unrated section..

ok, heres the thing.. i got an ad in the mail for a big tournament in california in a few months.. i dont really have a club near me so theres no way i could get rated prior, as id just take a big trip for this thing..
what kind of level players play in the unrated? is it a bunch of people starting out too, or do a lot of sharks play there trying to aviod people in their own skill level?
thanks

Originally posted by irontigran
ok, heres the thing.. i got an ad in the mail for a big tournament in california in a few months.. i dont really have a club near me so theres no way i could get rated prior, as id just take a big trip for this thing..
what kind of level players play in the unrated? is it a bunch of people starting out too, or do a lot of sharks play there trying to aviod people in their own skill level?
thanks

If it's a large tournament, I'd be surprised if there weren't at least a few strong unrated players. I doubt that they do it on purpose, but not everyone will enter a tournament immediately after learning the rules of chess. Some get to be decent players, then they discover the USCF and tournament life.

What, you were hoping to be the only ringer? 😛

Edit - BTW, I didn't verify this, but I think only unrated players can play in unrated sections. That is, even if you've only played one rated game and only have a provisional rating, you still can't play unrated.

Originally posted by Mad Rook
If it's a large tournament, I'd be surprised if there weren't at least a few strong unrated players. I doubt that they do it on purpose, but not everyone will enter a tournament immediately after learning the rules of chess. Some get to be decent players, then they discover the USCF and tournament life.

What, you were hoping to be the only ringer? 😛

...[text shortened]... ly played one rated game and only have a provisional rating, you still can't play unrated.

i didnt think id be the only ok player just didnt want a bunch of sneaky 2000s that only scalp people.. 🙂

and that would suck to have to never play to be unrated.. im 0-3 with the USCF :'( probably wont renew if i dont go to this one

thanks MR 🙂

Just a thought for you as far as USCF ratings go. Though my current rating doesn't show it, I've been a consistent 1200-1300 rating at my most active times here. My highest USCF rating was 1495. So bear that in mind when you're playing against someone. You may not want to judge their rating on what you'd expect from here.

Originally posted by irontigran
ok, heres the thing.. i got an ad in the mail for a big tournament in california in a few months.. i dont really have a club near me so theres no way i could get rated prior, as id just take a big trip for this thing..
what kind of level players play in the unrated? is it a bunch of people starting out too, or do a lot of sharks play there trying to aviod people in their own skill level?
thanks

Unrated can play in any section they desire in large tournaments in the USCF. However, there are generally limits on how much they can win of the prize money to discourage a relatively strong player from playing in the weaker sections. There is no separate "unrated" section in any tournament that I can see in this month's Chess Life.