a timeout ratio of 15%, or are ineligible due to rule 6. Removed players must be published in the team match thread prior to the start of the match. Example: Player A was removed in accordance with timeout rule: Timeout ratio 55%. Teams may not remove players from their roster or discourage players from joining a match to obtain a more favorable matchup.11. Score Adjustments: Match scores will be finalized after taking into consideration the account closures of members due to cheating or abuse, and also after applying penalties for multi-team players (see rule 6). This will occur prior to announcing the final standings.12. Forfeits: There are two types of forfeits that may be awarded. a. Challenge Forfeits: In order to claim a forfeit win due to no acceptance of a challenge, please post a note to this forum that a challenge has been issued, and include a link to the active challenge. If a match's registration has not started at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time, a forfeit win will be awarded to the challenging team. If no note has been posted, the result will be a double forfeit, and will count as a 0-0. b. Minimum Board Forfeits: In order to claim a forfeit win due to lack of boards, teams must have clear evidence that a team did not meet the minimum boards at the match's intended start time. If a match has started late, the team claiming a forfeit must have visual evidence (e.g. a screenshot) that shows that they met the minimum on time. Past matches do not count as visual evidence for this purpose. If no such evidence is available, the must must be played as a normal match. Teams are encouraged to make sure Auto-Start is set to No when setting up challenges to make adjudicating these forfeits easier.

I don't post a lot of this kind of thing, but I was really happy to find the moves that ended the game here after a sloppy opening (still learning King's Pawn stuff, and hadn't played against a Sicillian yet). Opponent resigned in this position where I either win the rook on b8 after pawn to d4, or checkmate with Qh8 with nearly any other move.

Rules, Schedule, and Pairings - 2022 Season Division 3B Phase 1 jcohen42 #1 Hello all, and welcome to the 11th season of the US Team Chess League! This will be the largest season in the league so far, with 34 total teams competing. We are happy to welcome Arizona, Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, Puerto Rico, and Wisconsin to Division 3 this season! In order to handle this influx of new teams, we are using a two-phase system in Division 3 this season. A full explanation is here, but to make a long story short, Phase 1 splits the division in two halves. This thread is dedicated to Division 3B, which consists of all teams who are newly joining the league. In Phase 2, teams will have up to 2 cross-division matches with teams from Division 3A, in order to decide placement into next year's divisions, including the creation of a new Division 4. These pairings will be decided upon the conclusion of Phase 1; please see this post for additional details. We've also rearranged the rules section a bit to hopefully be a bit clearer for teams. Please read carefully to make sure you're not missing anything, and also please remember to post challenge and match links in this thread. Please let the admin team know if you have any questions, and best of luck this season! --- US Team Chess League Season 2022 Division 3B Phase 1 Spirit: The US Team Chess League (USTCL) is an interstate competition between teams representing the USA states and territories and Canadian provinces. Team Eligibility: USTCL accepts teams representing US states or territories, or Canadian provinces, that do not overlap geographically with those states already represented in the league. Teams are expected to limit their membership to those with a past or present association with the state/territory. Eligibility Disputes: In case of disputes or questions, contact the admin of your opposing team first, then the League admins prior to commenting publicly. Rules and Regulations Length of 2022 Season: 1 year, July 4th, 2021 to June 30th, 2022 Phase 1: 8 months: July 4th, 2021 to February 28, 2022 Phase 2: 4 months: March 4th, 2022 to June 30th, 2022 Format: 5-Rd Round Robin. Match Settings: When setting up matches, please use the following parameters Match Name: USTCL R#: Team A vs Team B (replace # with the number of the round) Game Type: Standard Chess Days per Move: 3 days Description (not required): See rule 11 below Rating Range: Open Minimum Games: 5 Players per Club: 3 players minimum, no maximum Concurrent Games per Player: 2 Start Date: 14th of the month (see match schedule below) Start Time: 7 PM PT (10 PM ET) Auto-Start: No Rated: Yes League Standings: Standings will be posted periodically in this thread. Only matches that have been clinched will be shown as a result in the standings. Prizes: Trophies for places 1 thru 3. Trophies will be awarded by January 1st, 2023. Player Eligibility: A player can only play for one team throughout a season regardless of division. Once they play for a team, they must stay with that team throughout the season. Promotion/Relegation: The 1st and 2nd place teams will advance to the Phase 2 D2/3 Round Robin. The 3rd place team will be automatically assigned to Division 3 for the next season. The 4th and 5th place teams will advance to the Phase 2 D3/4 Round Robin. The 6th place team will be assigned to Division 4 for the next season. Please see this post for details. Unfinished Matches: If a match result has not been determined by the Phase 1 end date, but it is necessary that the match conclude in order to determine the divisional composition for the Phase 2, then the remaining incomplete games within that match will be decided using chess.com's analysis tool. If a player is leading by a score of 2.0 or more, they will be determined to have won that game. If the difference is less than 2.0, the game will be determined to be a draw. Tiebreakers: The first tiebreaker will be head-to-head results. The second tiebreaker will be the differential between match points won and lost across the entire season. Uncompleted games will not be scored for the purposes of the second tiebreaker. Removal of Players: Team admins may remove players from their roster who exceed a timeout ratio of 25%, or are ineligible due to rule 6. Removed players must be published in the team match thread prior to the start of the match. Example: Player A was removed in accordance with timeout rule: Timeout ratio 55%. Teams may not remove players from their roster or discourage players from joining a match to obtain a more favorable matchup. Score Adjustments: Match scores will be finalized after taking into consideration the account closures of members due to cheating or abuse. This will occur prior to announce the final standings. The text in "a" below may be used as the Description for a match challenge, if desired. Opening databases without engine evaluation and opening books are permitted in Daily Chess, but the use of engines and tablebases is never permitted. See here for the applicable rules: https://support.chess.com/article/648-what-do-i-need-to-know-about-fair-play-on-chess-com. If you are not clear about the rules - ask. Forfeits: There are two types of forfeits that may be awarded. Challenge Forfeits: In order to claim a forfeit win due to no acceptance of a challenge, please post a note to this forum that a challenge has been issued, and include a link to the active challenge. If a match has not started at least 24 hours before the scheduled start time, a forfeit win will be awarded to the challenging team. If no note has been posted, the result will be a double forfeit, and will count as a 0-0. Minimum Board Forfeits: In order to claim a forfeit win due to lack of boards, teams must have clear evidence that a team did not meet the minimum boards at the match's intended start time. If a match has started late, the team claiming a forfeit must have visual evidence (e.g. a screenshot) that shows that they met the minimum on time. Past matches do not count as visual evidence for this purpose. If no such evidence is available, the must must be played as a normal match. Teams are encouraged to make sure Auto-Start is set to No when setting up challenges to make adjudicating these forfeits easier. Match Dates for the 2022 Season Round # Challenge By Match Start / Lock By: 1 7/4 7/14 2 8/4 8/14 3 9/4 9/14 4 10/4 10/14 5 11/4 11/14 Phase 2 3/4 3/14 League Table / Schedule: Pos. Team Points R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 1 Arizona 0/0 HI PR ME MO WI 1 Hawaii 0/0 AZ WI MO PR ME 1 Maine 0/0 PR MO AZ WI HI 1 Missouri 0/0 WI ME HI AZ PR 1 Puerto Rico 0/0 ME AZ WI HI MO 1 Wisconsin 0/0 MO HI PR ME AZ

