United States Chess Federation

United States Chess Federation

File:Uschess-logo.svg
Abbreviation	USCF or US Chess
Formation	December 27, 1939 (1939-12-27)
Headquarters	Crossville, Tennessee
Region served	United States
President	Gary Walters
Vice President	Randy Bauer
Executive Director	Jean Hoffman
Staff	30
Website	www.uschess.org

The United States Chess Federation (USCF or US Chess) is the governing body for chess competition in the United States and a member of FIDE, the World Chess Federation. Among other things, USCF administers the official national rating system, awards national titles, sanctions over twenty national championships annually, and publishes two magazines. USCF was founded and incorporated in Illinois on December 27, 1939, from the merger of two regional chess organizations and is currently a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization headquartered in Crossville, Tennessee. Its membership as of 2015 is over 80,000, including more than fifty grandmasters.

History

In 1939, the United States of America Chess Federation was created in Illinois through the merger of two regional organizations, the American Chess Federation and National Chess Federation. The combined membership at the time was around 1,000. It experienced consistent, modest growth until the "Fischer boom" of the 1970s. When the American prodigy Bobby Fischer emerged as a contender for the World Chess Championship in 1970, the surge in chess's popularity led to a doubling of membership for USCF, which had by that time relocated to New York. When Fischer became World Champion in 1972 after defeating Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in a match, membership nearly doubled again, reaching a peak in 1974 that was not surpassed until 1992. When Fischer did not defend his title in 1975 and withdrew from public competition, membership in turn declined. Though the game became more popular in the 1980s with the spread of chess computers, it was the growth of scholastic chess in the 1990s and 2000s that nearly doubled membership numbers again, eventually reaching a peak of 89,000 in 2002. As of 2015 membership is over 80,000.

USCF is a federation of state affiliates. Each state has an affiliate which selects delegates to represent that state affiliate in the governance of the organization. This Board of Delegates was the board of directors until changes to the USCF Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws were approved by the Delegates in 2012. The 2012 governance changes made the seven member Executive Board the corporate board of directors while reserving specific powers to the Board of Delegates. The Delegates retained control over the corporate bylaws, the USCF Official Rules of Chess, the sale, exchange or other transfer of real estate, the code of ethics, the appointment of selected committees, and approval of the budget. At the same time, the Delegates made the Articles of Incorporation much more difficult to change as a way to protect the reservation of those powers to the Delegates.

The election of what is now called the Executive Board has evolved over time. The changes have generally been to expand the number of voters. At one time this board was elected by the Board of Delegates, then the election base was expanded to some 500 voters. A significant change in the early 2000's was to adopt changes which allow any member age 16 and over to vote for the Executive Board. Members who wish to vote are required to register with the USCF office.

The organization charges membership fees to offset operating costs. Like many membership-driven non-profits, it offers a number of membership options based on factors such as age, length, and, magazine subscriptions. With the increased popularity of scholastic chess came financial pressure on the organization which could not scale its operational costs in a way compatible with the low dues charged to young players. Between 2005 and 2006, USCF moved its operations from New Windsor, New York to Crossville, Tennessee, mainly as means to cut expenses. During the move, then USCF president Beatriz Marinello stated in the annual report that another key reason for the move was to make USCF "a national organization, not a New York organization." As of 2014 USCF operations have returned to a break-even basis.

Ratings

USCF provides the main rating system for tournament chess in the United States in conjunction with approximately 2,000 affiliates, mostly chess clubs and local chess organizations.

USCF rating classes

Category	Rating range
Senior Master	2400 and up
Master	2200–2399
Expert	2000–2199
Class A	1800–1999
Class B	1600–1799
Class C	1400–1599
Class D	1200–1399
Class E	1000–1199
Class F	800–999
Class G	600–799
Class H	400–599
Class I	200–399
Class J	100–199

History

USCF originally used a rating system devised by Kenneth Harkness. Due to the Harkness system sometimes giving ratings that were unreliable, it switched to a more accurate rating system invented by Arpad Elo, a college professor of physics who was a chess master. Elo worked with USCF for many years, and the system he invented is utilized in a variety of other games and sports, including USA Today's college football and basketball rankings. Because the original ELO system was not able to accurately track the rapid improvement of many new scholastic players in the 1990's, USCF made changes proposed by the USCF ratings committee. The current system as implemented by USCF is still an Elo rating system, but includes (among other things) a sliding K-factor allowing for more rapid jumps for lower-rated players and a revised iterative procedure in rating events in which two calculations are performed for previously rated players and three for unrated players.

