Help: FAQ about tournament

Hello,

I'm a newbie to chess.  I learn how to play chess 3 months ago and have only played online.  Recently, I purchased the USCF membership to become "official" and to have the experience of playing face-to-face with other people.  I'm planning to register for a rated tournament at a local club, but I have no idea what goes on at a tournament.  Could you let me know what items I should bring to the tournament?  Where can I purchase decent chess set and clock?  I'm a student so I'm looking for something under $50.  My online rating is around 1400 in LiveChess here so how do you think I will stack up against USCF members?  Any etiquettes during the tournament I should be aware about?  Please share your experience.

Thanks,

NF

Wow, great to hear you are starting to get involved with the USCF and tournament play. I think you will really like it! The 3 basic things you will probably need is 1) A notation pad to take notation of your games during the tournament, 2) A tournament sized chess board, 3) A chess clock (Although your opponent may have the latter two things). You should visit the chess shop for Chess.com at http://www.chess.com/equipment

And my last advice to you and most important is to have fun and enjoy your first experience at a tournament.

Have fun, keep a positive attitude, learn from the games you play and record. If you can wander about and look at what others or playing, enjoy yourself.

Thanks everyone.  The local club meets every Tuesday evening so I will wander in today to get a feel of the place.  I'm excited to finally meet people with a common interest.  Hopefully, that will motivate me to improve my game. 

One of the things I enjoyed most about over the board tournament play, was talking to other players between rounds, especially the person you just played. Don't be shy about asking someone you just played if they would like to spend a few minutes reviewing the game with you outside (i.e. away from the other games still going on.) You will be surprised about what the were really thinking while making some of the moves they did. You will learn a lot this way. Have fun!