Advertise

Advertising Opportunities

US Chess provides a number of advertising and sponsorship opportunities for advertisers interested in reaching this membership. All members have access to uschess.org, a web-based community of chess fans and players of all levels. All adult members and youth and scholastic members over the age of 12 receive the monthly Chess Life magazine by mail, the highest circulation chess magazine in the world, in continuous publication since 1946. This magazine is also available on newsstands. US Chess members who are 12 or younger receive Chess Life Kids magazine on a bi-monthly basis by mail. The website and both of the magazines offer advertising opportunities. These media properties are by the most effective means of reaching American chessplayers. Chess organizers may announce tournaments in the Tournament Life Announcements (TLA) section of Chess Life. Substantial discounts from the rates below are available to US Chess Affiliates wishing to advertise rated chess tournaments.

Download our Media Kit here.

Membership and Demographics

The US Chess Federation has more than 100,000 members, of whom more than 40,000 are adults and 60,000 are under the age of 18. While our population is predominantly male, our demographics are shifting to reflect our commitment to women, at-risk youth, accessibility, and underserved populations. Adult members are generally college-educated.

Advertising Rates

Specific placement request within either magazine: $500 additional fee.

Please contact us if you are interested in running the same ad in multiple combined issues of Chess Life and Chess Life Kids.

Technical Specifications

Please contact John Hartmann.

Tournament Announcements

A Tournament Announcement in either Chess Life or Chess Life Kids costs $15 for one issue and $7.50 per additional issue. There is no charge for online Tournament Announcements.

Classified Ads

Chess Life accepts classified advertising in these categories: Activities, For Rent, For Sale, Games, Instruction, Miscellaneous, Services, Tournaments, and Wanted. Only emailed copy is accepted. Absolutely no telephone orders. Rate (per word, per insertion): 1-2 insertions, $1.50; 3-6 insertions, $1.25; 7+ insertions, $1.00. Affiliates pay $1.00 per word regardless of insertion frequency. Please provide Affiliate # with submission of ad. No other discounts available. Advertisements with fewer than 15 words will cost a minimum of $15.00 per issue. Post office boxes count as two words, telephone numbers as one, and ZIP code is free.

Full payment must accompany all advertising. Chess Life reserves the right not to accept an advertiser's order. Only publication of an advertisement constitutes final acceptance. 

Ads are due two months prior (by the 10th) of the issue cover date you want your ad to appear in. (For example, October CL ads MUST be submitted no later than August 10th.) You can email your classified ad to  John Hartmann.

Closing Dates

The closing date for print advertisements is the tenth of the month two months prior to the cover date (for example, deadline would be June 10th to place an ad in the August issue). In any particular issue, the Tournament Announcements are for events occurring after the fourteenth of that month. Issues are mailed to readers in the last week of the month preceding the cover date and the online viewer version is available on the first of the month of the cover date (August 1 for August issue, etc).

Sponsorships

US Chess is interested in forming alliances and strategic relationships to promote chess playing in America. For information on sponsorships, please contact Director of Development Geoff Isaak.