How to Run a Chess Tournament

Preparing for the Tournament

• 1

  Establish the day, time and location of the chess tournament that you are planning. Be realistic about your expectations for your first chess tournament; you want to accommodate the most number of players possible without out sourcing yourself too much.

• 2

  Begin advertising and sign-ups a month before your chess tournament. Players are people who are bound to have very full schedules and will need to know ahead of time when the tournament is to take place.

• 3

  Divide registered players into groups, either by age group or by playing ability. This needs to be decided ahead of time, so you can either ask an age or have players acknowledge their skill level ahead of time.

• 4

  Collect the needed number of boards for every player to be involved in a game. If you had twelve players, you would need six chessboards.

Running the Tournament

• 5

  Assign each player within a group, a number and create a chart with each number going down the side and each number in the same group going across the top. With a group of six beginner players, there would be the numbers 1-6 on the left hand side of the grid and the same numbers going along the top.

• 6

  Establish the maximum play time that will be allowed for any chess game.

• 7

  Begin the tournament by having all players match up against another player in the same group. Allow play to continue until each game is completed or the time runs out, which ever happens first.

• 8

  Score the grid accordingly--each player receives 1 point for a win, 0 points for a loss, and half a point for a draw. If player 1 beat player 2, then you would find player 1 on the left hand side, find player 2 along the top and where those two intersect place the score for player 1. You would then find player 2 on the left hand side, player 1 along the top and where these two intersect place the score for player 2.

• 9

  Give out awards at the end--everyone who participates in the chess tournament should receive an award. Award the trophy to the winner of the tournament.

• 10

  Choose players for special awards. If someone has lost every game, they could receive a "Good Sport" award. You can give a runner up trophy for the person who comes in second. Continue giving out the awards until everyone has one.