The Everything Chess Basics Book (61 page)

How much does USCF membership cost?
A one-year membership is currently $13 for scholastic members (age fourteen and under), $20 for youth members (age twenty-two and under), $30 for senior members (age sixty-five and over), $32 for Internet members, and $40 for regular adult members. (Please refer to
www.uschess.org
for updated rates.) Special rates are also available for blind members and prison members. Please note that Internet members do not receive a magazine. Discounted rates are also available for anyone who chooses to sign up for more than one year. (By the time you read this, membership rates may have changed. Please contact the membership department at the USCF at
1-800-388-5464 for current membership categories and prices.)

Should my child become a member of the
USCF?
A USCF membership is a great value. If your child enjoys chess, the USCF and the authors encourage him or her to become a member.

What is a family membership?
Family membership is a special membership category available only if a member of your immediate family is a USCF member who lives with you and receives
Chess Life.
For example, if your spouse is a regular USCF member, you may become a family member. For membership rates, please visit
www.uschess.org
. Family members do not receive a magazine but are entitled to all of the other benefits of USCF membership.

What are the benefits of USCF affiliation?
USCF affiliates receive a subscription to
Chess Life
and the USCF rating supplements, discounts on merchandise sold by the USCF, and a listing on the USCF Web site. USCF affiliates also have the right to run USCF-sanctioned tournaments and sell USCF memberships.

Should our chess club affiliate with the
USCF?
We think so. We have more than 2,000 affiliates throughout the United States, and we hope that your club will join our happy family.

When is my child ready to play in a
nation-al championship tournament?
Many of our national scholastic championships are open tournaments. You don’t have to be a chess champion to participate. Thousands of players participate in our national scholastic championships each year. Many of these players are novices, and some are even playing in their first tournament. If your child knows all the rules of the game and enjoys playing chess, then your child is ready to play in a national championship tournament.

Why do chess tournaments have different
sections?
Many large tournaments are divided into sections according to age, grade, or rating. This gives players an opportunity to play against opponents who are approximately the same age or ability level. For example, the National Scholastic K–12 Grade Chess Championship is divided into thirteen sections, one for each grade. At this tournament players must play in the section that corresponds to their grade. The National Elementary Chess Championship is divided into six sections, but players have more flexibility. At this tournament each section has an upper limit for a player’s grade or rating. A third-grader with a rating below 800 could choose to play in the K-3 Under 800 section, the K-3 Championship section, the K-5 Under 1,000 section, the K-5 Championship section, the K-6 Under 1,000 section, or the K-6 Championship section, but a sixth-grader with a rating of 1,000 or higher is only eligible to play in the K-6 Championship section.

Should my child play in “adult”
tournaments?
Most “adult” tournaments are actually open tournaments that are open to players of all ages. Some young players may be anxious about playing against adults, but open tournaments can be just as much fun as scholastic tournaments. Experienced chess coaches know that players who want to improve need to compete against challenging opponents. If your child is competing in scholastic tournaments and is winning more games than he or she is losing, it might be time to enter some “adult” tournaments in order to find some more challenging opponents.