Over the Board Ratings

USCF over-the board (OTB) ratings currently range from a minimum of 100 to around 3000. There are currently three OTB ratings for different time controls: regular, quick, and blitz. Most tournaments are regular rated, and this is by far the rating the majority of players care about the most. Many players who compete in quick rated events only do so occasionally. Some have expressed concerns that, as a result, quick ratings may be "stale" and not an accurate representation of players current strength. In response to these concerns, USCF began "dual" rating some time controls in both the regular and quick systems to increase the number of games rated in the quick system. Even with this change, some still express concerns that quick ratings may still not an accurate representation of playing strength for many players. The USCF ratings committee has been analyzing various changes to the rating system to address these concerns, but no consensus has developed.

• Regular-only rated sections have games that have more than 65 minutes of "total playing time" for each player
• Dual rated sections have games that have between 30 and 65 minutes of "total playing time" for each player
• Quick-only rated sections have games that have more than 10 but less than 30 minutes of "total playing time" for each player
• Blitz rated sections have games that have between 5 and 10 minutes of "total playing time" for each player

To determine the "total playing time," add the base time and the delay or increment, with one second of delay or increment counting as one minute of "total playing time." For example, G/60;d5 (sixty minutes per player with a five second delay each move) adds up to 65 and thus is dual rated. The USCF rulebook recommends having the delay or increment in force from move one. For time controls without the delay or increment in force from move one (for example, a 40/120, SD/30 game with a ten second delay only on the sudden death time control), "total playing time" is determined as if the delay or increment was in effect from move one.

For events with different time controls for different rounds/schedules, the following rules are in effect. If any round in a section uses blitz rated time controls, all rounds in the section must use the same blitz rated time control. If any round in a section uses quick rated time controls, all rounds in the section must use a quick rated time control. If a section has some games played at dual rated time controls and others at regular rated time controls, the section is regular rated only.

Regular, dual, and quick events must have a base time of at least five minutes and blitz three minutes. Quick and blitz events must have a single, sudden death time control. Both players must start the game with the same time.

Online Ratings

USCF partnered with the Internet Chess Club (ICC) and Chess.com to provide online quick and blitz rated tournaments. These online ratings do not affect a player's over-the-board quick and blitz ratings. Apart from the initial seeding of the online quick and blitz ratings for unrated players, the online ratings are computed the same way as the over-the-board ratings.

Correspondence Ratings

USCF has a correspondence rating system and correspondence tournaments. US Chess correspondence ratings are calculated differently than the over-the-board and online ratings.

Rating Floors

USCF has implemented rating floors for the over-the-board and online ratings (a level in which a players rating may not fall below), to help prevent discouragement, sandbagging, negative ratings, and as a reward for achieving the OLM title. There are currently four different types of rating floors:

• Minimum floor – No rating may go below 100. Most players have a slightly higher minimum floor due to the formula AF = min(100 + 4NW + 2ND + NR; 150) where NW is the number of wins, ND is the number of draws, and NR is the number of events where the player has played at least three games. The idea behind the formula was to do something about the pileup of scholastic players at the minimum of 100. The formula helps differentiate players who have won and drawn more games as well as competed in more events.
• Money floors – If a player wins $2,000 or more in a tournament from a U2000 or lower prize, the player gets the floor at the first 100 point level that would make then no longer eligible for that prize again. For example, if a player wins $2,000 in a U1800 section, the player is given an 1800 money floor. Money floors only go up to 2000 so if a player wins $2000 or more from a higher under prize, they are only given a 2000 money floor.
• Peak rating floors – These floors exist at 1200 and at every one hundred point levels up to 2100. To determine a peak rating floor, subtract 200 points from a player's peak established rating and use first 100 point floor at or below that level. For example, a player who has a peak established rating of 1650 has a peak rating floor of 1400.
• Original Life Master floor – A player who achieves the Original Life Master title is awarded a 2200 floor

A player who has a history of not being competitive at their floor can request that their floor be lowered.

