Is there a membership fee for the Farmingdale Chess Club?
Nope! There are no membership fees of any kind.
Do I have to be a Farmingdale resident to participate in the club?
Absolutely not. Any member of the USCF rated U-2300 is welcome, and encouraged, to play in our tournaments. Many of our regular players are Famingdale residents, but all are welcome.
Is the club open anytime other than for your tournaments?
No. We only meet for our USCF rated events. See the Tournament Schedule for details. As stated in the General Info., the library is not our "headquarters." We do not have a permanent room or office there. We request a meeting room for our use when we want to hold an event.
How do you formulate the pairings? Do you post them in advance?The Swiss System is the method used for pairing all FCC tournaments and is explained in detail in the USCF's Official Rules of Chess, 5th Edition. Pairing software with all USCF defaults is used by our Chief TD to guarantee fairness and accuracy every time. We do NOT (and will not) do advance pairings - for many reasons - but mainly because of the tremendous likelyhood that they will change due to last minute entries, byes, and withdrawals.
Can I join the USCF at one of your tournaments?
USCF memberships/renewals will not be available at the club since it can be done in just a few minutes online. Click here to join/renew. You'll be given a temporary membership card to print out and bring with you to the club. The official card will arrive in the mail shortly.
Why are your tournaments only open to those with a USCF rating below 2300?
The vast majority of players at the club level are class players and Experts, and so it is inherently unfair to have a titled player enter the tournament. This would skew the results and interfere with the integrity of the competition.
