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DS5 recently joined the chess club at his school. This happens to be a pretty competitive chess club that sends kids to big competitions (including nationally). DS is obviously young, but they do have kids compete in this age range.

We know NOTHING about this scene at all. The costs seem minimal. Info says tournament will be rated by the US Chess Federation.

DS is pretty good for 5, but not a prodigy or anything. We aren't sure how good because we aren't chess people at all. We certainly do not sit around coaching him and he can go months between games, but recently he's been into it. He loves to play, but also still tends to cry sometimes when he loses, though this is much better when playing strangers.

Thoughts on tournaments for a child this age? What is the scene like? Should we wait a year?

I think as long as HE is into it, go for it. If it stops being fun, then maybe think about dropping out. He's so young, I think it's worth a shot, but don't assign any significance to it if it doesn't work out right now.

He doesn't really know what it is so isn't sure whether to say yes or not. He likes the idea of playing more chess, of course.

I agree with epoh. Some differences between a rated tournament and a casual game are the

(1) touch-move rule (you must move a piece you touch)
(2) use of chess clocks
(3) keeping of score (writing down the moves)

I don't expect 5-year-olds to keep score, but your son should get some practice playing with rules (1) and (2) before entering a tournament.

Thanks, Bostonian--I did not know about those rules. Can you tell me more about chess clocks? How long would he get to move? I don't know if they use those at the club. I'll have to ask him.

Has anyone entered a child this young? Would he play other kindergarteners, or is it a range, like ages 5-7? I know that once you get to 7 and 8 some of these kids are real little chess sharks.

Chess clocks track the total time that each side uses for a game, rather than the time for a particular move. The timer starts, and the first player makes a move and then slaps the clock, which starts his opponent's timer. He moves, and hits the button to stop his timer and start the first player's.

Personally, I would take him to watch a tournament before entering him in one.

So, you have a limit on your total time for the game?

I just talked to him about it, and he's interested, but expressed the reasonable concern that he would have to play big kids who are much better than he is. How does it work for a newbie? I assume he is "unrated"? Would he then play only other unrated players?

DS starts chess tomorrow,curious to see how it sticks for him. But he likes a ton of games, he may not want to focus on just one.

Yes. my DS is a huge game fan in general, which is why he often gets distracted from chess in favor of the many other games we have around. Also, it must be confessed that he has a hard time getting me or his father to play with him! We recently got him Solitaire Chess (which really isn't chess, but is chess-ish) and his sister is deigning to play more. I'm still looking for an online chess program at the right level for him, so that he can sometimes win.

I don't play chess myself, but my brother is an authority on chess ratings, so I get some exposure to it all. My understanding is that you get a certain amount of time per game plus a certain amount of time per move. I don't know what the "standard" is for tournaments - I'm sure someone here does. I know that there are versions where it's just a straight-up time limit on each side (I think five minutes in blitz chess), but my understanding is that there is more time available for deliberation in most tournament games.

Maybe you can find some YouTube videos or something that will give you a better idea of what a tournament is like?