Maybe you (like me) watched The Queen’s Gambit and were enamored with the tournaments she attended. You saw her tap the clock then scribble on a piece of paper and thought “well that sounds like a jolly good time”. Or maybe you are tired of playing exclusively online. Whatever the reason-there’s no time like the present to start playing competitive chess!
You might be hesistant to join competitions because you just aren’t sure if you can learn algebraic chess or if you can play fast enough. Do not worry! Chess is a beautiful game and as long as you are having fun, you will do fine.
The Clock
The first major difference between casual at home chess and competitive chess is the clock. Often, a tournament will say something like Time Control: G/60 d5 which means each player has 60 minutes to complete their game with a 5 second delay per turn. Finn Chess Tournaments uses G/25 d5 which means each player gets 25 minutes total with 5 seconds delay per turn.
A typical chess clock will have a button to start the clock (sometimes on the face of the clock) and two buttons at the top of the clock-one button for each player-to stop and start the clock. A turn is said to be complete when the player has stopped their clock and started their opponent’s. Remembering to press the clock to end your turn is a problem you may frequently encounter with your first few games. Do not worry, even expert players sometimes forget to hit the clock. Your opponent will most likely remind you if you forget.
An error made by beginner Chess players-such as myself-is to focus too much on the clock. A good solution to this is to start with long time controls. Now in the Capital Region there is the Finn Chess Tournament (which has fast time controls) but there is also a group in Schenectady which uses much longer time controls. You want to get yourself acclimated to the clock and ease yourself into time management. You will see as your chess improves that the way you would play a fast chess game is not the same as how you would play a slower chesss game. If driving to Schenectady is not feasible for you, another way to get used to time controls is by playing online. There are many places to play such as Lichess or Chess.com. I would advise against playing rapid games (any timed controlled games that are less than 10 minutes) if you are just starting out.
Touch Move Rule
In the comfort of your own home, you might touch every single chess piece before finally deciding which one to move. And thereafter, you might put that piece down and move a different piece altogether. This is unacceptable in competitive chess.
Competitive chess prioritizes being intentional over being indecisive. A piece touched must be moved. The move is considered final as soon as your hand leaves the chess piece. Now if the move is illegal (perhaps you accidentally moved a piece which places your King in check) you may move the piece to a legal spot but it must still be that piece.
Before moving a piece, check your c’s and t. That is: can you check? Can you or your opponent’s material be captured? Is there a possible threat? Remember once your hand is off the piece and you start your opponent’s clock, your turn is over.
Keeping Score
Perhaps the second biggest difference between competitive chess and at home chess is keeping a record of the game. Both players must write down their moves and that of their opponent’s. This is important for resolving disputes (such as the legality of a move or settling a checkmate). Here is an excellent guide for notating your game. And here is one for Braille (I don’t know if a Braille reader can read the PDF to be honest).
Do not panic if you struggle with transcribing your first few games. The more games you play, the more natural it will become. Aside from resolving disputes, another good reason for keeping score is it will help your chess improve. You will remember the game better and it will assist you in thinking more abstractly about chess.
Final Words of Advice
I cannot speak for all chess tournaments but what I can say is that Finn Chess is extremely beginner friendly. You will not be penalized if you are a beginner. Do not feel you must both use the clock and write down your notation as soon as you begin your forray into competitive chess. Of course you can start right away practicing both if you would like but there have been players who first started with only using the clock and then once comfortable added the notating.
You will encounter chess players of all ages and skill level. The competitive chess world is exciting and incredibly supportive. Do not let losing discourage you and just remember it’s about having fun.