Lecciones

Your First Tournament

GM Ben Finegold

What separates tournament chess from everything else?

Love online chess and want to play a tournament? That's great! GM Ben Finegold will walk you through the differences between online and tournament play to get your ready for the event so you are prepared for your first OTB tournament!

Here is what you will learn:

Learn what happens if someone plays an illegal move.
Learn how to handle chess clocks and "flagging."
Learn rules about chess notation.

"Nice! Important practical lessons." - CM and chess.com member Backtothebeginning.

Illegal Chess Move

Have you played lots of chess online but have yet to venture to your first in-person tournament? This series is for you. In the first lesson, GM Ben Finegold teaches you how to look out for illegal moves in your games—something you must know if you're going to play over-the-board chess.

10 min

5 desafíos

Reaching the Time Control

If you're trying out over-the-board tournament chess after playing just online, there are certain things you need to know. One of the most important concepts is reaching the time control over the board, and GM Ben Finegold is here to explain with hilarious examples like Hikaru Nakamura's "orange juice game" and even a surprising example from Magnus Carlsen.

9 min

5 desafíos

Chess Notation Issues

If you play chess on Chess.com, we've taken care of the notation for you. If it's your first over-the-board tournament, however, you need to know how to properly record the moves and how to handle any disputes that arise.

9 min

5 desafíos

How to Handle Draw Claims

On Chess.com, a draw is as simple as clicking a button and we do the rest. In your first over-the-board chess tournament, however, you need to know how to properly claim a draw. GM Ben Finegold is here to help!

9 min

5 desafíos