Play More Chess Academy | Chess Classes, Lessons, Tournaments, Gifts | Home of the Hamden Chess Club in Hamden, CT

The Hamden Chess Club seeks to be a fun and friendly place to play and learn chess. Our building is wheelchair accessible - the rear entrance, next to parking area is level (and a new ADA bathroom on the main level was added in Nov 2026). There is no smoking in the building. If you have any questions about any tournament rules or information please feel free to ask a Tournament Director or email TD@playmorechess.com.

At all HCC tournaments:
USCF Membership is required. Boards, chess sets, chess clocks, scoresheets and pens are provided. HCC equipment must be used during tournament play. USCF Rule book (7th edition) applies unless otherwise stated.

Byes:
A maximum of two half point (1/2) byes are allowed in a four round Swiss tournament. No half point byes are available in a quad tournament (players are expected to play all three games). Any byes must be requested by the close of registration and may not be revoked after being granted. Zero point byes are allowed in all Swiss tournaments for any round. Please inform Tournament Director prior to pairing of the next round (at least 15 minutes prior to scheduled start of round).

Withdrawing:
Players must inform Tournament Director in person, or by emailing TD@playmorechess.com, half hour before start of the round, if they intend to withdraw from a tournament. Withdrawing is not allowed from round-robin Quad tournaments, forfeit penalties may apply.

Refund policy:
If you must cancel participation in an event you will usually be eligible for a partial refund if you notify us will in advance of he beginning of the event (usually 24 hours). A transaction fee will still apply for a refund required for an erroneous registration. The fee charged is usually a minimum of $15 and helps cover credit card convenience fees charged to HCC.

Forfeits:
Any player who forfeits a game by not showing up, or withdrawing without letting the Tournament Director know in advance, may be fined $25. This player will be withdrawn from the affected event without any refund of entry fee, and will not be allowed to play in any HCC events until the fine is paid.

Electronic Devices:
Players may not use or possess electronic device (cell phones or electronic devices (i.e. watches) capable of chess analysis and/or communication) while playing. Any electronic device belonging to a player should be turned off and placed next to the chess board or stored in a bag that is left at the table during games. Parents and other non-players must remain in the waiting area, not be in the playing area. Players whose game has finished must leave the playing area before turning electronic devices back on.

Section Limits:
Unrated players may play in any section per USCF rules. Rated players with rating within 100 points of the lower section maximum may generally play up one section.

For eligibility purposes, the higher of a player's supplement or live rating may be used.

Sections with fewer than six players may be combined (depending on how many rounds). If combined, accelerated pairings may be used. Combined sections are for pairing purposes, prizes remain separate as advertised and based on original section for which a player signed up.

Free Early Entry for Titled players (GMs, IMs; NMs and HCC club members with rating 2000+):
Any of the above players can receive free early entry (usually by 11:59PM Tuesday prior to tournament) with no entry fee deducted from prize. After the early entry deadline, regular entry fee applies. The above players can receive free entry after the Tuesday early entry deadline but then the regular entry fee will be deducted from any prize he or she wins.

Payment of Prizes:
In large HCC events, payments from the organizer are issued by Check, Paypal, Zelle or Stripe. Small event prizes may be made in the form of cash.