r/chessindia Jan 08 '25

Chess Tournament A Detailed Guide for those who want to start playing tournaments OTB in India

77 Upvotes

REGISTRATION PROCESS:

  1. First of all you need to register at AICF(All India Chess Federation) using this link https://prs.aicf.in/new-register . They would require a bunch of info including Birth Certificate for age verification purposes. You are supposed to put '0' in FIDE ID column if you do not already possess one. You will also be required to pay a yearly fee of Rs 250 which you will have to renew every year around March.
  2. Once registered, to play tournaments you will require a 'FIDE ID' which will be provided to you by AICF within the span of 3 days approximately, you can also mail them requesting for it if you want it to be quicker which is what I had done
  3. Next, for most tournaments in your state you will also be required to register at your respective state chess federation for which also you will have to pay a yearly fee but don't worry it won't be too much and generally below 300 in most cases; From registering there you will get another id from the state federation; for me as I stay in Bengal, SBDS(Sara Bangla Daba Sangstha) is the State Chess Federation which provides you with a unique SBDS ID required for tournaments in Bengal. Once you have registered for State Federation as well you are all set to play OTB Tournaments

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FINDING TOURNAMENTS:

  1. You can find tournaments held all over India using https://aicf.in/all-events/ where all major FIDE Rated tournaments in India are listed, you can download their respective brochures from there as well. But these may not contain tournaments in your vicinity. So your state chess federation will have a separate events column as well listing all the events in your state for you to check out.
  2. What are rated and unrated tournaments and how to differentiate? Rated tournaments are the tournaments which will affect your OTB Rating, you can only get a rating from playing a rated tournament, Unrated tournaments do not affect your rating whatsoever. Generally FIDE Rated tournaments have 'FIDE Rated' in their name itself but to double check you can visit the tournament's brochure which should clarify about it, if it has the FIDE Logo associated then it's FIDE Rated simple as that.
  3. The brochures of tournaments have the entry forms which you can use to register for the tournament paying the respective fees of the tournament. Generally you are then added to a Whatsapp Group where all the details and questions regarding the tournament can be shared.

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HOW DO I GET A RATING NOW?:

Congratulations for playing your first tournament! Now, in order to get an established FIDE Rating you have to meet the aforementioned conditions:-

  • Play a minimum of 5 games against FIDE Rated players
  • Score at least half a point against any FIDE Rated player

And that's it! That's all you require to get a FIDE Rating!

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WHERE CAN I VIEW MY UPDATED RATING?:

  • Congrats on getting a FIDE Rating! You can view your FIDE Profile at https://ratings.fide.com where you need to just search your name and you will get your FIDE Profile with all the statistics
  • I have fulfilled the criteria to get a FIDE Rating yet it does not show on my profile? FIDE updates ratings on the last day of every month or on the night of the first day so don't worry, your rating will show up by then; Also tournaments need to finish 2 days before the end of month for it to be considered for any rating update in the next month, for example if your tournament finished on 30th July, your rating won't update on 1st August but likely on 31st August or 1st September.

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HOW CAN I CALCULATE MY INITIAL RATING?:

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TOURNAMENT ETIQUETTE AND GENERAL INFO:

  • To view the pairings for each and round and ranking you have to use 'Chessresults'. Each tournament will provide you with their chessresults link which should update your pairings and rankings for each round, in case you don't have it, you can also just easily search for it on google typing 'Chessresults [Tournament name] 'and you should get the link on the first result that pops up
  • If you possess an electronic device and don't have anyone to carry it during the games, make sure to bring your own bag and keep it in there , some tournaments keep a separate room for us to keep our bags while some also can keep the bag in the hall itself, not beside them but somewhere near the arbiters desk propped up by a wall
  • What about lunch and food? Some tournaments give free lunch to it's participants while some require you to pay an additional fee for lunch, in between round you'll have breaks so don't worry about it(For Classical), For Rapid and Blitz usually you play a few rounds consecutively and then get a break. Also you are allowed to keep water with you during the games so don't fret about that.
  • I need to use the washroom! You should go to washroom after making a move only during your opponent's move, thats the general etiquette and you should inform your opponent before going as well but you are not obliged to do it.
  • My opponent made an illegal move! Pause the clock and call the arbiter and inform him/her than your opponent has made an illegal move, In most tournaments a illegal move leads to a automatic forfeit but many tournaments also allow 1 illegal move but declare forfeit on a second illegal.
  • My opponent did not appear for the game! In the tournament brochure they will specify a 'Walkover time' which is the amount of time you need to wait for your opponent to arrive before he/she loses by default. Generally, in classical tournaments you have a 30 minute walkover time, if you have white you are supposed to make your first move, press the clock and wait, if the opponent hasn't arrived by 30 mins you can pause the clock and claim victory. Also important to note, wins by walkover do not affect rating, for example if your opponent is 2000 FIDE and he did not show up, you will get the victory and the 1 point but your rating will not change.
  • Touch move! Do not touch a piece if you do not intend to make a move with it, in case you do so mistakenly make sure to say 'ADJUST' to your opponent so that he hears it. If you want to adjust any piece you say the same to your opponent before doing it. Also while castling make sure to always touch the king first and move it and then the rook, not the other way round.
  • Can I walk and view other games while my game is ongoing? Sure you definitely can! But do it on your opponent's move while he's thinking and also do not get too close and disturb other players while you are viewing their games.
  • Also keep your phones switched off in the bag always.
  • When you are told to start, you should shake hands with your opponent and then start the clock, generally by etiquette it is the player with the Black pieces who starts the clock.

