I have to decide between two job offers. One in Redmond WA, and one in Norcross GA.
I don’t find very many tournaments listed in either place on the USCF web site. There is more info on the Northwest Chess, but I haven’t found anything similar for Georgia.
What can people tell me about the chess available in either city? I would like to find a club meeting roughly weekly, and would like to play in a rated tournament about once a month.
We show 81 USCF rated events in the Seattle metro area in the last 12 months, compared to 133 in the Atlanta metro area. Given that Atlanta has about a 50% higher population than Seattle, the ratio of tournaments to population is similar.
Besdies the USCF Seattle events there are the Grand Pacific Open [over Easter time] and the Keres Memorial [the weekend prior to Memorial Day] in the Vancouver area. You will have to pay either a player tournament fee or actually join the Canadian Chess Federation [CFC] to play in these events, but they are nearby to Seattle.
Larry S. Cohen
USCF Life Member
CFC Member until end of May.
I’m not sure how much “tournaments to population” really matters. The numbers mean there are more opportunities to find a tournament in Atlanta.
Well, when I was living in Evanston IL, I would have considered a tournament in Tinley Park (SW suburbs) too far away. So the larger the population base, the more intra-metro area commuting times may become a factor.
Do we know if these are mostly scholastic tournaments?
Do we know if these are mostly scholastic tournaments?
Having lived in Atlanta at one time, my opinion would be somewhat biased. I used to work
in Norcross, and since the Atlanta Chess Center closed its doors last year, there has been
new chess clubs opening its doors, and plus the sightseeing venues that exist, would get my
nod. There would appear to be more chess clubs and activities going on in the Atlanta area.
Good Luck with your decision.
David A. Cole, USCF Life Member, Franklin, NJ
The Seattle ones are mostly open tournaments. Most scholastic tournaments in the area are not USCF rated.
You are going to decide on a job based on being able to play chess in a tournament once a month? What about schools, commuting time, housing prices, climate, local standard of living, and taxes among many other considerations? These are more important in the long run.
If you really want to make an odd decision, consider whether you want to be a fan of the Falcons and Braves or the Seahawks and Mariners. Which college team’s gear do you want to wear, the UGA or UW? You have two rabid sports areas to choose from. Wear the wrong colors and you can be in trouble. 
Clearly chess is just one piece of the decision. I’m currently living in Richmond VA where there have only been 3 rated tournaments a year for the last two years, and before that it was 1 rated tournament each year. Just hoping to not move to another chess desert, and hoped I could get some input from this crowd.
The best way to turn a city from a chess desert to a chess garden is to get involved organizing and directing events. If you’re always expecting someone else to do that work, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.
There are many who announce if you build it, I will come. There are fewer builders.
Rob Jones
The decision has been made. Atlanta.
Not everyone’s cup of tea. While volunteer organizing is important, some people are just looking to enjoy a playing hobby. Let’s be careful to not inadvertently berate people who just want to enjoy our game.
ATLANTA has chess! The Marietta Chess Club meets on a weekly(2wice) basis…and is an affiliate of the USCF;) Also, if you’re looking for tournaments, please Google the Georgia Chess Association for listings! Let us know when you arrive…let’s play!
Kevin, I really do not see any berating here. Just the stating of a simple fact. We have
HUGE holes in quite a few geographic areas in our federation due to a relative lack of
interested organizers. So the risk of alienating a few with the prospects of nurturing a
chess garden is a risk well worth taking.
Rob Jones