Chess

What does it take to join an actual chess club or to be able to get an actual rating? What procedures would I have to go through?

I have a USCF rating, which you can register online for, or in my case I got several years ago in a tournament that signed me up for it. Often, if you look up chess clubs or tournaments near where you live, and if they are USCF rated (or fide sometimes if you want to go that route), then you sign up, and they will ask you for your membership number.  Once you play, they will send the results to USCF for review, and then they will post an updated rating for you. Your rating will be provisional for the first 20 games, but it's still a rating nonetheless.  Hope that helps!

How much money does it cost to get a USCF rating or a FIDE? 

Not sure about FIDE, but I think USCF is around $20 (there are different plans) per year, or like me you can become a lifetime member

To join a club just walk though the door.

To get a rating you join your national organization (pay a fee) and then show up at a tournament.

To find these locations you use google.  Also it's useful to know that the US chess federation has a website and your state affiliate of the USCF has a website.

Or use Bing and get lost

I researched this well before posting this.. I want a personal story of what! I want to know exactly what I will go through.. what to expect.. when I register. What was it like for you when you first played? Was your mom there? .. Did you play your best or were you distracted? 

You sign up and you will die through depression as you realize anybody there can beat you :(

First tournament I went to was a state championship (no idea why I chose this lol).  Most tournaments (well, all the tournaments I've ever been to and remember seeing) are at hotels.

So I walk in and ask the front desk where the chess tournament is.  I didn't register for the tournament beforehand, but the front desk also told me where to register (a small room connected to the main room where the games would be played).  If they hadn't, I would have noticed, because there was a line of people (and tons of people standing around with chess equipment, obviously there for the tournament, who I could have asked).

I waited in line and entered the small room, crowded with people.  The TD wasn't able to look up my name in his little book (I still don't know what that book was heh) because I had just registered with the USCF.  I told him I was unrated, but had played online, and wanted the U1200 section, which was fine with him.

Pages with the tournament info (as posted online) had been printed off and sat on his desk.  I took one, put it in my bag, and went to my room at the hotel.  I arrived early for the first round and they were posting the pairings at different places in the large room.  It's easy to see where because people crowd around the 5x11 sheet and basically you have to wait in line to get close enough to see.  There I find the info of my opponent, board number, and what color I'm playing.  I see I'm playing someone rated 1000 and I'm black.  Each table has one (or more) numbers prominently posted on them, and are in numerical order, so it's easy for me to find my table.

The organizer had a desk set up on one side of the room with score sheets (the paper you record your moves on) and pens.  I brought my own not knowing this, so I didn't need them.

I arrived before my opponent and set up my board.  5 minutes later a kid sits down and asks me what my first name is to confirm he's found the right place.  He's my opponent, but neither of us brought clocks.  I'm not sure what to do and the TD is already starting the pre-round announcements so everyone is being quiet and listening.  Before the games start he asks if anyone has any questions to ask so I raise my hand.  Some assistant guy comes over and I say we have no clock.  He says they have some extra ones that we can use and finds one for us.  In between round 1 and 2 I notice there's a chess vendor who set up a small shop and is selling clocks and I buy a cheap one.  All my other opponents had a clock though.

On the flier with the tourney info is the start of each round, but if there are any delays they will post the new start time near the exits.

The people I ran into were friendly.  When I raised my hand the players I was sitting next to asked what was wrong, and told me the same info the assistant guy did.

It was a bit unnerving to play a kid (I was an adult), but I just tried to ignore it.  Lots of kids play in tournaments, weak and strong, so just be ready for that.  Some people were well dressed and well groomed, some looked (and smelled) homeless, but most looked regular and dressed casual.  The parents of kids hang around off to the side or you can spot them in the lobby taking care of whatever siblings they brought with them.

In the game, the kid developed all his pieces and castled... the longer he didn't drop any material the more tense I became.  Finally around move 25 he gave me the opportunity to advance a pawn and fork a bishop and knight and cleanly win a piece.  After that I was able to relax and just traded pieces off into a won endgame.  In my other games I wasn't so tense.

I didn't keep many of the score sheets for my first few tournaments, so I don't have the game.  Don't let this be you!  You may not care about the games afterwards, you may think they have no instructive value, or maybe a mistake embarrassed you.  In 10+ years though you'll probably want them if only as mementos.

Near the vender in between rounds people had set up some boards and were playing speed chess, most of them less than 5 minutes, especially the kids.  I learned this is apparently called "skittles" games.  I thought this would be a fun way to unwind before the next round and played a few.  One kid I played was something like a hustler (no betting involved) when he picked up the clock and said he was going to set it to a different time.  When he put it down the clock read 30 for each of us, and so I thought we each had 30 minutes.  I lost on time around the 3rd move as I noticed he'd actually set it for 30 seconds he laughed and squirmed with delight that his trick had worked, I chuckled.  On another game he quickly replaced his king with another queen before I made my first move, then explained because I had started the game now I had to play with the pieces as they were (lol).

