Starting Out
The Basics
When first starting out as a tournament chess player, you should keep a variety of thoughts in mind. First of all, chess tournaments should always be taken seriously, and they are not a time for one to try out something new. It is best to avoid experimentation in a tournament, because it never pays off in the long-run, and you will have many frustrating losses as a result. Let me give a list of pointers that a lot of tournament players who are starting out tend to forget or overlook:
- ALWAYS get a good amount of sleep before a tournament
- Arrive to the tournament early, and bring a bottle of water and snacks as well
- In between rounds, don't play speed chess. I've done a fair amount of this, and trust me, it's not the best idea
- Bring your best mental game: thinking that you will lose means you will likely lose
- Don't move spontaneously, since you have to make a move once you pick up a piece, unless you say "adjust"
- Turn off your cell phone, because you will be penalized time on your clock, and possibly forfeit the game
- If your opponent offers a draw when you are clearly winning, do not take it, even if they are higher rated
- For your first few tournaments, try playing until the end rather than resigning
If you keep these few things in mind, you should have a fair amount of success. But of course, improving your play is the most important aspect, so I will touch on that.
Improving Your Play
There are many different ways to improve your play at chess, but perhaps the most common and the most affordable is with chess books and articles online. In the Readings portion of this website, I will detail of the best books to own to improve your play. In addition to books and articles, it is also possible to get a chess coach. One can receive coaching in chess both over a chess server and in person. The rates typically vary from $15-$50/hr depending on the experience of the coach. Coaching is best if you have specific questions that a book cannot answer, such as personal suggestions on tournament play, and suggestions from personal experience on how to handle certain situations. However, one of the most useful resources one can invest in is a chess engine. There are several chess engines available to purchase, such as Fritz, Chessmaster, and Shredder. They tend to be on the expensive side, but you get what you pay for. These engines allow one to access a database of thousands of tournament games, and most importantly, analyze their tournament games to find their mistakes and look for the best possible moves in each situation. Of course, the play by these engines is not flawless on a home computer (they nearly are on super-computers), but they definitely serve their purpose for 99.9% of tournament players.
Finding Tournaments
Finding a tournament to play in the United States is as easy as going to the USCF Main Page and searching for tournaments by state. There is a link on my main page that shows this, as well as several other tournaments and other great links. Once you have found a tournament to play in, you should sign up to become a member of the USCF, which is as easy as filling out the form provided on the USCF Website, and going from there. For your first tournament, you should play a Scholastic Tournament if you are a youth, and a small club or local tournament if you are an adult. Avoid the big tournaments at first, because big tournaments require big entry fees, and you will be wasting your time and money if you are not ready for them.