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Fellow chess enthusiasts, It is my pleasure to announce that the February Transcontinental Scholastic Chess Super-Tournament is only eight days away, and fortunately, it is not too late to register therefor. We would love to have you join us for this grand event! The reasons why you should play in our next online tournament include: Although this is an online tournament, it is about as competitive as our in-person tournaments and helps prepare you to compete over the chessboard in-person more effectively. Regular competitive chess play is a must for improving chess players and should not be neglected. While you can play as many casual games as you want online, our events give you a taste of the OTB tournament experience that you would not have otherwise. Online tournaments such as ours are convenient for parents because they do not have to devote many hours of the day to driving to, and participating in, a physical event. No added hotel, food or gas costs required. Having drawn students from over twenty-four states and three foreign countries in our previous events, you could be playing against players from all over the continent (or even beyond). Unlike many other online tournaments, we offer our participants a time control of G/45+10, which empowers them to actually think about their moves. No rushing required! Considering that we have already organized eleven online tournaments in the past, we have refined our technological methods to make participating in our events as easy as can be. Four easy steps and you’re all ready to go! For students who like variety in their chess, we will also hold a blitz online tournament an hour after the main event finishes. It only costs $10 and offers prizes. For more details, click here. These online tournaments are rated by the United States Chess Federation, so you can improve your official online ratings by participating in this tournament. Amazon gift cards are issued as prizes in proportion to the amount of registrations. We hope you will be able to join us for this grand event next Saturday! If you would like to discover more or to register, please click here. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to inquire. Sincerely, Caleb S. Brown President of Innovative Chess Solutions, LLC

Hello everyone I was wondering if there is a USCF dresscode? I’m going to be playing some more OTB soon but, was wondering if there are things I should avoid wearing? Thanks in advance to anyone

Next Saturdays tournament (30 | 0 regular) falls directly on Christmas, would it be possible to move that to Sunday the 26th? I'm spending the day with my family on Christmas day, and I imagine that most others are as well, so turnout might be better on the 26th instead.

Fellow chess enthusiasts, We would like to remind you that our upcoming online scholastic tournament on December 11 is a little over a week away. If you register today, you will be eligible for the reduced $15 rate. Afterwards, the entry fee rate will be $20, so act quickly. If you are a scholastic player, the reasons why you should play in our next online tournament include: Although this is an online tournament, it can be about as competitive as our in-person tournaments and helps prepare you to compete over the chessboard in-person more effectively. Regular competitive chess play is a must for improving chess players and should not be neglected. While you could definitely play as many casual games as you want online, our events give you a taste of the OTB tournament experience (with real prizes) that you would not have otherwise. Online tournaments such as ours are convenient for parents because they do not have to devote many hours of the day to driving to, and participating in, a physical event. No added hotel, food or gas costs required. Having drawn students from over twenty-three states and two foreign countries in our previous online tournament, you could be playing against players from all over the continent (or even beyond). Unlike many other online tournaments, we offer our participants a time control of G/45+10, which empowers them to actually think about their moves. No rushing required! Considering that we have already organized nine online tournaments in the past, we have refined our technological systems to make participating in our events as easy as can be. Four easy steps and you’re all ready to go! For students who like variety in their chess, we will also hold a blitz online tournament an hour after the main event finishes. It only costs another $10 and offers prizes. You can register for just the blitz event without registering for the main event if you so desire. For more details and registration, click here. These online tournaments are rated by the United States Chess Federation, so you can improve your official online ratings by participating in this tournament. Amazon gift cards are issued as prizes in proportion to the amount of registrations. We hope you will be able to join us for this grand event next Saturday! If you would like to discover more or to register, please click here. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to inquire. Sincerely, Caleb S. Brown President of Innovative Chess Solutions, LLC

It'd be nice if the online USCF rated tournaments could have a rating cap. For instance, I'd like it if there was an under 1750 section (chess.com rating of course) , and then the open was only available to be played in if you are over 1750. That way you don't get a lot of your games in a tournament against lower players. It's just not that much fun, especially if you are really looking for challenging games with people around your strength. It's a problem for people around my rating, because I'm not gonna be perfect against 1700 average that I'm getting in the first 2-3 rounds, so I'll be matched with another 1700 in round 3 or 4, and then the tournament's mostly done at that point. It just doesn't work well for people who don't like playing against those rated 300+ points lower then them. Another problem is the fact that beating people 300+ points lower then you doesn't really help your USCF rating, so there are no benefits. Tell me if you like my suggestion, or why not if you don't.

