A chess club is a
club
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands and enterprises
...
formed for the purpose of playing the
board game
Board games are tabletop games that typically use . These pieces are moved or placed on a pre-marked board (playing surface) and often include elements of table, card, role-playing, and miniatures games as well.
Many board games feature a comp ...
of
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to disti ...
. Chess clubs often provide for both informal and tournament games and sometimes offer
league
League or The League may refer to:
Arts and entertainment
* ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band
* ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football
Sports
* Sports league
* Rugby league, full contact footba ...
play. Traditionally clubs host over the board, face to face chess more than play on
internet chess servers
The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
or computer chess.
Organization
Clubs are mainly attached to a national federation, either directly or through membership of a regional chess association. The national federation in turn is a member of
FIDE
The International Chess Federation or World Chess Federation, commonly referred to by its French acronym FIDE ( Fédération Internationale des Échecs), is an international organization based in Switzerland that connects the various national c ...
, the international governing body of chess. The global aegis helps to establish uniformity of rules and playing conditions internationally, though some countries such as the United States use their own official set of rules with minor differences from FIDE rules. The
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
has many chess clubs affiliated with the
United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation (also known as US Chess or USCF) is the governing body for chess competition in the United States and represents the U.S. in FIDE, the World Chess Federation. US Chess administers the official national rating s ...
(USCF). A club's affiliation with its national chess federation helps to standardize
chess tournament
A chess tournament is a series of chess games played competitively to determine a winning individual or team. Since the first international chess tournament in London, 1851, chess tournaments have become the standard form of chess competition amo ...
rules.
Club facilities
Chess clubs typically provide at least some of the following:
* Informal games, 'friendlies'
* Club and inter-club competitions
* Opportunities to play in one or more leagues organized on a geographical basis
* Tournaments
* A
rating system where the results of inter-club games are rated to enable players to judge their standing and progress. Many clubs use the rating system provided by FIDE or their affiliated national chess organization.
* Coaching by a more knowledgeable chess player and lectures/tuition evenings
* A library of chess books and journals, tournament records, internet access to chess databases
* Chess sets and boards, score sheets and chess clocks. Sometimes players may bring their own equipment.
* Adequate rooms or halls with tables and chairs, lighting and ventilation
* A regular meeting place that may be volunteered, rented or owned outright and maintained on club income, membership dues or donations. Small town clubs are usually housed in public, community buildings.
* Local media publicity, chess network contacts
See also
References
"The School Chess Club" English Chess Federation
The English Chess Federation (ECF) is the governing chess organisation in England. It is affiliated to FIDE. The ECF was formed in 2004 as one of the more localised successors to the British Chess Federation (BCF), an organisation founded in 1904. ...
, ''accessed 18 November 2009''.
WhereToPlayChess.infois a database of chess clubs and tournaments in the USA.
External links
Directory of English Chess Clubs English Chess Federation
The English Chess Federation (ECF) is the governing chess organisation in England. It is affiliated to FIDE. The ECF was formed in 2004 as one of the more localised successors to the British Chess Federation (BCF), an organisation founded in 1904. ...
Directory of US Chess Clubs United States Chess Federation
The United States Chess Federation (also known as US Chess or USCF) is the governing body for chess competition in the United States and represents the U.S. in FIDE, the World Chess Federation. US Chess administers the official national rating s ...
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