How do I play in a LOW level tournament?

I have no official rating and I know nothing of the chess world outside playing casual players OTB and playing online. My RHP rating is about 1500 and change, so I'm thinking my actual OTB rating would be in the 1300's (due to lack of experience).

I've heard of "FIDA" and "ELO" ratings, which I assume are chess organizations? Do I sign up with one of them?

The bottom line is I'd like to get a real world rating and start playing in tournaments. But I prefer to start at my level so I don't get completely spanked and shake my confidence.

Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper
I have no official rating and I know nothing of the chess world outside playing casual players OTB and playing online. My RHP rating is about 1500 and change, so I'm thinking my actual OTB rating would be in the 1300's (due to lack of experience).

I've heard of "FIDA" and "ELO" ratings, which I assume are chess organizations? Do I sign up with ...[text shortened]... prefer to start at my level so I don't get completely spanked and shake my confidence.

Originally posted by JS357
I don't see how you can get a real fide/elo rating except by competing in sanctioned events against players that have elo ratings but I can think of two things you can do. You can get an estimate at http://ratings.fide.com/calculator_rp.phtml but it requires having a history (a few games) against FIDE rated players. There is another informal approach at.

http://www.chessmaniac.com/ELORating/ELO_Chess_Rating.shtml

Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper
I have no official rating and I know nothing of the chess world outside playing casual players OTB and playing online. My RHP rating is about 1500 and change, so I'm thinking my actual OTB rating would be in the 1300's (due to lack of experience).

I've heard of "FIDA" and "ELO" ratings, which I assume are chess organizations? Do I sign up with ...[text shortened]... prefer to start at my level so I don't get completely spanked and shake my confidence.

Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper
I have no official rating and I know nothing of the chess world outside playing casual players OTB and playing online. My RHP rating is about 1500 and change, so I'm thinking my actual OTB rating would be in the 1300's (due to lack of experience).

I've heard of "FIDA" and "ELO" ratings, which I assume are chess organizations? Do I sign up with ...[text shortened]... prefer to start at my level so I don't get completely spanked and shake my confidence.

Are you able to attend over-the-board tournaments, or will the rating have to be internet based?

Originally posted by JS357
I don't see how you can get a real fide/elo rating except by competing in sanctioned events against players that have elo ratings but I can think of two things you can do. You can get an estimate at http://ratings.fide.com/calculator_rp.phtml but it requires having a history (a few games) against FIDE rated players. There is another informal approach at.

http://www.chessmaniac.com/ELORating/ELO_Chess_Rating.shtml

Originally posted by Mad Rook
Are you able to attend over-the-board tournaments, or will the rating have to be internet based?

Originally posted by USArmyParatrooper
I actually want to attend OTB tournaments. There's a chess club who meets at Barns & Nobel every Monday out here, so I think I'm going to start there.

no1, thanks for the link. I'll check it out.

I'm in podunk Fort Bragg, NC. Not very likely a tournament will hit my area?

Originally posted by no1marauder
There are two clubs in Raleigh that have staged tournaments as late as a month ago. Their contact info is here: http://main.uschess.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=198

It's the best thing anyone can do is join an active chess club

Hopefully you will meet a guy who just that bit better than you
and give you a target to improve to. Play him as often as you can.

Enter your first tournament as soon as you can and get that
bloodied nose out of the way.

FIDE is an organization (the world chess federation), and Elo was the inventor of the ratings system that provides the basis for ratings today. You'll want to join the United States Chess Federation at www.uschess.org, and you can look up tournaments in NC online. You'll also want to check in with whatever the North Carolina state chess organization is, as they'll usually have listings of tournaments. I don't live too far from North Carolina, so I sometimes get mailings from there for major tournaments, so I think you should be ok.

How do I play in a LOW level tournament?

limbo style! 😀

toet.

Originally posted by toeternitoe
That thing is silly,it estimated me at 2500

toet.

Originally posted by JS357
If you are right that you are not 2500, which seems reasonable given your RHP rating the test is not valid. It's measuring some part of what makes up your chess ability and might be diagnostic in that regard. Maybe you are pretty good and finding winning moves when they are there, and not so good at making winning positions happen. That's my situation.