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Post any questions you might have about USChess, tournaments, or general chess questions here. Admins of the USChess group will try to answer questions in a timely manner. Non-admins can answer questions if they are able as long as the answer is appropriate. This post will be pinned. Admins for this group will delete off-topic questions and inappropriate comments in this post. Ask away and keep playing chess!

The quadrennial combined National High School, National Middle School and National Elementary School tournament. There are 26 sections (6 in the K-12 High School division, 7 in the K-8 Middle School division and 13 in the K-6 Elementary School division - some elementary schools go through 6th grade). There are six championship sections (K-12, K-8, K-6, K-5, K-3, K-1) and three unrated sections (K-12, K-8, K-6). There are Bughouse and Blitz side events on Thursday May 8. The two tandem GM simuls have been fully booked for a while. It is in Orlando and the early bird entry fee rate goes to March 24. There is a very wide range of guesses as to the eventual number of players (5,000 - 11,000) but the one I am currently leaning towards is 6,500 while hoping that it goes higher (2017 has the previous record of 5,575 and Orlando has a lot more flights and hotels than Nashville did in 2017 - in 2017 there were teams having to charter buses and people staying quite a half hour or more distant, all due to significant demand on flights and hotel rooms while 2021 was converted to on-line because of Covid). General information is at: https://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2025/sn8/ Please read the booking policy for your hotel BEFORE YOU BOOK. Registration is at https://secure2.uschess.org/webstore/tournament.php?wkevent=2025SuperNationalsVIII Current entries (494 with forty days left at the least expensive early bird rate) is at https://www.uschess.org/tournaments/2025/sn8/?page=ADVANCE National Scholactic rules is at: https://new.uschess.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/uschess-scholasticregulations_2024-2025.2024.08.05a.pdf Venue map is at https://occc.net/Portals/0/Library/docs/01-28-20%20OCCC%2011x17%20West%20Building%20Floor%20Plan.pdf

The complete calendar of upcoming USChess live chess matches will always be available on the club homepage, in the internal club description, under the header "Upcoming Live Chess Matches". Info and FAQs: USChess Live Chess Match Play FAQ Live Chess World League FAQ Pan American Live Chess League FAQ Chess.com Nations League FAQ USChess Live Matches Google Calendar: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0?cid=dmVjYnNwc2cyZ2Y1NjN0cWdrYWhwdXFhb2tAZ3JvdXAuY2FsZW5kYXIuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbQ Standings for Current Competitions: LCWL: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X_32ewvvPmwyE20NQFoTVPPc9x8zzwLVGw2JsOZYhQ8/edit?usp=sharing LCWL U1600: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14f63y8kIDqv9FTX9Ghle7P1lcih6U8OHa3GIlVxX7uI/edit?usp=sharing LCPAL Rapid Cup: https://lcpal.tk/ Use this forum for any questions you may have, or to chat with teammates about live chess match play! We will announce upcoming live matches in this forum as well as in the club chat - you can turn on notifications for this forum by clicking the "Follow" box in the bottom right corner.

Read below before posting in the forum or notes! Treat all USChess Club members and other Chess.com members respectfully. Follow Chess.com's Community Policies found here: https://www.chess.com/community Don't spam invites, friend requests, messages, etc., and don't advertise or promote channels, blogs, outside tournaments, or other clubs. Forum posts should be related to club activities or general chess content that could reasonably be considered useful or interesting to a majority of USChess members. In general, if a post would be better suited to the general Chess.com forums or a personal blog post, it should not be posted in the USChess forums. If you are unsure about whether your planned forum post follows the club rules, ask an admin to get your post pre-approved! Rules offenders will have their posts deleted and be warned, muted, kicked, or banned from the club based on the number and severity of offences. We've removed the notes due to excessive alerts. Please use forums for on-topic discussions instead.

The following is a list of active US clubs, competing in the US Team Chess League. Those interested may join to compete in daily chess matches against other states. Arizona Alabama California Colorado Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Iowa Indiana Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Utah Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming If you don't see your state on the above list, they may still have a team that's not currently part of the league. If you'd like your state to join the league, join your state club and let the admins know you're interested! Arkansas Alaska Connecticut Delaware Florida Kansas Illinois Montana Nebraska Nevada Oklahoma Rhode Island Texas Vermont Washington D.C.

