Any major chess events in North Carolina?

I live in NC and I've never been to a tournament or met any GM's. The only people I can be around that share my interest are online. How can I expand my horizons in the real world when I live in the tobacco state?

http://www.ncchess.org/clubs.php

Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper
I live in NC and I've never been to a tournament or met any GM's. The only people I can be around that share my interest are online. How can I expand my horizons in the real world when I live in the tobacco state?

The Lincoln Pfeffercorn Open (LPO) and the "Land of the Sky" tournament are the two biggest I know of.

If you go to http://www.uschess.org/tlas/upcoming.php?STATE=NC

you can find more listings of tournaments.

Are any of the tournaments fitting for someone like me? My online rating is about 1500, and probably a lot less if I got rated OTB.

Are they spectator friendly? Things for chess fans who aren't in the tournament to do?

If I were you, I'd enter the lowest section of the tournament. I don't know about the US, but in Wales there'd definately be a section for a player around your strength. I'm around 1650 on here and I won the minor section of the South Wales Winter congress.

Think about it, there's plenty of players here (RHP), and you aren't the worst. So it's highly unlikely you'll be the worst at a large collection of OTB players either.

Originally posted by Dewi Jones
If I were you, I'd enter the lowest section of the tournament. I don't know about the US, but in Wales there'd definately be a section for a player around your strength. I'm around 1650 on here and I won the minor section of the South Wales Winter congress.

Think about it, there's plenty of players here (RHP), and you aren't the worst. So it's highly unlikely you'll be the worst at a large collection of OTB players either.

Thank you. I just might do that! Will they rank me? There's ELO and FIDA, right?

FIDE is an ELO rating, as is USCF.I guess you'd get a USCF rating, but you may need to be a member of that organisation.

You'll probably have to join the USCF to enter the tournament. Then after the tournament, you'll get a provisional USCF rating. Let us know how you do!