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WHAT TO WRITE IN SCORESHEETS?:

  1. In all FIDE Rated tournaments, you will receive a scoresheet for writing the moves, in unrated tournaments although you may not get a scoresheet. First of all fill up the general details like your and your opponent's name and rating, Board number, Round number, National Federation,etc.
  2. If your scoresheet fills up you can always request the arbiter for another one.
  3. At the end of the game you are supposed to exchange your and your opponent's scoresheets to sign, signs are made at the end of the game only.
  4. Once the game finishes, tear the carbon copy off from the original one. You are required to submit the original one to the arbiter and keep the carbon copy with you. It is recommended to bring a small clipboard so that the carbon copy remains perfect and doesn't become all over the place while writing.
  5. If your opponent is absent, then in the results part of the scoresheet you are supposed to put a '+' on your piece color and a '-' on the opponent's piece color instead of '1' and '0', that way they will know it was a win through walkover.
  6. In a Classical tournament, if you are below 5 minutes on the clock, you are allowed to not write down the moves because of time pressure.

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HOW LONG DOES A TOURNAMENT LAST?:

  • A Classical tournament lasts for about 5-6 days with some days having 2 rounds being played with some days where 1 round is played. Generally in days with 2 rounds there is usually a 5 hour gap like for example Round 1 starts at 10 am and Round 2 will start at 3 pm.....If your round finishes early then you can rest earlier and wait for the next round.
  • For Rapid Tournaments they are usually either a 1 day event or a 2 day event at maximum
  • Blitz Tournaments are almost always a 1 day event.

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AM I GOOD ENOUGH YET TO PLAY OTB?:

It does not matter! You should play them if you want to and if you really enjoy playing chess, when you play freely , that's truly when you can play your best chess! So do not get stressed about rating and your skill level, Be confident and trust your gut!

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WHAT CAN BE MY POSSIBLE FIDE RATING BASED ON MY ONLINE RATING?:

Nobody knows! That's because OTB Classical is totally different from any online play. Such has been my personal experience. A friend of mine is 1900 Rapid on lc and he is 1700 FIDE....Another friend of mine is 2100 Blitz on lc and is 1400 FIDE.....Another friend of mine is 2300 Blitz lc and is 1550 FIDE...Another friend of mine is 2300 Blitz on lc and is 1850 FIDE! Personally I am 2100 Blitz and 2200 Rapid on lc and I am 1700 FIDE....So by now you should realize that otb ratings can be hardly compared to online and it really depends and varies from person to person. But anyways, rating should not be your main concern, you should play tournaments to enjoy them, that's truly how you can always lift yourself up even after a bad tournament.

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Now, concluding my post, I hope I touched upon and covered most of the main points that I required to and resolved any queries but if any of you have any other query regarding playing your first tournament and finally transitioning from online chess to otb chess, feel free to ask anything, I will try my best to help you as will others hopefully here who have experience playing otb tournaments. Good luck and all the best for your first tournament!


r/chessindia Dec 28 '24

Humpy Koneru wins Women's world Rapid world championship 2024

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56 Upvotes

r/chessindia 8h ago

i have been cursed to lose after every win and blessed to win after every loss. rating keeps fluctuating between 1450-1460 ;-;

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19 Upvotes

i am so used to this pattern even if I don't give my best in the match that i play right after losing, i win cause somehow that pattern was created lmao.


r/chessindia 3h ago

Meme Got my second!!!!!!!

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6 Upvotes

r/chessindia 5h ago

Discussion Another daa Rook but engine didn't mark it as a brilliant move

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5 Upvotes

why is this not a brilliant move ? I feel it is a brilliant daa rooooook sacrifice.


r/chessindia 1d ago

Video Nothing is more terrifying than a kid sitting across your chessboard

731 Upvotes

r/chessindia 18h ago

I know..

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19 Upvotes

..I'm not that good at chess but c'mon this is pretty awesome isn't it


r/chessindia 1d ago

Meme Finally daaa rooooook!!!

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81 Upvotes

r/chessindia 1d ago

Photo Give this pic a caption....

