Where to Start
At NSWCA, we are committed to assisting all new chess players in achieving their goals. We recommend that anyone new to chess looking to join our vibrant chess community first read this page. This page includes key information about how NSWCA is supporting our chess players in the community.
List of Clubs
There are various chess clubs around Sydney and in Country regions that are open to all players!
The three main chess clubs in the Sydney Metropolitan Area are:
• Norths Chess Club (Serving the North Shore and Northern Suburbs)
• Rooty Hill Chess Club (Serving Greater Western Sydney)
• St George Chess Club (Serving Eastern and South Eastern Sydney)
Please check out our list of clubs page to see all the clubs in your area!
Playing your first tournament
We understand that it is pivotal for any chess player’s success and growth in the game of chess that they must play and analyse their tournament games in order to improve.
For that reason, we have set up a generous number of easy-to-join chess tournaments throughout the year, including Weekenders, Rapid, and Blitz tournaments and our flagship event, the NSW Open. The upcoming tournaments section on our website displays the dates of upcoming tournaments and how to register.
Please note that to play in an NSWCA event, you must first become a member of the NSWCA.
Chess tournaments that are not hosted by the NSWCA (usually club tournaments) do not require you to become a member of the NSWCA. However, you are required to become a registered member of the NSWCA, which may be either paid for by you or your chess club. (Junior players, U18, have to be members of the NSW Junior Chess League instead)
The majority of events held by the NSWCA are FIDE (International Chess Federation) and ACF (Australian Chess Federation) rated. This means that the games will be played in accordance with the FIDE Laws of Chess. To learn more about the laws of chess, please click here.
There are two different rating lists for the ACF. The Normal and the Quick ratings lists. The Normal rating lists are used for Classical time controls (over 60 minutes), whilst the Quick rating lists are used for Rapid and Blitz events.
There are three different rating lists for FIDE. The Standard, Rapid, and Blitz rating lists.
NSWCA Mailing List
To join the NSWCA mailing list and not miss an upcoming event, please use the following like to sign up.
Chess for Juniors
Junior players (U18) are welcome to participate in NSWCA events. To do so, they must become a member of the NSW Junior Chess League to play in NSWCA events. The NSWCA does not accept membership for those under the age of 18.
The NSWJCL also hosts events for juniors during the school holiday period; please visit their website for more information.