How to prepare for a chess tournament?

In exactly 3 weeks I am going to play my first FIDE rated tournament. I am not a member yet, I will become a FIDE member that same day.

I want to know how I should prepare for a tournament. Please, give me some tips. Is a 5 round tournament, 90 minutes with 30 seconds increment.

Thanks!

Check out your opponents games

dont take too many risks in your games. These people you will play there will usually find the best defense.

Dont underestimate your opponent based on age.

Play a solid opening that might only give a slight advantage and then grind out a win. With a time increment like that you will never win on time.

stick to openings you know very well. Good luck bro

oh, and dont put yourself in a low rating bracket or you wolnt learn anything. Also, pack some food and bring some water bottles. you dont want to face your competition on an empty stomach.

Dont drink coffee or you might rush your moves, ring tea or water.

have fun.

Lol, I disagree with about everything robotjazz said.

Especially about the rating bracket. If you do have a choice, go as low as you can. I think you need 9 games to get a fide rating, but somewhere in those 9 you need a non zero result somewhere. Don't put yourself in a position where it's possible to go 0 for 5. If you do well, you can always play up next time round.

Stick to your normal game, if agressive is your normal style. go with that.

Rumpel, if you mean the team tournament at Caguas, then we are going to be facing off. I've been studying a lot strategy this past 2 weeks with my friends from the chess club. But now I am switching to overgear with tactics & openings.

Oooh. Noo. I am playing a tourney in Bayamon. I would like to play in the team tournament but I don't have a team. You can invite me to your team, I would gladly play woth you if I have the days of in my work.

Thanks guys for everything. The tournament is open, so I am going to be faciong high rated players there.

Time Management!

Yeah i have to start off with time management as you have to travel to the tournment. This will vary if you to go far or near. Plane vs car. I saw whatever the distance be there 30 min early. That was you can not be late and forfeit. Also to get rid of any pregame jitters. Also you get to the rest room and do what it is you do....!  I have say this last one is a biggy. I like to have a warm up game with a friend even if they are playing in the tournament also and possible may meet.

Rest!  You can be ready mentally. But without rest your will blunder against a rested opponent. Your ability to analyze a situation will take a lit bit longer .... tic tic tic. A couple seconds could prove vital early in the game or later. Get that early lead in time and you put some pressure on your opponent vs you being in the hot seat. With rest it will be easier to recall what comes natural.

Relax. This varies with different people. Some say getting hyper helps them relax. Some say music and etc and etc. Whatever keeps you loose/fluid do it as long as it is with the rules. (No performance enhancing substance - lol).

Stress - stay away from anything that looks like it is leading to stress 48hrs before a game. I lost a championship because of this. My girlfriend did not tell me her Mom birthday was on say day i was playing and she wanted me to stay with her when she visit her mom. She already kwew i was playing and not just any game. Bottom line .... if anybody that does not strongly support you playing dodge them 48hrs before playing in the tournament. I have pre game routines that i like so i had to rush back and took me out my routine. Plus my mind was on ....... her and etc during the game.

Royalpain - Find a partner to play that will do moves just to urk you. Your going to bump into players that during the game know that they can not beat you so they will throw up a hail mary. By this they will moves out of desperation hoping you miss something .... anything. They will complicate a loss situation.  Obvious they playing for mistake, blunder and/or time out.

End Game! - Nothing new here if you play on chess.com. Your going to have to chase the king around if your ahead in material and position. All of the above is needed hear. Practice on ways to end the game as soon as possible. More than likely your opponents will not resign!

We're already full, Rumpel! Actually one of our members had dropped out but we managed to find another. What a relieve that was! Someday we will either play against or with each other in a serious chess tournament. 

Concerning your question, I like to prepare myself with a lot chess tactics, and study of chess opening theory that I play. The reason for it, is because I am always studying middle-game strategy, so tactics & openings re-enforces my knowledge right before the tournament and I can play at my best most of the times. I've even beaten FM Gabriel Berrios in a 25min+10s game. Trust me, it felt really good and it motivates me to study a lot more than the number of games I play in a day, which is usually just 1 game a day sometimes. So yeah, a lot of tactics & opening theory for me.

Oh wow... Thanks guys. I am reading annotated games, and trying to play more often in the club near me. I have a full time job and is not easy to concentrate only in chess. The tournament have 5 rounds, each round is going to be played only mondays, 1 round per monday all of them in december, (I don't know if you understand that, is easier to explain in spanish)... Anyway, I would probably work every monday, that mean that I have a disadvantage, the good part is that I am used to play after getting out of work, the bad part is that I work in Toys R US, you can imagine how I spend my days in my job on december... 

Thanks again!!!

I can tell you how to prepare:

Drink 8 pints of beer 15 minutes before a game

Park your bike at the board and play like its a drive through maccas

Kill the opponents (you may actually want to keep this one in mind)

Pick up the opponents king and chainsaw it in half (yes, you need the chainsaw, just for the effect)

Throw the board across the room if your given black

Do drugs

Wow that is so much stronger no washing up for 2 months before the tournament and going as is.Note to increase the funk apply deodorant to your clothing not your body, for bonus funk add cologne.

Tournament players are tough, they are not there to give you a good game, they want to kill you so be ready for a whole new level of Chess. Few ppl play their best chess in their 1st tournament so look at it as a learning experience. Prepare like ppl have suggested & enjoy it.

Yes, take queentakesknightoops advice, and prepare as people have suggested, people being me =P

Pick an opening that you're comfortable with and stick with that.  In tournaments you are going to get an opponents' best game, so you need to be ready with an A game of your own.  

Also, if you find yourself to be in a winning position, GET UP AND WALK AROUND.  You are allowed to do so, after all.  When you start closing in on your first tournament win your adrenaline will start flowing, and you'll be more likely to move quickly and overlook something.  It's something I've battled for years.  You need to take a time-out and slow everything down so you can think clearly.   

I've never played in an OTB tournament before so can't give much of an advice, but what I would do is play practice games against a strong opponent with similar time controls and try to build up some solid opening repertoire. Don't forget to come back here and tell us how you did and share the games, good luck!

1 - play e4 for the win. don´t be afraid if you lose, because u will sooner or later. u have to be prepare .

2 - when you get a good position , relax  , it´s a good moment to rise from the table or go to bathroom .  When u return to the table begin a new game with advantage in the position.That´s the psicologic point.

3 - when  you get a bad position , don´t be relax,  press, fight to survive, you have to eliminate the pressure,  your opponent is who has to finnish the game , no you , that´s the psicologic point.

4 - when you're completely lost, resign,   u remember the point nº1 .   Resign and think about why you lost to no repeat the same in the future

I wish I could just click "like" on some of these comments. The last three are good advice. Thats why I said dont drink coffee, its harded to slow down and relax

i played in my first otb tournament recently. here is what I learned:

lesson 1: dont play random openings in games that matter/count. I was 3/3 then wanted to "change things up". then I was 3/4 lol.

lesson 2: time management. if you're like me and not too accustomed to 90 minute time controls, force yourself to play slower. none of my first 3 games (which I won) finished in under 2 hours and i took twice the time my opponents did and still had PLENTY of time left at the end. In game 4 and 5 I played fast and lost, missing really easy tactics in both games that I would have seen by playing slower. 

lesson 3: I see you play a bunch of correspondance... there is no analysis board at OTB events... I found visualizing positions correctly to be tricky sometimes. Since my event, I've worked hard on that for next time.

lesson 4: people (especially under 1200-1400) will blunder like crazy so even if you're down a bit, make them fight on, create problems etc... if they don't screw up then good for them, they deserve the win. If they mess up, then you;re back in it!