US Chess Tournament Director - How to Apply

Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012


Hi everyone,

The US Chess Federation hosts several national chess events each year. A list is provided below for those events which are organized by the National Events Director, Patricia K. Smith. If you are a USCF Certified Tournament Director, and are interested in working at one or more of our National Events organized by the USCF, please print and complete the following form and return to: patsmith@uschess.org.

Events organized by the US Chess Federation’s National Events Director:

National High School Chess
National Junior High Chess
National Elementary Chess
National K-12 Championship Chess
US Chess Open

If interested in working at the USCF’s National Events which are bid out, you will need to contact the organizer for that event: These include:

National Youth Action US Junior Chess Congress
National Open US Cadet
US Senior Open US Blind Championship
US Class Championship US Amateur Team (East, North, South, West)
Game/60 Championship US Game/15 Championship
Game/30 Championship US Masters Championship

A complete list can be found on the USCF Web Site or in Chess Life.

Tournament Director Selection Process:The USCF’s Director of National Events chooses the Chief TD and Backroom Chief for the event. The Chief TD must be a USCF Certified National Tournament Director. The Chief TD and Backroom (Pairing) Chief submit a proposed staff list to the USCF’s Director of National Events for approval. The USCF’s Director of National Events reserves the right to “veto” any proposed tournament director. A TD could be “vetoed” for a variety of reasons which include but is not limited to the following: Experience, Certification has expired, ongoing ethics or TD complaint, other qualified TD’s of the same level live in closer proximity to the host state for the event, etc. Once all the TD staff for the event are approved, contracts are sent out to potential staff from the USCF. The contract includes the name, date, and time of the event as well as a deadline for returning the contract.

Reimbursements, expenses, and TD Pay:

Tournament Directors are reimbursed for travel. TD staff should book their airfare as soon as possible to obtain the best rate for their flight. Any airfare over $400 must be pre-approved by the Director of National Events. If driving, a MapQuest or similar mapping program must be submitted to the Director of National Events for reimbursement. The rate for driving is $0.50 per mile up to a maximum of $250.TD Pay is determined by assignment. Floor Chiefs and Section Chiefs are paid more than Floor TD’s due to the added responsibilities. Backroom TD’s are paid as a pairing Chief.

At the conclusion of the event, all TDs and staff are paid by check for travel reimbursements, TD Pay, and a Per Diem for meals.

Note: TD’s are paid extra for working side events.

Contact Assistant Executive Director/Director of National Events, Patricia K. Smith: patsmith@uschess.org if you have any questions.

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