INNOVATIVE CHESS SOLUTIONSPrevious registrants, chess enthusiasts and all others whom it may concern, We are posting this notification to remind you about our upcoming in-person chess tournament, the 2021 Waco Scholastic Chess Championship, which will occur on July 17. As we understand that many of you lead busy lives and cannot bother yourself to read lengthy details at this moment, we would like you to know about five important details (the rest you may read at the link below): 1. With already thirty-two students registered and a month left until the event, this will certainly constitute the most significant chess tournament held in Waco for quite some time. 2. To accommodate all these players, we will have four sections (Championship, U1000, U600 and Unrated). Although USCF membership is required in all other sections, it is not required in the Unrated. The time control will be G/30;d5. 3. Unlike many other tournaments (e.g., state or national events), our entry fees are actually affordable and currently stand at $22 per player through July 3. The blitz side-event is only $5.* 4. After five rounds of competitive chess, we will award a number of trophies in each section equal to 25% of the number of students who registered by July 3. Those registering after that date are eligible for prizes, but their registrations do not increase the trophy allotment. All players receive medals. 5. Many scholastic tournaments shortchange their registrant's time by starting each round ASAP after the last one. If your games usually continue until almost everyone has finished, you could miss out on a reasonable time for rest and lunch. By contrast, our tournament has been structured to ensure that every student has at least 10-15 minutes of a break between rounds and at least a 1-hour lunch break (even if they register for the blitz side-event). We hope you're interested! If so, we encourage you to discover more about this historic event, and to register, at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-waco-scholastic-chess-championship-registration-150119008997 Sincerely, Caleb S. BrownPresident of Innovative Chess Solutions and Chief Tournament Director * These entry fees do not include Eventbrite's commissions and fees, which are added onto the price of registration if you decide to register online.

I had just finished my fourth game in tonight's 15|10 tournament when tab I was playing on crashed. When I went back to the club page, I couldn't find the tournament listing. My games are recorded in my profile, but what just happened? Can anyone help me troubleshoot or explain this? I closed all my tabs, cleared cache, and relaunched the browser, but I still can't even find the tournament, even just to watch the rest of the games. This is quite frustrating. I was really enjoying watching the other games once mine finished and... <poof!> the tournament is gone.

where does it say how much rating you gain or lose in a USCF cross table

Previous registrants, chess enthusiasts and all others whom it may concern, We are pleased to announce that our next online scholastic tournament will occur on November 6, which is only three weeks away! With three sections and four rounds, we intend for this event to be much like the many previous online tournaments we have held, which have so far drawn players from twenty-one states and two foreign countries. As always, we will be issuing Amazon gift cards as prizes. Please note that the current entry fee of $10.00 will increase significantly after October 30, so act quickly! If you would like to discover more about this tournament, or register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transcontinental-scholastic-chess-super-tournament-7-registration-192925765157 Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to inquire. Sincerely, Caleb S. Brown President of Innovative Chess Solutions