I have been playing chess consistently for about five months, but I've known how to play for four years, since the start of the pandemic. I'm 15 and my dad bought me a chess set when I was 11 to play with him. Around two years after I learned to play chess, my mom let me participate in an adult tournament. I learned the notation a couple of days prior and kept doing touch move violations. I went to a kids tournament last summer and crushed everyone because they were all u1400. But I dropped out the tournament after the second day when I lost my fifth match because I had blundered. I have insomnia and got literally 0 hours of sleep on the second day of the tournament since I had caffeine the day prior. I find it way harder to play over the board since I have bad visualization skills when calculating. Ever since I learned chess, I used arrows to calculate long sequences. So I've been trying to practice blindfold chess but I forget where the pieces are after 20-25ish moves. I think personally I should wait till i hit 2000 online, but I don't think that will happen as soon as id like. Where should I be spending my time to improve? And when do I get a FIDE rating so I can play harder people?

Title: Two Types of Chess Players – And What I’ve Learned as a Coach and Player Hi everyone, I’ve been thinking lately about the different ways people approach chess, both from my own experience and from working with students. I’ve come to see that most players fall into two general categories:  ♟️ 1. The Competitive PlayerThis type is goal-oriented. They want to improve, study openings, solve tactics, analyze games, and measure progress by rating gains. These players thrive on challenge and often set targets (like reaching 1500, 1800, or achieving norms).  😊 2. The Casual/Just-for-Fun PlayerThese players simply love the game. They enjoy playing unrated or friendly games, don’t stress about ratings, and find joy in cool tactics, fun blunders, or just relaxing with a few games after work or school. No pressure — just pure enjoyment.  As a coach, I’ve learned that both types are valid, and one isn’t “better” than the other. The important thing is to know which type you are, or which one you want to be — and enjoy chess in a way that fits you. As a player, I’ve personally shifted between the two over the years. There are seasons where I grind ratings and study seriously, and times when I just want to play and have fun. And both have value.  🧠 My Takeaway:Whether you’re playing to improve or playing for joy, you’re still a chess player. The beauty of this game is that it welcomes both competition and creativity, seriousness and fun. How about you — do you see yourself as one type more than the other? Have you ever shifted between the two? Would love to hear your thoughts! – CoachNad

Hello everybody! At the end of next week i will doing a free groop lesson here in a chess.com classroom.Theme of the lesson: famous chess games.We will analyze games, guess the moves in critical positions, and hopefully have fun. Please note:We will only communicate over the classroom chat with text messages, no voicechat, no videocall. Requirements:-Be on the Webbrowser of chess.com, since the classroom doesen't work on the app -Below 1000 Rapid Rating-Fluent in english Time and Date:The 26th of October. The lesson will start at 17:00 UTC, but i will send the invitation to the classroom at around 16:45, please join at least at least 5 before the lesson starts.The lesson is planned to take about 40-50 mins, but you can of course quit before. Registrations end on the 23rd of October. In total there are 8 spots available, and if you are interested, please send me a Personal Message (not in this forum) to reserve your spot. About me:I am about 1800 Rapid, and i already have teaching experience.I want to help spread the love for chess, and i really look forward to analyze the games with some of you! Thank you for reading, and i wish you a great rest of your day! -Miss Hurricane

So I I am a chess bullet player and recently I started listening to music as I play,I noticed music and chess normaly results in a win! I was surprised because I originally thought it was going to be distracting, but it seems to make you win! you might think its a coincidence but its happened to me too many times and I dont think so Try it yourself! I recommend fast up-tempo songs to keep you alert if your playing bullet. My top pick is a song called Dragostea Din Tei for bullet  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xx0s147Xj4 you dont of course have to pick this song but it seems to work for me beacuse its my favorite! so maybe try your favorite song too! GOOD LUCK

What is the best score you have ever gotten in an in-person chess tournament?

https://www.chess.com/c/2BFr13xUn I've been working on these over the past year or so. I think they show some cool ideas and useful concepts. Have fun solving them.

