Note: v7.1 of these chapters were uploaded on July 19, 2019 and incorporate minor corrections.

At the 2018 Delegates Meeting in Middleton, Wisconsin, a motion passed to make portions of the 7^thEdition of the US Chess Federation’s Official Rules of Chess edited by Tim Just available on-line in a free, downloadable format. The most utilized chapters in past rulebooks were: Chapter 1 (Official Rules of Chess), Chapter 2 (Tournament Section), and Chapter 11 (Blitz Chess). Those three 7^thedition chapters are now available, individually or packaged together, for viewing and downloading at no cost using these links:

Chapters 1, 2, and 11 Combined

Chapter 1 Only

Chapter 2 Only

Chapter 11 Only

With a simple point and click within the Table of Contents and on cross-referenced items, the rules become easily accessible. You can also do a text search within the PDF. The easy access of these on-line chapters makes excellent reference material for both the Tournament Director (TD) and player alike. TDs are encouraged to compare the on-line material to any printed material presented to them by players before making any rulings.

The full, unabridged paperback of the 7^th edition is available for purchase from US Chess Sales here. The eBook version is available via Amazon. These versions contain pairing rules, prize fund distribution rules, equipment standards, the US Chess Code of Ethics, rating information, correspondence rules, round robin tables, Tournament Director Certification regulations, an index, and much more. All chapters will cross reference rules for the entire book. All TDs should have a complete copy of the 7^th edition of the rulebook either as an eBook or paperback copy.

The initial uploaded files were labeled 7.0; the current files are 7.1. Should it become necessary to update the document further, they will be renamed as 7.2, 7.3, etc. If you note any typos or other mistakes, please send them to [email protected] and put “Rulebook” in the subject line.