What exacly is required in order to start an official USCF Club? I am interested in starting one for the members of my church but I have no idea what to do. Thanks!
Bill
Write to the affiliate director at the USCF. Addresses are all in Chess Life magazine. It will cost 40 bucks to have your club USCF affiliated and it is a good idea to become a club level tournament director. All you have to do to become one is tell USCF you want to and they will send you knowledge material and dub thee a director. That’s all you need to do to start a club assuming you already have a place to play and willing members. Those are big pluses and usually the hardest things to get.
Good luck
shopuschess.org/cgi-bin/Soft … 1084038553
It is not hard to get a USCF affilate, if you wish to join or renew a club affiliate. As a USCF club affiliate, just pass on the affiliate commission onto the club membership, they can renew their adult one year membership from $49 to $45 – if it is sent in from the affiliate chess club. The club membership would enjoy the savings of $4, they might come every week.
Earnest,
Douglas M. Forsythe, local td
Even better than this is the USCF Special Promotional Offer which is good through May 31, 2004.
Good luck with your club!
One good way to start a chess club, first send out flyers to tournaments around, send them as far as you think the people will drive to the club. Find a few people that would like to help out with the chess club, as any chess club needs leadership, a club can be alive with leadership. Have a tournament, place in the flyers that this new chess club will have a tournament and also be electing officers to the chess club. Even if you are the only officer, or you and your friends choose the titles they want, the first election would have only one person that will run for president, ect. A number of clubs have there elections during a club tournament, and it brings the players to the tournament to play.
Did this one time and it works, true the former president that lost the election lost and did have a trophy in his hand. We did talk him out of smashing my skull in with a trophy that was longer then 36 inches, was around 10 lbs as it was a cup with a king on top. After all that problems gave up tournament chess with the federation from 1987 till 1997. Starting a chess club is a great idea, just stay away from the ones that need medication.
Earnest,
Douglas M. Forsythe, Local TD
12313120
In my area of Pennslyvania for some years chess clubs have come and gone where the pretigious attorney didn’t have enough time for such trivalities of such matters when real life and death issues are at stake.
Sure it is easy to start an affiliated club provided you are individually will to fork over $40 a year in addition to your regular dues and doing the paperwork.
But is that al there is to it? Nawww where are the chess players they have gone online in droves while organizers have to beg for lists of people who would be interested in joining. 
Andrew Stergiou 12779847 tel 814-941-2310
PO Box 1615 Altoona Pa 16603 
It is icing on the cake if you become a USCF affiliate. You can still have a club and tournaments without the USCF rating system. You can let stronger players know about other USCF tournaments in your area. I would recommend writing a letter to the principal of each school in your area. They may pass it along to their school chess clubs and give you more members. The more young members you have, the greater chance you have of getting publicity in local papers. They love to have pictures of kids playing chess.
Take Care
Hank