Just checking in whether Missouri wants to play in the upcoming season. Last season, the team didn't participate which is regrettable considering that one of the finest chess centers is in St. Louis. If a tiny state like New Hampshire can play Missouri certainly should be able to do it. All it takes is one - preferably two - people to step up to the plate. Any takers?

You might want to change the color scheme on here a bit. A lot of the boxes have a dark gray color and makes it almost impossible to read the text on that. Just a thought.

I've had this question asked, and I asked it once myself when I first joined Chess.com: I registered for the team match, so why am I not playing in it? So, I thought that I would put the answer in the forums. When the rosters open and people start registering a team match, the players from each team are positioned on their rosters from highest-rated to lowest-rated. Thus, the highest-rated registrant from Team A is pitted against the highest-rated registrant from Team B, and on down the line. Now, let's say that Team A has 15 members join its roster, but Team B only has 12 members on its roster. Then, the 3 lowest-rated registrants on Team A won't have anyone matched up against them and, therefore, will not participate in the match. They are removed automatically by the system. I would also like to mention here that there are a few group admins who do something that some might consider to be cheating, or at least immoral. If their team has a great number of high-rated registrants, and they feel that they could win with them alone, they may remove some of their lower-rated registrants in order help ensure a victory. This tactic does not agree with me. I feel that it is unfair to the members who want to play (on both teams), and it is unfair to the other team in general, just to mention a couple of reasons. Rest assured, I will not be doing this.

I was hoping there was some mechanism for creating sub-forums on here but there isn't. Anyway, I thought it might be nice to post about upcoming tournaments in state. I know many get posted to the USCF website but can't hurt to post them here too. October 16 & 17 – Springfield Park Board Chess Club Open – Springfield, MO For details, check out: http://www.springfieldparkboardchessclub.com/events-and-tournaments.html

I thought that it would be fun to award points to our members for their successes in our activities. One point will be given for every point won in team matches, and one point to the participants of every vote chess game that is won. Members will be listed from most points to fewest points. Members with equal points will be listed in alphabetical order. Team match points won't be awarded until the match is officially over. I hope that this helps make the group just a little more enjoyable. As with anything in the group, let me know if you think that I can do anything to make this better. Have fun! Total Point Standings 6 pts jimmybassy 6 pts Wants2improve 5 pts Martin_Stahl 4 pts Cliffhardin67 4 pts dvlach 4 pts justforfun44 3 pts greenknight1 2.5 pts rjjozwiak 2 pts banjarman 2 pts Hearclear 2 pts jweston101 2 pts sander9860 1.5 pts edog12 1.5 pts S_Hoffmeister 1 pt jeabombers 1 pt malherbe 1 pt modulus U.S. League Team Matches 4 pts Cliffhardin67 4 pts dvlach 4 pts jimmybassy 4 pts justforfun44 4 pts Wants2improve 3 pts greenknight1 3 pts Martin_Stahl 2.5 pts rjjozwiak 2 pts banjarman 2 pts Hearclear 2 pts jweston101 2 pts sander9860 1.5 pts edog12 1.5 pts S_Hoffmeister 1 pt jeabombers 1 pt justforfun44 1 pt malherbe Non-league Team Matches Vote Chess 2 pts jimmybassy 2 pts Martin_Stahl 2 pts Wants2improve 1 pt greenknight1 1 pt modulus