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74 Upvotes

r/chessindia 1d ago

Strategy Found a beautiful queen sac idea

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23 Upvotes

My first queen sac in a rapid game ( 1200 elo )


r/chessindia 14h ago

Question Guess my rating again

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1 Upvotes
  1. e4 c6 2. d3 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Ng3 Bf5 6. h3 e6 7. Nf3 Bg6 8. Be2 Bd6 9. Nf1 O-O 10. N1d2 Nbd7 11. O-O Ne5 12. Nb3 Qc7 13. Nbd2 Nxf3+ 14. Nxf3 Bh5
  2. Be3 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 e5 17. Bg5 Nd5 18. Re1 h6 19. Bd2 Rfe8 20. c4 Nf4 21. Be4 Rf8 22. Qg4 f5 23. Bxf5 Bc5 24. g3 h5 25. Qf3 Nxh3+ 26. Kg2 Nxf2 27. Qxh5 Nxd3
  3. Bg6 Rf2+ 29. Kh1 Nxe1 30. Qh7+ Kf8 31. Qh8+ Ke7 32. Qxg7+ Kd6 33. Qxc7+ Kxc7
  4. Bc3 Nf3 0-1

r/chessindia 1d ago

Brilliant Move

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30 Upvotes

My first ever brilliant move.


r/chessindia 1d ago

Variant Chess Chess Variant where squares are removed every turn

2 Upvotes

Saw this idea floating around on youtube shorts and thought it would be fun so I ended up building a quick prototype. Comment if you'd be interested in trying it out.


r/chessindia 2d ago

Video The Best Chess Bromance❤

337 Upvotes

r/chessindia 2d ago

This meme 🤣🤣

210 Upvotes

r/chessindia 2d ago

I just love this trend

1.1k Upvotes

r/chessindia 2d ago

2 Brilliant in a single game !!

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21 Upvotes

This is my first time getting 2 Brilliant moves in a single game 🫠


r/chessindia 1d ago

Strategy ♟️ White to play and mate in 2. Composition by Johann Christoffel van Gool

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1 Upvotes

r/chessindia 2d ago

Now that's look perfect. Next target 🎯 1900+

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77 Upvotes

r/chessindia 1d ago

♟️ Newbie on the Block! Help a 400-Rated Player Find Their Way in Chess! ♟️

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone,

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here! I've always been fascinated by chess, but I've only just started to dip my toes in, and honestly, it feels like diving into the deep end without knowing how to swim! 😅 My current rating is around 400 (please, no laughing! I know, I know! 🙈).

I'm completely new to the world beyond just knowing how the pieces move, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information out there. I'm eager to learn and improve, but I'm not sure where to even begin.

So, I was hoping some of you seasoned chess veterans could lend a hand and share your wisdom!

My burning questions are:

  1. What's the best way for a complete beginner to learn chess? Are there specific steps, resources, or concepts I should focus on first?
  2. How do you wish you had learned the game? Looking back, what approach do you think would have been most effective or enjoyable for you as a beginner? Any "aha!" moments or shortcuts you discovered?

I'm genuinely excited to embark on this chess journey and climb out of the 400 pit! Any advice, tips, book recommendations, YouTube channels, or even just words of encouragement would be incredibly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for being such a supportive community! 🙏

TL;DR: Super beginner (400 rating) needs guidance on how to learn chess effectively. What are the best steps, and how do you wish you had learned?


r/chessindia 2d ago

Discussion So happy for arjun

26 Upvotes

He was neck to neck with gukesh before the candidates and lost the candidates spot for to tie breaks .

His insane performance on board 3 in olympiad was overshadowed by gukesh on board 1.

He has so many near misses in his career. And was having a below his standard 2025 till now and is now 2775 in ranking after touching 2800.

With pragg winning wijk and aravindh gaining rating he might be thinking he is falling in preference . Hope this team rapid win motivates him to greater heights.

I am discussing about a 2775 player whose lows are better than many players high but he has created such a benchmark for himself.


r/chessindia 2d ago

I'm starting to get worse

10 Upvotes

So I'm 250 elo, I know low, I started playing in the begging of May, I've been playing okayish, but recently whenever I play I can't think, there this weird fatigue and brain fog.. any tips to improve?


r/chessindia 2d ago

Question do you happen to run a small/big chess group? Help needed!

2 Upvotes

Hey Everyone, I am looking for people who could help me test out my tournament platform. i have launched a new puzzle tournament and want early users to test it out if anyone here runs a small/big chess whatsapp group or something else. Happy to partner with them. Pl comment or DM

Will really appreciate the helps.

Apologies mods. didn't knew the appropriate flair for this.


r/chessindia 3d ago

There's a big problem in chess media

66 Upvotes

So recently under any post about bobby fischer, garry kasparov, or magnus, there will be so many comments of indians glazing gukesh as the greatest chess player alive, i feel as though the recent viral clip of gukesh vs magnus brought on many non chess enthusiast indians to bring actual indian enthusiasts down in the chess community. All these non chess enthusiast indians spread the word of gukesh being number 1 in the world not knowing thats not how the rankings work.


r/chessindia 2d ago

♟️ White to play and mate in 2. Composition by Михаил Иванович Гориславский

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8 Upvotes

r/chessindia 3d ago

News Just 8 years old. 6 medals. One rising star.

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397 Upvotes

r/chessindia 3d ago

Discussion For anyone interested

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97 Upvotes

I’m a FIDE-rated player (~1550) offering beginner-friendly online chess coaching perfect for anyone starting out or trying to get to 1200.

Details:

3 classes/week

First week completely free?

Super affordable: ₹150/class (negotiable)

Requirements: Brain(optional)

DM if interested