XC season is finishing up and Texas and I was wondering who all runs as well or just run for fun

Another proud coaching moment  I just received this wonderful message from Aditya’s mom after he won yet another Swiss tournament! Aditya joined my training program 7 months ago — back then he was a talented but inconsistent young player. Today, he’s become a strong and confident competitor with:♟️ Lichess rating: 1800♟️ Chess.com rating: 1600♟️ Puzzle rating: 2600 What makes this even more special is that Aditya is not only improving online — he’s dominating over-the-board tournaments! This recent win marks his 5th OTB tournament victory. His consistency, discipline, and curiosity to learn have truly paid off. As his mom mentioned, Aditya also maintains straight A+ grades in school and balances multiple extracurricular activities — proving once again that structure and the right guidance create champions both in chess and life. I’m very proud of his progress and excited to see what’s next for him. If you’d like to see your child grow the same way — building discipline, confidence, and tournament success — book a free trial lesson with me here:👉 https://scheduler.zoom.us/darko-polimac/coaching-with-darko- —FIDE Trainer Darko PolimacHelping young players reach their full chess potential ♟️

Hey everyone! 👋 One of my students recently pointed out a great feature on Chess.com — and I wanted to share it with you all: 👉 You can create folders to organize your lessons, games, and analysis.👉 Even better, you can annotate moves, add comments, and save key positions. This is a BIG help for anyone who’s serious about improving. 💪

mine is beliver by imagine dragons

Kyle’s Chess Journey Kyle from Ireland joined my school 6 months ago as a beginner player. He was stuck at 1400 rapid on Chess.com, and at one point he was ready to give up. I remember him writing to me: “I can’t make any progress, this drives me crazy, I will quit.” With some encouragement and structured work, we started training step by step. I explained to him that in chess we all hit “walls” — rating plateaus that feel impossible to overcome. But these walls are not the end; they are actually valuable. They remind us that we need to push harder, work smarter, and sometimes take a slightly different approach. I’ve seen this before. For example, Nathan from the USA was stuck at 1500 for a month. Once he broke through, he quickly climbed to 1700. These “walls” are part of every chess journey, and that’s why having a coach is so important — to guide you through them. Even top players go through this. I was recently watching Nakamura talk about how he used to play the Scotch as a young player, and I believe kids should start with openings like the Danish or the Scotch to build a strong foundation for the future. Back to Kyle: today he is 1900 rapid on Chess.com, has reached a 3200 puzzle rating, and most importantly, is now a 1851 FIDE-rated player. At this very moment, he is the top seed at the Cork Major tournament. His story shows what consistency and support can achieve. No titled player I know has reached their level entirely on their own — coaching is essential. With the right guidance, your progress will be faster and more efficient. 👉 If you want to improve your chess with daily tasks, structured training, and constant support, book your free trial class here:Book your free trial lesson Thank you, and have a great weekend.

Are we allowed to use notes in daily games against our friends? Notes: meaning lines that you wrote down to memorize.

As the title says, if you're currently working a job, or if you want to have a certain job when you grow up, please share it with us. I'm curious to see if chess players tend to congregate around certain fields or professions. 

I'm now 18 years at chess.com and still counting. On this day, I registered to this site on September 21, 2007, 18 years ago. I'm one of the oldest Filipino-American members in this site. Some of the Filipinos and Filipino-American who registered here before and after I registered here were no longer here but maybe they came back with another name or username. In my 18 years at chess.com, I'm an Owner, SA and admin of several Filipino and non-Filipino groups/teams. I created several Filipino groups/teams at this site. I founded the Pinoy Chess Philippines on November 27, 2009. https://www.chess.com/club/pinoy-chess-philippines I'm posting at the notes, forums, news, events of some Filipino and non-Filipino groups/teams and also posting at the forum and blogs of chess.com. I'm playing chess online, live chess, team matches, chess tournaments. I have friends here and chat with them at the group/team notes. I posted some stories at the notes, forums, news, event. I have also some pictures in almost every group/team I joined. I'm creating team matches with my name as a title of the team matches. I'm also mentioning to my friends about the ballroom dancing which is my hobby. I like Ballroom Dancing so much like Tango, Salsa, ChaCha, Jive, Swing, Merengue, Rumba, Quickstep and many more etc. My name also appeared at the chessopedia when there was still that article but I think it was already abolished. My name is also on the Internet, social medias, chess sites communities, dance communities and anywhere. I'm enjoying my stay here at chess.com and hopefully I will be here for many, many more years to come. Thank you all,Ray Duque III, GMBD