Tournament Director (TD) Program

Chess for Charity Jax is happy to announce our Tournament Director (TD) Program. We currently host 3 US Chess rated tournaments per week and would like to help you learn and gain the experience you need to become a confident Club Tournament Director on your way to Local and Senior TD.

The program is free with a suggested donation of 1 nonperishable food item and will consist of hands on experience creating, pairing, and submitting tournaments. 

Topics that will be covered but not limited to:

1. Club TD Certification.
2. Tournament Director preparation.
3. SwissSys tournament pairing software.
4. Common rules and TD discretion.
5. Pairing options.
6. US Chess interface with pairing software.
7. How to find help (you will run into questions along the way).
8. Common mistakes when submitting tournaments.
9. End of the month Zoom call to share experiences throughout the month and answer questions as a team.

At each event, there will be the opportunity for two people to be assistant TD. That is six opportunities a week. Once you feel confident with the rulebook and software, you will be able to run the event as the Chief TD. If you are a chess player, you can still participate in the tournament as you gain valuable experience learning the TD ropes. 

If you are interested in this program, please fill out our form here. You will be given our schedule and asked which event(s) you would like to assist in. It is highly recommended to purchase a US Chess rule book here. The kindle version is recommended due to the search function. Once you have read the rulebook you can submit your online application for Club TD here. Being certified as a Club TD is easy. Read the rulebook and submit the form. Please have this done prior to your first scheduled event. If you have been looking for a way to get involved in the Chess community and possibly start your own chess club, this is a great start.  I look forward to working with you. 

Coach Ray

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