Chess Clubs

Originally posted by cmsMaster
Oh god, membership is actually $180. Even more than I thought. 🙁

Originally posted by Yuga
That cost is absurd. 😲 What use does that club make of the membership money? I wonder how the club obtains members. 🙄

The local club, which I attended only on a very few occasions due to driving distance, met weekly, and held rated events every week; about $6 for tournament entry (one could actually win money if one placed in the tournament).

The univ ...[text shortened]... ally, has free membership, and the school pays for all except food when we go to tournaments. 😛

That's crazy!

I pay $20 a year for club memebership. They provide everything, boards, pieces, clocks etc... Mon, and Sat we have fun chess and it's free, 4 rounds. Plus you can take out books/movies/dvd's -> 2 per month. The books are very up to date. If you want a book they don't have you tell them and they order it for the club library.

All that for only $20 a year. Yes, yes we have the best club in canada.

Now, for rated games/tournaments we have to pay $41 per year to the CFC. and then the entry fee. For the monthly ones, entry is $3 for the month and no prizes. Weekend tournaments are $20 entry and $100 prize. O and you get a magazine every second month.

So basically $61 for the year plus the entry fee.

Originally posted by cmsMaster
IDK, I may be reading the price wrong - but that's what it says. 🙂

Originally posted by RahimK
That's crazy!

I pay $20 a year for club memebership. They provide everything, boards, pieces, clocks etc... Mon, and Sat we have fun chess and it's free, 4 rounds. Plus you can take out books/movies/dvd's -> 2 per month. The books are very up to date. If you want a book they don't have you tell them and they order it for the club library.

All that for ...[text shortened]... you get a magazine every second month.

So basically $61 for the year plus the entry fee.

Originally posted by Yuga
Not a $1.80? 😕 It doesn't make sense to me for the club to charge so much unless they reimburse its members very, very well.

The costs ($180 + time) seem to far exceed the benefits (games)...

Obtaining a USCF membership, and attending tournaments as they roll around, as you say, may be a more viable option.

I'm in a club, and I love it. Imho, there's nothing like OTB games. But I pay considerably less than $180 a year. $180 is on the high end of the scale for chess clubs. A club would have to offer a lot of benefits for me to fork over that kind of dough. But you should at least ask them what they offer for that price. Their web site should give at least some details. Also, many clubs let you visit one or two times for free to check out the place and ask questions. You should ask if they offer a free visit.

Club dues are usually much cheaper if the club's meeting room is in a free, public meeting area. But if the club has to pay rent for a permanent room dedicated only to the chess club, then dues are usually higher. Other things to look for - Does the club have a nice library of chess books that you can check out? Does the club hold periodic talks or training sessions?

Meeting only once a week is not ideal. It's nice to have at least two meeting times a week for people with odd work schedules, but clubs can't always swing two meetings a week.

Also, if you're not yet an adult, ask if they have junior rates. (They should tell you that anyway, even if you don't ask.)

Don't forget that most club tournaments are USCF rated events, and to play in these tournaments, you'll have to join the USCF anyway. (If you don't join the USCF, then you can only play informal "skittles" games at the club.)

Some tournaments hosted by clubs are "club" tournaments where only club members can enter. But clubs sometimes hold "open" tournaments where any USCF member can enter, even if he isn't a club member. (But in this case, the non-club member usually pays a slightly higher entry fee than a club member.)

Originally posted by Mad Rook
I'm in a club, and I love it. Imho, there's nothing like OTB games. But I pay considerably less than $180 a year. $180 is on the high end of the scale for chess clubs. A club would have to offer a lot of benefits for me to fork over that kind of dough. But you should at least ask them what they offer for that price. Their web site should give at least some ...[text shortened]... e non-club member usually pays a slightly higher entry fee than a club member.)

You should definitely get a USCF rating. I don't know which side of Cleveland you are on, but there is a club I think in Lakewood that meets, and there is a club in Parma that meets every Tuesday that has USCF rated Quads there. But you can always show up and find someone to play. They also occasionally hold tournies on the weekend and mix it up with Blitz tournies and for a section of the year, they play 1 G/90 a week for maybe 10-11 weeks and have the club championship. I used to play there alot but with school I don't go anymore.

hmm here in east-finland its about 15€/year.

I used to be in a club, but I haven't played for 20+years. I know they're still going since they have a web site, the same players are still there in the first team as when I played. The first team are mostly around the 2000 rating, 2nd team 1500 to 1800.

The reason I stopped going there was because of moving away for work, now I'm back in the area I'll join again probably.

I used to go to a chess club in Newcastle they only charged fifty pence a night and that was just to pay for the coffee and sandwiches, thinking about going back as there,s one in South Shields in a pub, sounds good i usually play better when ****** anyway.

Originally posted by !~TONY~!
You should definitely get a USCF rating. I don't know which side of Cleveland you are on, but there is a club I think in Lakewood that meets, and there is a club in Parma that meets every Tuesday that has USCF rated Quads there. But you can always show up and find someone to play. They also occasionally hold tournies on the weekend and mix it up with Blitz ...[text shortened]... and have the club championship. I used to play there alot but with school I don't go anymore.

Originally posted by Yuga
Not a $1.80? 😕 It doesn't make sense to me for the club to charge so much unless they reimburse its members very, very well.

The costs ($180 + time) seem to far exceed the benefits (games)...

Obtaining a USCF membership, and attending tournaments as they roll around, as you say, may be a more viable option.

Originally posted by lausey
The pieces are made from gold and silver. The boards are made of diamond encrusted marble. Scantily clad women (or well toned oiled up men) come round to serve you beer or wine. Garry Kasparov comes along to give personal tuition now and again.