Initially you’ll have to play in the Unrated section, because of course you have no rating. After the tournament you’ll be assigned a “provisional rating”. This will be your starting rating, and will be used to pair you in future tournaments. You’ll remain “provisional” for your first 25 games. The provisional rating can swing wildly for your first few games, but it will settle down quickly to your actual playing strength. I went through the same process about five years ago when I started playing in local tournaments. Good luck in your first tournament! 🙂
do open chess tournaments count toward rating in the USCF
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hello all, recently I got myself a USCF membership to be able to compete in IRL tournaments. next month there is a tournament occurring at my university with 2 sections of play, an U1400 section and an "open and unrated" from what I have gathered I am not able to compete in the U1400 because I do not have a rating with USCF. I would like to be able to play in U1400 sections in the future. do the Open and unrated section games count towards my rating?
many thanks for any help.