If you're wanting to play more serious in person chess, becoming FIDE registered is an important step.
Becoming FIDE registered is an important step if you want to play more serious in person, or over-the-board (OTB), chess. We're typically a very laid back club, so if you're just wanting to come for our chilled out weekly sessions and social events, it's absolutely not neccassary to become FIDE registered, just check out our "Upcoming Events" tab on our society page for what we've got coming up!
Most competitive events in Scotland will require you to be FIDE registered in order to play.
What is FIDE?
From the FIDE website:
The International Chess Federation (FIDE) is the governing body of the sport of chess, and it regulates all international chess competitions. Constituted as a non-governmental institution, it was recognized by the International Olympic Committee as a Global Sporting Organization in 1999.
How do I get registered?
You can register via any national federation you qualify for, some federations charge a fee, however in Scotland it's free, you qualify for the SCO designation if any of the 3 following criteria are met:
- Player was born in Scotland
- Either of the player’s parents were born in Scotland
- Player has been a resident in Scotland for at least two years (one year for under 18s) immediately prior to the date of receipt of an application to Chess Scotland for an initial FIDE registration or a transfer to Scotland
If you meet any of these criteria, you can email grading@chessscotland.com and fide@chessscotland.com with your full name (including middle names), date of birth, gender, town of residence, and which eligigibility criteria you meet.
Please see here for the most up to date info on registering via Chess Scotland
If you don't qualify through Chess Scotland, or wish to use a different designation to SCO, you can find similar information from your home federation, usually by googling something like "Become FIDE rated" followed by the country where you think you'd be eligible. If you're struggling to find info, drop chess.society@hw.ac.uk an email and we'll see if we can provide you with anymore information!
After you send off your email, assuming everything is fine, you should recieve a reply with your Chess Scotland Domestic Player Number (CS PNUM) and your FIDE ID, make sure to keep that info safe, as you'll need it to register for events. Once your profile is created, you can email directory@fide.com with a picture if you'd like one to appear on your profile.