Is there a way I can find all the upcoming tournaments near me? I review the tournament section in the last few pages of the monthly issues; as well as the tournament & club section on this site. But, I find that I am not capturing all the upcoming touraments. Do any of you have thoughts or ideas that would shed some light on this?
Thank you.
You can look on the USCF website for all the chess clubs in your part of the state and check out their websites or email their points of contact. The club members may know of a few events that aren’t listed on the USCF website. Also, check out your state association website.
You can search Google for local clubs and if there’s a website that covers social events in your area check it out too. Two other places to look are local recreation centers and retirement communities - neither may know of tournaments but they may know of local players or clubs that could in turn lead you to more tournaments.
Edit: And if you’re fortunate to live in an area with active chess journalism contact that journalist.
TLA Mail is a superb tool for this. From the Upcoming Tournaments page, click on the E-mail Preferences link at the bottom. Get your PIN from the mailing label of your latest Chess Life. A 25-mile radius is good for local events, a 45-mile radius for regional ones.
Also, when you read the TLAs for your state online, be sure you scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page. There are links there to online TLAs that don’t appear in the main listing.