Tournament competition has several things to recommend it over casual play:

• It offers the thrill of winning individual trophies. There are plenty of prizes for all levels. Special prizes are awarded in a Grand Prix competition that spans the entire year.
• It offers all the thrills of a sporting event, with extras. In this sport, everyone gets to play. No one is sitting on the bench. No one has to make the cut. There are no eliminations - you play every round, win or lose. Just show up and play!
• It fosters comradery and team spirit. Any school with two or more players in the same section qualifies as a team. (The points of the top 4 scorers on a team are added to form a team score.) Typically heard at tournaments: "How did you do?" "Good luck next round." "Let's go over your game." "If we win 2 games next round, we'll win a team trophy."
• It offers a rating system that helps players track their improvement and choose their level of competition.
• It's a lot of fun. A great way to spend the day, for both parents and kids. Sometimes you don't know how much you are enjoying it until the next day - then you want to do it again!

You are ready to play in a tournament once you've played a game in which you checkmated your opponent. Remember, every tournament player had to start with no tournament experience. The NSCF tournaments offer a very supportive environment for new players and old, with plenty of encouragement from parents, coaches, and other players. And you will have plenty of chances to face players you can beat.

"What section should I play in?"

You should play in the section for your age group until you get strong enough to advance to the Reserve or Championship sections. If you are in grades 2-5 and just starting out, you may want to play in the 2-5 Novice section. Once you have won a trophy, you should be ready to play in a rated section, and obtain a chess rating which can be used for future placement. This will mean joining the United States Chess Federation (USCF), the organization that manages the National ratings system. Sometime after you have played in a tournament, the USCF will publish your rating. This rating can be compared to that of all other US Chess players. As your rating rises, you may find yourself on the National Top 100 list for your age group!

"How will I know if I've won a medal or trophy?"

In NSCF tournaments, we've simplified the awards. Everyone who scores 3 or more points (or finishes in the top 5) wins a trophy. Everyone who scores 2.5 or more points wins a medal. K/1 participants all receive an award, and the top Kindergartner receives a trophy. (The top Kindergartner may receive both a place trophy and the Top K trophy.) We also give Class (such as Under 700) or Unrated trophies, which may be given to players who have scored fewer than 3 points. The exact order of finish (whether your trophy says 1st Place or 7th Place) is determined by your score and your "tiebreak points" as calculated by the computer. A player who finishes in the top 5, as determined first by score then by tiebreaks, gets a trophy even if he has scored less than 3 points.