Occasionally, a parent will send me an email asking when their child who knows how to play chess should start playing in a rated tournament.  Here is some general feedback I usually send; I'll update this blog post when warranted.  I'll use the designation scholastic player or player instead of child for the remainder of post; this means a chess player between ages of Kindergarten and grade 12. Suggestions for parents considering whether to register their scholastic player for a tournament: If the player is currently learning from a chess coach/club, I would ask the coach to give feedback as to whether the player is ready. All that is required to participate in a rated chess tournament is an active USCF member ID.  Everyone starts somewhere :) How is the player's temperament in regards to winning and losing in chess games?  Will the player get very upset and be discouraged from future participation if losing all the games in a tournament?  If the answer is...