INNOVATIVE CHESS SOLUTIONS Previous registrants, chess enthusiasts and all others whom it may concern, Innovative Chess Solutions is pleased to announce the October Transcontinental Scholastic Chess Super-Tournament, which will be nearly identical to last month's tournament. For that event, we had fifty-four registrations from sixteen different states (and one Canadian province). Among the reasons why you should register are include:- (1) Unlike many other online tournaments, we offer a competitive time control of G/45+10, which empowers you to actually think about your moves: No rushing required.(2) With three rated-based sections (Open, U1000 and U600) you can be confident that, in most cases, your opponents will be around your skill level.(3) You have the opportunity of competing against students from all over the United States (or even the world).(4) The entry fee is incredibly affordable at only $10 through October 9. (5) Scholastic players from all countries are welcome to participate, provided that they are USCF members. (6) We issue Amazon Gift Cards as prizes in amounts proportional to the number of registrations. For additional information and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transcontinental-scholastic-chess-super-tournament-6-tickets-173863509437 If you have any questions concerning this event, please do not hesitate to inquire. Thank you! Sincerely, Caleb S. BrownPresident of Innovative Chess Solutions

INNOVATIVE CHESS SOLUTIONS Previous registrants, chess enthusiasts and all others whom it may concern, Considering the immense success of the most recent Waco Scholastic Chess Championship, it is our eminent pleasure to announce another annual in-person tournament, the 2021 Waco Scholastic Fall Chess Exposition, which will convene at the Waco Convention Center on November 13. In accordance with our steadfast principles, it is our intention to ensure that this event will at least meet, or hopefully surpass, the degree of innovation, efficiency and integrity that transpired during the most recent championship. Although there have been certain variations from that grand event, its fundamental characteristics will continue on with this new tournament, with five rounds, four rating-based sections and a time control of G/30;d5. Notably, this tournament will incorporate team prizes together with individual prizes for an innovative awards structure. It has often been the practice of scholastic tournaments awarding team prizes to confine team eligibility to schools only and/or require that such teams compete separately in sections. Resulting from this practice is the reality that many worthy scholastic chess clubs (often composed of players without school clubs) have been excluded from competing as teams entirely. Moreover, many smaller schools and clubs have been unable to be competitive because of the practice of dividing their players into many sections, which dilutes their opportunity to obtain team prizes, even if their strongest players perform much better than most other teams. Therefore, as a measure to right this grievous wrong, in this event, schools, homeschool cooperatives and qualifying scholastic chess clubs will all be eligible to assemble teams. Depending on the number of registrations by October 26, we will award sets of plaques to a number of teams based on the aggregate scores of their four highest-scoring players across all sections. This means that a 4.5 score in the Open section will have equal weight with a 4.5 score in the Unrated section, with no preference as to sections being made in tiebreaks. Finally, the issuance of four plaques per prize-winning team, rather than one team trophy, eliminates any difficulty of sharing the team prize. If more than four players comprise a team, only the four highest-scoring teammates receive plaques. In addition to offering team prizes, another variation is that the intermission between rounds has been doubled to thirty minutes, except that the lunch break remains one hour. Accordingly, the first round will commence at 8:00am and the awards ceremony will commence at 5:30pm. By eliminating onsite registration, we tentatively intend to release pairings for the first round during the night preceding the tournament. Finally, registrants in the Open section will no longer be under any obligation to submit completed scoresheets if playing on the top five boards. If you know anyone who may be interested in participating in this tournament, we would appreciate it if told them about this tournament. Should you have any questions concerning this event, please do not hesitate to inquire. For additional information, and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-waco-scholastic-fall-chess-exposition-tickets-175060359247 Sincerely, Caleb S. Brown President of Innovative Chess Solutions

INNOVATIVE CHESS SOLUTIONS Previous registrants, chess enthusiasts and all others whom it may concern, Innovative Chess Solutions is pleased to announce the September Transcontinental Scholastic Chess Super-Tournament, which will be almost identical to last month's tournament. During that event, we had thirty-four registrations from twelve different states. Among the reasons why you should consider registering are included:- (1) Unlike many other online tournaments, we offer a competitive time control of G/45+10, which empowers you to actually think about your moves: No rushing required.(2) With four rated-based sections (Open, U1400, U1000 and U600) you can be confident that, in most cases, your opponents will be around your skill level.(3) You have the opportunity of competing against students from all over the country. (4) The entry fee is incredibly affordable at only $10 through September 4. (5) We issue Amazon Gift Cards as prizes in amounts proportional to the number of registrations. For additional information and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transcontinental-scholastic-chess-super-tournament-5-registration-166705154605 If you have any questions concerning this event, please do not hesitate to inquire. Thank you! Sincerely, Caleb S. BrownPresident of Innovative Chess Solutions

I trying to find more clubs and websites that run uscf tournaments does anyone know any other clubs or sites?