After each tournament game I chatted with my opponent and we looked at what could have been in our game.  All of them were polite and as far as I could tell just regular people.

I also learned the lower your board number, the better you're doing in the tournament (best players play on board 1).  The open section (where the best players played) was set apart and sometimes I walked over there to look at the titled players playing.

At the end of it all people were waiting around for them to announce prizes.  I already knew I didn't win any money (and I didn't know anyone there) so after chatting with my last round opponent, I left.  In big tournaments with long time controls it seems you're either playing, eating, or sleeping, and I was tired and ready to go home.

My next tournament I went with some club-mates and that's even more fun.  In between rounds you can show each other your games.  And if you traveled there with them you can chat about it on the way home.

Oh, and I had no trouble concentrating, or remembering to hit my clock, or recording my moves.  Some people say it's hard at first, but for whatever reason I never had any trouble with this (even though I had only ever played online before this).

I will say I had read a few chess books, so I was already very comfortable with chess notation.

Very much love you story shell_knight .. you are very insightful and it was an absolute delight reading about your personal experience. Well worded and told me exactly what I was asking for not ubiquitous in the least. Really took an interest. I think its so good that you could probably sell your cool story :). In lieu .. I am still very nervous. If its possible I would like to read about another players first time.. what exactly was it like? 

I can't say how it works in the US, but down there in France you have to register with a club to get your license. The license allows you to have a rating (FIDE), and is necessary to play in most serious tournaments.

Since clubs don't run for free, if you want to play into them for real, it (license fee + club membership) ends up at $50-100 depending on the club, more if it hires titled players to give lessons.

IIRC however the license fee here is through the roof compared to the US because the federation heavily sponsors the tournaments, so that tournaments are cheaper/better in comparison.

If you are just starting chess I would recommend trying only a club before getting a license. There you can ask people whether it's worth it. Most clubs will let you in for a few times even if you haven't registered (and if they don't, don't register, they're jerks).

Most clubs in the US have no fees, and they're not necessary to play in a tournament.

But big clubs will have a fee, and offer tournaments to members (or at least at a discount to members).  It's also worth starting with a club to get to know people in your area.  It's also a good source of info e.g. what tournaments are coming up and what you can expect.  And if they're friendly enough you can go in a group and even split travel costs e.g. hotel fee for multi-day tournaments.

Also, people are more eager than not to play the new guy, so no worries about getting a game.  Walking in is really all it takes.

USCF is getting fancy. I got my new card in, and it's a nice, sturdy, credit-card plastic one, rather than a perforated-paper rectangle that quickly fades in bright light. Maybe they’re rewarding me—I must of bought over $500.00 worth of stuff from them the last 3 years or so.

Huh? How do they pay the bills then?

I have no clue of how it goes, are they run pro bono by benevol members?

Coffee shops, churches, malls, and libraries are some of the places used for the clubs I've visited.  Some of the irregular ones include a building the guy owned (some factory and we played in a back room) and a police station (they offered a free room to the public as long as you reserved it in advance).

I later found out one club became so big, the coffee shop owner kicked them out for taking up all the tables

Anyway, all these places were free of course.  Us players brought our own boards and clocks.

Of course there are nice ones that own their own building and are a dedicated club.  AFAIK you'll only find those in big cities, and yes you pay a membership fee.  If you're just starting out though that seems unnecessary to me... find one of the free ones where a small group meets at a coffee shop.

Hmm, well I'm glad you found it interesting :)  To me it seems like a very ordinary story.

I think your insight is cool .. even if its just a 'basic story' it is exactly what I am looking for. In my head that is exactly what I thought would happen. What do you tell a person when you give up? Do you say I resign? I play otb all the time now days.. against random people at a bar for money.. but I kind of hustle them a bit... oh thats how you castle?? What's this called .. your king is pinned to your bishop and I am attacking it 3 times type of thing.. my girl friend was making fun of me today.. she said I just have anxiety because if I play a kid and lose.. I like the fact that a kid could play chess and beat me.. what I don't like is a parent talking to them during the game or pulling them aside. Maybe I will just try to play coffee shop tournaments... maybe that is best for me. I do not want to pay a fee for a sure thing loss every game.. I am questioning my self.. 'what if my tactics are no good?' I am comfortable being beating by a witty opponent but if an opponent starts kicking me underneath the table when I have a winning position.. could I stop myself from getting angry? Its hard to decide if I want to play chess in paid tournaments... what if I am hungry or tired.. I might lose against all. I have a lot of social anxiety and adhd as well.. if one thing distracting happens I really might play inferior. I understand chess rules and writing down your moves.. that sounds easy.. but if I don't buy my own clock and don't have money to afford it.. I am in trouble.. in that situation.. I am sure no one will let me use there's.. I don't know what to do

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