Titles

USCF norms-based titles

Title	Rating Level
Life Senior Master	2400
Life Master	2200
Candidate Master	2000
1st Category	1800
2nd Category	1600
3rd Category	1400
4th Category	1200

USCF awards the following titles for over the board play:

• Original Life Master (OLM, often abbreviated LM) – awarded when a player keeps an established regular rating at or above 2200 for 300 games (not necessarily consecutive). Achieving the title gives the player a 2200 rating floor so they are a master for life.
• National Master (NM) – awarded when a player achieves an established regular rating of at least 2200

Norms-based titles: To achieve a norms-based title, a player must have five rated tournament performances ("norms") that would be considered impressive for the particular rating level. For example, to achieve the 1st Category title, a player must have five performances that would be considered impressive for an 1800 player. Generally, a player must play at least four games in a tournament to be eligible for a norm. An exception is made when a player plays three games and a fourth game is a full point bye or a forfeit win. Norms are not available in quick and blitz events, matches, FIDE event adjustments, and an event where a player has competed against a single opponent more than twice. A player must also have an established rating to achieve a title, and to achieve the Life Senior Master, Life Master, and Candidate Master titles, the player must also have had an established rating corresponding to that level. The norms-based title system has been applied retroactively to December 6, 1991, the date at which USCF online records have been retained. Players seeking norms and titles from play before this date can contact the USCF office.

USCF awards certificates to players achieving the Original Life Master, National Master, Life Senior Master, and Life Master titles. No USCF title cannot be lost through poor performance or inactivity. USCF titles are also completely separate from the OTB titles awarded by FIDE, Grandmaster (GM), International Master (IM), FIDE Master (FM), Candidate Master (CM), Woman Grandmaster (WGM), Woman International Master (WIM), Woman Fide Master (WFM), and Woman Candidate Master (WCM).

National Championships

USCF sanctions or runs over twenty national championship tournaments annually. The most significant, both required by the organization's Bylaws, are the U.S. Championship and the U.S. Open. The U.S. Woman's Championship is now run simultaneously with the U.S. Championship. The Denker Tournament of High School Champions, Barber Tournament of K-8 Champions, and National Girls Tournament of Champions are held during the US Open. The largest national championships are the Elementary (K-6), Junior High (K-9), and High School (K-12) Championships which are held annually in the spring. Every four years the "Supernationals," an event combining all three in one tournament, is held. The last Supernationals in 2013 drew over 5,300 players to Nashville, Tennessee and was the largest chess tournament ever. Other national events include the National Open, U.S. Class Championships, U.S. Masters, U.S. Amateur Team Championships (North, South, East, West), U.S. Senior Open, Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship, U.S. Junior Closed, U.S. Junior Open, and Grade Level Nationals. USCF also helps sponsor the All-Girls Nationals run by the Kasparov Chess Foundation. It currently runs the U.S. Open, Denker, Barber, National Girls Tournament of Champions, Elementary (K-6), Junior High (K-9), High School (K-12), and Grade Level Championships and rotates them among different parts of the country. The other national events are usually bid out to interested affiliates.

Publications

USCF publishes two magazines, the monthly Chess Life, and bi-monthly Chess Life for Kids, which is geared towards those under 14. It also sanctions the USCF rulebook which is published by Random House. It's currently in its 6th edition in both paperback and kindle forms.

Controversies

In 2002, USCF made a controversial decision to remove former world chess champion Bobby Fischer from its database and revoked his membership based on his anti-American political statements. In 2006, that decision was vacated by a successor board on a motion by board member Sam Sloan, in part due to concerns that the 2002 decision appeared to be retaliation against freedom of speech and counter to American ideals.

In October 2007, a lawsuit was filed in federal court by former executive board member Samuel Sloan accusing USCF officers Susan Polgar and Paul Truong of misconduct which he alleged influenced the results of the July 2007 USCF Executive Board elections. On August 28, 2008, US District Judge Denny Chin dismissed the suit with prejudice pursuant to Federal Rules of Civil Procedure 12(b)(1), 12(b)(2) and 12(b)(6). That decision was modified by the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit which changed the words "with prejudice" to "without prejudice".

See also

• Executive Directors of the United States Chess Federation
• Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE)
• International Correspondence Chess Federation (ICCF)
• Presidents of the United States Chess Federation
• Scholastic chess in the United States

References

• Official data in the USCF Yearbook 2006 PDF

External links

• Official website
• United States Chess Federation - Member Services Area from USCF official website