Remember, if you need to find a TD to resolve something, you are entitled to stop the clock if you inform your opponent that you are seeking out a TD. To help you find one photos of all the TDs are posted near the bulletin board.

B. Last Months Winners

A photo of our winners from last month is on the cover of our past winners photo book in the display rack.

The winner of last month’s Open section was _______

The winner of the Middle section was _______

The winner of the Lower section was _______

C. Play and the Rules

You are responsible for knowing the Club rules. We have a Tournament FAQ brochure just for this purpose. If your opponent knows the Club rules and you don’t, you are at a disadvantage and may be disappointed, should a problem occur during your game.

Remember, if you want to apply one of your half point byes to the last round, you must commit to it irrevocably by the start of Round 2.

Both players are responsible for seeing that the result of their game gets posted. As soon as your game ends, immediately pick up your belongings and any trash, record your score and move to the skittles room.

Remember, the time control is 40/90 then SD/30. Digital clocks are preferred. Do not subtract any time from the game.

D. Announcements

Don’t forget, each week the Group Lesson begins at 6:30 PM.

A book vendor will be present for Round 1 of the next event. (if applicable)

The display rack next to the bulletin board flyers of area events.

Please remember to deposit your game scores in the slot in the display rack. We would prefer to get your game electronically.

We have nice shirts, caps and other items with the Club logo available for sale.

Are there any other announcements that need to be made?

Any Questions

The Pairings are ……..

II. Playing at a club

A. What is different about playing at a club instead of my computer?

There’s a big difference between sitting in front of a machine and sitting across from another person. When you play another person, it’s like having a long conversation without words. When the game is over, you can discuss what happened and what might have been. You can learn much more from playing a person than just getting a pass or fail in your test against a machine. There’s another whole dimension to the game as well. The machine usually plays to its potential, people seldom do. When the machine makes a mysterious move, you’re generally the one in trouble. When it’s a person across from you who makes a mysterious move, someone’s probably in trouble, but it’s not necessarily you. Now you have to figure out if your opponent blundered, or if you’re about to fall into a trap. No matter how bad things may be going for you or your opponent, the game is never over as long as someone can goof.

B. What is different about playing at a club instead of on the Internet?

Much of what we said about playing against a computer also applies to playing on the Internet. Internet play has some additional downsides to it though. Unless you have the discipline to play games with long time controls (at least 60 minutes for each player), the tenancy for most people is to play “fast” games. It’s generally well accepted in the chess world that fast play, while perhaps more exciting, does little to improve ones ability to play the game well. It does in fact train you move quickly and wait to see what the outcome will be. Nowadays, most people new to the Club come to us after having played regularly on the Internet for some time. Most of them have to struggle through a transition period of learning to take their time to think about their moves instead of just moving. While they may have played many games and seen many interesting traps on the Internet, it does them little good when they sit down to play and make their moves in a minute or less while their opponent takes 5 or 10 minutes examining each of those moves to find the flaw in it. It’s not unusual for the “Internet player” to have used only 20 minutes on the clock while their club opponent has used about an hour and a half. You’ll find the game takes on a whole other dimension when you learn to play “slow” chess, as you’ll find it in the Club environment.

C. Can I watch someone else’s game or look around while I play?

No problem. Whether you are playing or have just come to look things over, you can wander among the games in progress. Because play is divided into sections based on skill, you can check out what play is like at the different levels. It’s kind of like flipping the channels on the TV when every channel has a different baseball game on it. When you spot one that’s got something interesting going on, you can stay there a while to see what happens. Even better, as the players are going over their game together in the skittles room, you can ask them why they did what they did at various points during their game.

D. I don’t have a “Rating”. How do I know I’m good enough to play at the Club?

There are over 84,000 rated players in the United States. Just because these people have a rating does not necessarily mean they’re better than you! A USCF rating is simply a system to let you know how your playing strength compares to everyone else who has a rating. Ratings go from 0 to about 2800. You’re considered a master when you have a rating of 2200 or greater. The majority of people are in the middle of the range at about 1500. It takes about 25 rated games to get a rating that is accurate enough to reflect your playing strength. After your first 25 rated games, every win earns you points on your rating. Of course, losses take your rating in the other direction. Get a rating and find out where you stand. You might be one of the greats, but the world won’t know it until you have a rating.

E. Why shouldn’t I be afraid to play at the Club (because I am !)?

Many people who haven’t played organized chess are fearful of “jumping in”. Most of our new members started out this way, but after hanging out at the Club, playing some casual games, watching what’s going on and getting some pointers on their game, they make the jump. They come to realize that the best way to improve their game is to play and learn. It does take some time to get used to playing with a clock, writing your games down, and actually playing your best, all at the same time. At first, all this stuff may be distracting, but after a while, you’ll be able to focus more sharply on your game than ever before.

F. Will there be any other beginners like me?

Each month we usually have someone, such as you, who has never played a rated game before, joining the Club to play. There is no such thing as "not good enough to play at a club". Everybody is at some level of skill. Many have started out at the bottom and worked their way up. Others have found that they were much better than they thought. All you need is the desire to play and learn and you will have an enjoyable experience at the Club.

G. How would you characterize general atmosphere?

While most members are serious about improving their game, they have a lot of fun while doing it. We have tried and have been fairly successful at creating a friendly and social atmosphere. There’s a lot of friendly banter going on in the skittles room where everyone goes to analyze the games just played, and to socialize. What makes the Club a great place to play and improve is that most everyone is willing to help you with your game if they can, and if they can’t, they’ll certainly be eager to have you help them with theirs.

III. Byes and Pairings

A. What is a bye?

A bye means that the player is not scheduled to play for one of several reasons and that they may be given 0, ½ or 1 point in the tournament. Byes are either requested by a player or given to a player due to special circumstances. Club and USCF rules determine the points given for a bye.

B. What are the Club’s rules concerning byes?

1. In Swiss-system events of any number of rounds, a maximum of two half-point byes for the event is allowed.

2. Players entering an event after the first round will have their half-point byes applied starting with round 1 until all of the allowed half-point byes are used.

3. Once a player's half point byes are used, any other requested byes shall be zero point byes.

4. A bye requested for the last round must be committed to before the start of the 2nd round and is irrevocable after the start of the 2nd round.

5. Players entered in a tournament are always obligated to notify the Club if they will miss any round for which they have not previously requested a bye. Failure to notify the Club properly will result in the player being assessed a forfeit penalty.

C. How do you request a bye?

There are only two valid ways to request a bye.

1. By filling out the bye sheet at the Club.

2. By leaving a message on the Club answering machine before 7:00 PM of the night of play. The number is 508-788-3641.

We have club business cards and wall magnets available at the Club with the phone number on it. Put the number in your Cell phone, keep it on the wall at both work and home and put it in your wallet. Keep it wherever you might need it. Don’t forfeit. We have strict penaltie