Tournament Announcements (TLAs)

National events determine national titles and are available through our bidding process
Bidding Brochure     Events overdue for bids     Sponsorship opportunites also available

Other Tournament Related Information

• 2005 US Open information
  2005 U.S. Open - Aug. 6-14, 9-14 or 10-14, 2005 - Phoenix, AZ TLA
• 2005 Denker Tournament of High School Champions - within the 2005 U.S. Open -
  Rules for 2005 Denker - Aug. 7-12, 2005 - Phoenix, AZ
• 2005 Susan Polgar National Invitational for Girls - K-12 - within the 2005 U.S. Open
  Rules and Conditions 2005 Susan Polgar Invitational - Aug. 7-12, 2005 - Phoenix, AZ
• 2005 U.S. Class Championships - Aug. 26-28 or Aug. 27-28 - Chesterfield, MO
• 2005 National Youth Action   November 18 - 20   Atlanta, GA
• 2005 National K-12/Collegiate Championship   December 2 - 4   Houston, TX
• Looking for a Chess Camp?
• New Service For TD's and Affiliates
• Computerization and the Ratings System - an update
• Tournament Rating Reports Received List
• Check out, "Whats New" - another great resource regarding upcoming National Events!
• USCF Invitational Event Requirements - revised August 2003 (#7 rev. 5/04)
• Upcoming National Events!
• Find out how to get your tournament in our Tournament Listings
• Tournament Life Announcement Schedules for Chess Life - TLA Schedules.

The US Chess Federation is a not-for-profit JOIN/RENEW organization devoted to extending the role of chess in the United States. USCF serves as the governing body for chess in the United States and as a participant in international chess organizations and projects. In addition to Over the Board (OTB) tournaments throughout the United States, it also sanctions correspondence chess and Scholastic events.

Unless otherwise specified, all tournaments are open to all USCF members, and you can join the USCF by calling 1-931-787-1234 or in person at most events. Members receive an official rating after playing four rated tournament games, and an "established" rating after playing over 25 games. For more information, see the Ratings Section. In addition to the benefits of tournament play, USCF members receive discounts on chess equipment and books or call 1-800-388-5464 (KING) to order.

Our Directory of Upcoming Events comes from the Tournament Life Announcements section of Chess Life magazine. In some cases events are shown in the online version which arrived too late to be included in the printed edition. In addition to Detail Listings by State, the National Events Calendar shows tournaments of 15 Grand Prix Points or more for the current month. If we have received the TLA for a national event, you can check: National Events TLA section. Or see the Plan Ahead Listing of Major Events which includes tournaments with prize funds of $5,000 or more planned for the next 18 months.

An explanation of the Announcements, including abbreviations used, is available.

USCF-rated tournaments are offered in several different formats. All require USCF membership.

• Grand Prix Events: Major tournaments with guaranteed prize funds. Listed in both state announcements and the Grand Prix section.
• Over the Board (OTB) Tournaments: Standard rated tournaments of all sizes played at a time control of Game in 30 minutes or slower. See the states directory.
• Scholastic Tournaments and Rated Beginners or Novice Opens: Special rated tournaments for young players, or for inexperienced players of all ages. These often are completed in one day, usually have low entry fees, and are a good way to obtain an initial rating and a taste of serious chess under tournament rules. The Beginners and Novice events are often open to players rated Under 1000 or Under 1200 and Unrated; larger events also sometimes have equivalent sections. NOTE: Nonrated novice and beginner tournaments are no longer listed here or in Chess Life magazine, as they have proven far less popular than rated beginner events.
• Correspondence Chess: Correspondence tournaments involving chess by mail or e-mail are available through our Correspondence Chess Department.
• Quick rated OTB and online tournaments: These have time controls between Game/5 (5 minutes per player per game) and Game/29, are rated under a separate Quick Chess rating system, and do not affect your regular rating. They are listed within the standard tournament announcements and identified with "QC." Many OTB events with time controls between Game/30 and Game/60 are "dual rated" in both the Regular and Quick rating systems.
• Leagues:USCF-rated leagues, either scholastic or those open to all ages. We will provide a free monthly TLA for each league consisting of league name, dates or time of year, site (if all teams play at same site), and contact info. See League Tla's.
• Non-ratable events: Simuls, Master Exhibitions, Chess Camps, Chess Variants, etc.