Previous registrants, chess enthusiasts and all others whom it may concern, A few weeks ago we announced our next Transcontinental Scholastic Chess Super-Tournament, which is scheduled for August 7. With only four days left until registration closes, we are posting this to ensure that you have had an opportunity to register. As we understand that your time is limited, we will confine our remarks to five reasons why you should register for this tournament, as follows:-(1) Unlike many other online tournaments, we offer a competitive time control of G/45+10, which empowers you to actually think about your moves: No rushing required. (2) With four rated-based sections (Open, U1400, U1000 and U600) you can be confident that, in most cases, your opponents will be around your skill level. (3) You have the opportunity of competing against students from all over the country, or even the world. The last one of these events drew forty registrations from eleven states and two foreign nations. (4) The entry fee is incredibly affordable at only $15. (5) We issue Amazon Gift Cards as prizes in amounts proportional to the number of registrations. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to inquire. To learn more about this event, and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transcontinental-scholastic-chess-super-tournament-4-registration-163430375653 Sincerely, Caleb S. BrownPresident of Innovative Chess Solutions and Chief Tournament Director

This video will teach you how to play the fishing pole trap including it’s lines and variations. This is one of the best and most enjoyable traps I have learned while playing chess and I’m sure you will enjoy it to. Stuck around to the end of the video for a short bonus trap that can help you instantly pick up a free queen. If you are interested the video will be premiering shortly https://youtu.be/2f8H39TT5nw

Every chess.com us chess rated tournament is at 5:00 pm pacific time. But what about the people on eastern? I cant play any because by then im done for the day and even though i can play some i still wouldn't do very well cause i would be tired. Something needs to be done about this. even on pacific time though you are probably getting dinner. in fact its everyone in the US's dinner time. so why would you have such late tournaments? i propose that the United States Chess Federation Move it three hours earlier. please post your opinion underneath also some admin pls read this only you can do something abut this.

So my rating dropped 125+ points in a little over a month. (Don't play chess while sad or angry). Except in the same period my puzzle rating went up something close to 450 points. You'd think success in puzzles would be matched by similar success in play. Also...I hate puzzles.

This video will teach you all the lines of how to play and dominate your opponent with the Tennison gambit. It is premiering shortly so anyone who is interested in learning may join. Thanks! https://youtu.be/765HKWO5Y0w

INNOVATIVE CHESS SOLUTIONSPrevious registrants, chess enthusiasts and all others whom it may concern, After two immensely successful monthly scholastic online tournaments, we are pleased to announce the third rendition of this series, the July Transcontinental Scholastic Chess Super-Tournament, which will occur on July 10. Considering that we received twenty-eight registrations from twelve states during the preceding monthly tournament, we decided that it is necessary to add a third section, so there will be Open, Reserve (U1000) and Novice (U600) sections. As usual, there will be four rounds and a time control of G/45+10. The first round begins at 10:00am (CDT) and each round begins as soon as practicable thereafter, which should mean the event would conclude no later than 4:00pm. For additional information and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transcontinental-scholastic-chess-super-tournament-3-registration-160028861633 Also, in case you reside in Texas or a nearby state, we would like to remind you about our upcoming in-person tournament, the 2021 Waco Scholastic Chess Championship, which will occur on July 17. It will constitute four sections, five rounds, an optional blitz-side event and a time control of G/30;d5. Finally, we will award a number of trophies in each section equal to 25% of registrations received by July 3. It should be noted that July 3 is also the next entry fee deadline after which it increases from $22 to $25. To discover more about this tournament and to register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2021-waco-scholastic-chess-championship-registration-150119008997 Sincerely, Caleb S. BrownPresident of Innovative Chess Solutions

https://youtu.be/E8qwri1Ij68