When to Play Your First OTB Tournament

Let's face it, OTB (Over the Board) chess can be intimidating at first, especially if you have never played before. This leads to many online players questioning when they should enter their own event. In this post, I will address some of the main concerns I have seen when players are hesitant to enter a live event.

"But I'm not strong enough"

Yes you are! Believe it or not, most tournaments(excluding closed events meant for titled players) have sections for all levels of players. For example, in the last tournament I played, there were 73 players split into 3 sections. These sections were Open, U1800, and U1200. Many players in the U1200 have never played an OTB tournament before this and they all were still competitive on the board.

Playing live OTB chess is the best way to get better anyways! So go give it a shot.

Just remember, you may not think you're great at chess, but your opponents will likely be around the same playing strength as you, and this keeps it fun.

"But I don't know the rules/etiquette"

That's okay, people are there to help! Even if you do not know a lick of etiquette or rules, the TD (tournament director) will likely go over some rules before the tournament that will help you. This includes things like touch move(you have to move the piece you touch) and keeping score (writing down your moves).

These tournaments are far more relaxed than most you will see online. Even if you do make a mistake, people are there to help and believe me, we ALL made the same mistakes when we first started playing.

Everyone was knew once, we want to get more players into these tournaments, not push them away.

Finally, you will never know the rules or etiquette if you don't experience it for yourself first.

"I don't want to only play kids"

You won't! Although it is true that children make up a large portion of players in most of these tournaments, there are still plenty of adults to play. Aside from this, playing a child in chess is not the same as playing a child in another sport like basketball or tennis. The chess board does not discriminate based on height, age, or color, so you can forget about who you're playing and instead just focus on making the best moves.

If you really don't want to play a kid, try an ALTO (at least twenty one) tournament. These tournaments are specifically designed for adults only, so you will not play against kids.

But believe me, the more you play, the more you will appreciate your games against kids since they can often teach you a lesson or two with their care free creative style of play.

Conclusion

Chess is for everyone. There are many OTB chess tournaments where you can make great memories and progress in your game, and the longer you wait before you try your first tournament, the more you will regret it.

You are strong enough, you will figure out the etiquette, and finally, you will play people of all different ages and backgrounds. Get out there and play some chess!