I’m a brand new member of USCF. I’m 62 years young and a total rookie when it comes to chess. My two son’s and two grandson’s all play chess casually. I’m not sure how good they really are; however, they easily whip me on a regular basis. While I don’t mind serving as their punching bag from time to time, the competitive side of me would like to show them the “old man” has not completely gone to seed. While I’m not retired, I do have a little more time at this stage in my life to study, practice, and play. I’ve set myself a goal of studying/practicing this summer and then, come the fall, entering a few local USCF recognized tournaments in my home state of Arizona. Besides having fun by giving my kids a run for the money on a regular basis, I also think the mental exercise of practicing and playing will provide me with long term health benefits. I just need a little guidance to make sure I’m pointed in the right direction.
How do I establish a rating? It appears I’ll need one to enter any tournament.
How do I discern which local tournaments would be best for my initial efforts? In Arizona, it appears most tournaments are focused on the youngsters.
Would a chess coach benefit someone of my vintage? Again, it appears all the local coaches in my area are focused on the youngsters.
I completely understand why much of chess’ focus is on the future of the game - the kids. But I was hoping that there was room somewhere for folks my age to learn and participate on some level. Maybe it is right in front of me and I don’t readily see it. Any comments or suggestions would be sincerely appreciated.
You get a rating by playing in a rated tournament. In that first event, you will be “unrated”. Most smaller events don’t have an unrated prize, while many larger ones do. For purposes of obtaining a rating, that doesn’t matter.
On the US Chess website there is a link to tournaments by state (many times events in nearby states are also shown). You will also find tournament announcements at the back of every issue of Chess Life. However, that is by no means a complete list! Many tournaments aren’t advertised here but are instead advertised through the state publication and through local clubs.
Be aware that the kids are everywhere! A scholastic event means adults can’t play. A non-scholastic event is open to all members, and half the players in any given event will be kids. Trust me, you’ll lose to plenty of them. My rating is over 1800 and I’ve lost several times to kids in the 8-10 year range.
Some organizers run “Rated Beginners Opens” which would probably be perfect for you. However, you can expect most of the players will be kids there too. Sadly, not that many adults are as courageous as you in starting tournament play.
Find a chess club near you and get your feet wet there. Many have a tournament with one game a week. Casual play will also help you sharpen your game, and you may want to do a bit of that before entering the tournament arena.
While most coaches work with kids, that’s just because that’s where the novices are! I suspect you’ll be able to find one who would take you on. But I’d suggest checking out the club first. You’ll find all types of people there. Some will probably be glad to give you some pointers and help you improve your game quite a bit. I know I always liked to coach the rookies of all ages; if they are willing to learn, I’m willing to teach. You’ll find someone like that.
Some events that are primarily scholastic events will have a section or side event for adults. When I ran the Nebraska State Scholastics, we always had an adult section, it helped pay the bills.
When looking for a tournament try your state chess association web site, as that is a good resource for tournaments to play. Also, some of the state chess association web sites have an area where you could find a coach. The local club is usually a good place to wet your feet and sometimes get some pointers from the more experienced players. Casual play can be found in a number of places such as coffee houses, libraries, parks [parks and recreation centers], and even senior centers. Finally there are the various online sites where you can play and in some cases find a coach. Hope this helps you out.
Thanks all for the kind comments and suggestions. I won’t bruise my ego one bit to get whipped by youngsters. It will all be part of my learning process.
As a fellow middle-aged “rookie” I recommend finding events that have a U1200 section; you’ll have
a better chance of winning than you would in an Open section or event. There will be a lot of kids, but then
there are kids in the upper sections too. And if you annotate and study your games afterward you can always
learn something, especially from the ones you lose.