Welcome to US Chess! Thank you for choosing to become a part of the nationwide network of chess players who enjoy, study, and compete. This page is designed to help you get the most out of your US Chess membership by following five key steps (click on each of the below to view the material):
- Step 1 – Know Your Member ID#
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This eight-digit number is what you were issued when you joined US Chess. It is important because this is what we use for your membership file, what Tournament Directors use for rating reports, and what you will use in most any interactions regarding your membership and accounts. While physical membership cards are now a thing of the past, keeping this number in your files for reference is encouraged.
- Step 2 – Discover Your Personal MSA Profile Page
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All members have a personal profile page online through our Member Services Area (MSA). The primary way to access your page is now through our Player/Ratings Lookup page. You can enter either your name or your member ID# to search for your file, which returns your name & your current official Supplement rating. Clicking on your hyperlinked name will take you to your full profile page. Underneath your ID# and name are five tabs, each of which contains different information about your membership: expiration details, ratings, full tournament history, tournaments directed, and achievement milestones. Much will be blank as you start your tournament journey, but like your skills, your profile pages will develop over time.
- Step 3 – Create Your Login Access Account
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After you have registered for your membership, you now need to be able to manage your information. This is done by creating an online access account so that you can login to the US Chess website and reach several features that are either restricted to members only or to yourself specifically. From the US Chess homepage, you’ll start in the top right corner and click on the Member Site Login link. New members will need to start below the login box at the “First Time logging in here?” paragraph. In that is the link to create a new website login which presents the form where you enter your membership information and select a username for our website.
After submitting, you will receive an email with a one-time use email link to a page where you will create your password. If you have been a member in the past, most likely your earlier login credentials to our legacy site have been retired, but you can use the Request Username function if you are unsure (or if you attempt to create a login, and you receive an error message saying that your email address is already in use).
This brings us to a VERY important point – each member ID# (and therefore each member) must have a unique email address for their file. Our database uses email addresses as system identifiers, and it will only allow one login account to be created per individual email address. If you are a parent creating a login account for a child’s membership, please remember that you are creating the account in their name, not yours. If the member does not yet have an email address of their own, you may use your email address only if it is not already being used for another member file. Alternatively, you could create a free, web-based email address for them (gmail/outlook/etc.) and have all mail forwarded to yours or a family email address.
- Step 4 – Explore Your User Dashboard
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Once you have logged into the US Chess website, you begin at your membership base camp, your User Dashboard. At any point, you can get back to this page by clicking on the link in the top right of the page, where it previously said “Member Site Login” it now says “My Dashboard / Logout”. The primary purpose for your User Dashboard is to provide you with your information of record as well as be a hub from which you can access your member record and other parts of the US Chess website.
There are three main menus, and they are color-coded. The White menu is above your name; it is used for search functions (looking up players’ ratings, upcoming tournaments, clubs/affiliates in your area). The Blue menu is to the right; it is used for administrative functions (downloading rating supplements, requesting emailed tournament crosstables, renewing your membership). The Orange menu is below your information; it is used to manage your account (change your password, edit your information of record, “link” your US Chess member ID# to online partner platforms so you can participate in US Chess Online Rated events).
Besides the menus, the are two other sections farther down: My Authorized Affiliates and My Family Members. “My Authorized Affiliates” lists any clubs/organizations which have granted you permission to work on their behalf, either as an officer or as a Tournament Director. Clicking on the name of the affiliate will take you from your User Dashboard to their Affiliate Dashboard, which is now where most of the functions previously in our TD/Affiliate Area used to be located. “My Family Members” is how those members who have purchased Family Plan memberships can connect their ID# with the other individuals who are a part of that plan. The Primary Family Member will add any others (whether new or if they already have membership ID#s) and that is what activates the membership on the other files. This feature should not be used unless you have purchased a Family Membership, as it will have no benefit and could potentially cause file errors to occur.
- Step 5 – Connect With Your Digital Chess Life / Chess Life Kids magazine
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Scrolling down to the bottom of most pages of the US Chess website will present you with the main site menu (where the background changes from white to black, and there are several rows of links). Many of these links will take you to pages from both our current and our legacy websites, where you can read articles, download documents, or even watch videos about all parts of our multifaceted organization.
One of the most concentrated benefits of your membership is accessible via the simple links which say Chess Life Magazine, Chess Life Kids, and Digital Archive. Every month with Chess Life, you can stay up-to-date with news of the chess world, read top-level game analysis, and learn about chess personalities in US Chess. Recent issues can be accessed through a digital viewer (most interactive, optimized for tablet/laptop viewing), a pdf copy (scanned pages of the print issue), or event PGN files (which can be loaded into a chess database or playing engine so that you can go through the chess games from that issue). Chess Life Kids is our bimonthly periodical geared towards Youth players and events. The Digital Archive is the complete collection of pdfs of Chess Life and Chess Life & Review magazines dating back to the founding of US Chess. Relive the great events of chess in the past through the lens of those who were experiencing those happenings as they occurred.
- Welcome Letter
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The welcome email we sent you included a number of links. Here is that letter so you don't need to search your email for it.
Dear US Chess Member,
Whether you are a new or renewing member of US Chess, welcome! We appreciate your support of our mission to empower people, enrich lives, and enhance communities through chess. Read more about US Chess by clicking here. We offer a Welcome New Members page that includes all the information found in this letter and more.
Your membership offers you many benefits, including the opportunity to participate in rated play, establish your own chess rating, become a tournament director, join a committee, become a US Chess Delegate, and read Chess Life or Chess Life Kids magazines. While you are getting acquainted, please consider joining your state chapter or local chess club. They are your gateway to US Chess and provide you with opportunities in your community to be involved.
Please also consider donating to US Chess as your membership fees only cover our substantial operating costs. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, your gift to US Chess is tax-deductible and will support our mission-based programs that expand our reach beyond tournament chess. Your gift can be made by clicking here. Individuals who donate at least $50 are listed in our Annual Report, although a gift of any amount is appreciated.
Your membership card is included with this letter. Below my signature, you will see additional membership information. Use your new membership to play in a tournament near you!
Again, thank you for being a valued member of US Chess.
Sincerely,
Carol B. Meyer
Executive Director
As you can see, there is a true wealth of information and opportunity now at your fingertips as a member of US Chess. We want to help you get the most out of your membership. If you have questions or cannot find something specific for which you are seeking on our website, please contact our Membership Staff at Click here to show email address.
Information for Affiliates
- How to Process Memberships
- How to Submit Rating Reports
- How to Create a TLA (Tournament Life Announcement)
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Log into your member account. Once you are in the system and on your User Dashboard, you will see a list of “My Authorized Affiliates.” Click on the name of the affiliate for which you are taking an action. That will take you to your Affiliate Dashboard with new menu options. You will see an option for “Submit Tournament Life Announcement (TLA.)” Click on that to go to the page that has the TLA webform to complete.
If you select “Online Only” from the webform dropdown menu, your TLA is free. To appear in Chess Life or Chess Life Kids, you must select the “Online and Print” option. The first print TLA is $15; subsequent appearances of the same TLA are $7.50 each. Also be sure to open up “Click to Expand to Show All Print TLA Options,” which is located near the bottom of the webform. Under this menu, you will select which months and which magazine(s) your TLA will appear in. This also prompts the system to generate an invoice.
Please also note that Print TLAs must be submitted on the 10th two months prior to the issue month (for example, for your TLA to appear in the October issue, we must receive it by August 10th).
Need more help? Contact Managing Editor Melinda Matthews.
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