When your chess club president or high school chess coach says, "I think it's time for you to enter your first tournament - I recommend this one…" then you start really studying and practicing. You sign up for a Zone membership and play chess online to sharpen your game. You buy the best chess software and jump into the tutorials or play against the program. When you're ready to find out how you match up against the rest of the world, you step into the world of competitive chess. Entry forms and instructions can be found on all events' Web sites (see section below). Tournaments offer a lifetime of challenge, excitement, new friends and fun. Go for it!

Chess events - traditional or "over the board" and online -- are soaring in popularity around the world. Year-round, players at all levels participate in local, national and international events. Many are designed for students and serious amateurs as well as professionals. How can you find out about chess tournaments? The first place to look is the Calendar of National Tournaments and Events of the U.S. Chess Federation (the official chess organization in the United States). Also, the Federation's Tournament Life Announcements contain hundreds of tournament listings in many categories: American Classics are those which have drawn more than 400 participants in each of the last three years. Tournaments which began more than 25 years ago are known as Heritage Events, and Action Tournaments feature time controls such from 10 minutes to 29 minutes per game. The growth of rapid chess and other forms of speed chess, thanks to Garry Kasparov and other top players, has ushered in a whole new class of tournaments.

The basic USCF event formats are:

Correspondence Chess -- by e-mail or snail mail.

Novice Tournaments - for beginners, not rated, USCF membership not required.

Over the Board or OTB (not Off-Track Betting!) - these are the "standard" events.

Grand Prix Events - major tournaments with guaranteed prize funds.

Doubles Events (2-member team events) -- Fun! A challenge for couples.

Online Prize Tournaments for USCF members (official ratings not affected).

Special Events - "Simuls" (simultaneous games), Grandmaster Exhibitions, Chess Camps, Quick Chess, etc.

There's a tournament for everyone - what's yours?

In the words of the MSN Gaming Zone's resident chess expert, David McMurray, "Tournament chess is a unique experience for chess players. It always involves time controls, and the requirement of playing within time constraints can have a profound psychological impact, particularly when time is low…Time pressure can really muddle one's thinking. And the effect it has on chess players varies considerably, depending on the individual." Take the bull by the horns! Accept the challenge - and its rewards. After the first few times, you'll feel adrenalin rushing and you'll come back for more. As with any challenge, persistence pays.

Quick Chess, with games ranging from 10 to 29 minutes, appeals to those who want to play many games in one day without changing their official ratings. Of course, some form of cut-off rule or "sudden death" is necessary. The following is an explanation by McMurray: "Sudden death simply means that the time control in question is the only or final time control for the game. For example, a "Game 30" time control means that each side has 30 minutes to play the entire game; if their 30 minutes expire before a decisive result has been achieved (whether a win/loss or draw), then they forfeit. Tournaments frequently feature sequential time controls. For example, 40/90, 20/60, 20/30 would mean that each player has 90 minutes to complete their first 40 moves, and 60 minutes for their next 20, and then, if needed, 30 minutes for the following 20 moves. But a growing trend in tournaments is to have an initial time control, usually covering 30-40 moves, followed by a sudden death time control to ensure that subsequent rounds in the tournament begin on schedule. A common tournament time control might be 40/90, Sudden Death/Sudden Death."

Games lasting more than 30 minutes do change players' ratings, but a special "Quick" rating system applies to USCF Quick Chess games. Sure, it's stressful to put your ratings on the line - but that's the only way to move up. You might be fantastic in one form of chess but weak in another - so try them all. Who knows, blitz chess (5-minute games) might be just your cup of espresso.

"Okay, where are some more tournaments for me to enter?" you're asking. One of the best places to find a quick and easy online tournament to enter is the MSN Gaming Zone. The Zone offers both sponsored and user-run tournaments, and you can also spruce up your game with a match in any of the site's game rooms. You need a membership to participate, but it's totally FREE, and enables you to play all the other online games at the Zone.

Leagues and clubs sponsoring OTB and other types of tournaments can be found in all major cities and many smaller ones - check the USCF listings for your state and city.

If you love Aspen trees and 14,000-foot snow-capped mountains, the Villa Italia Chess Tournament, for Kindergarten through 12th grade, will be held Sept. 18 in Lakewood, Colorado -- with Varsity and Junior Varsity divisions. It's a great way for young players to get started and to test their strengths against others.

You can check out a huge list of major North American and International tournaments at the USCF's Tournament Life Online section of their Web site. In most cases you can either complete online entry forms or print them off a Web site and fax or mail them with your check or credit card info. Normally you need to include your name and address, phone, e-mail, USCF ID number and expiration date, desired tournament section and rating.

What should you bring to a tournament? Well, a pen or pencil, your USCF ID card or other chess organization membership card (WCF for international events), a travel chess board and pieces for easy reference, and a clock with a built-in timer. A cool head and steel nerves will help you to endure the hours of pressure. As Pavlov wrote in his essay, "About a Mind, Russian in Particular": "A genius differs from an average person only because the genius is always concentrating on one idea. The one who can empty one's mind of all extraneous issues and desire to win the game more than his opponent - even if the players' force and strengths are equal - the one with total concentration and the keenest desire - will be the victor." Maybe you?

Give it your best shot; your picture might appear in tomorrow's local paper! One thing is for sure: you'll be a better chess player when the tournament is over. Let's play!

--Art Fazakas