PeakRating.US by Continental Chess
Using peak rating to "play up" in Continental Chess tournaments
REVISED MAY 12, 2024
Most of our tournaments have at least one section that requires a minimum rating to enter. "Major Sections" require 1900, "Premier Sections" at least 2000. "Class" tournaments allow players to play 100 points above rating class.
We have been allowing the use of unofficial ratings, more
current than the current official rating, to play up. We have also added
another way that you may play up: by using the highest post-tournament USCF
rating you achieved during the year prior to the tournament.
Effective July 6,
2021, the peak rating may be either an over the board regular rating or online
regular rating.
For example, the 2022 Southern Class Championships, Mar 18-20, has 7 sections: Master, Expert, A, B, C, D, E. You can play up 100 points class only (2100 in Master, 1900 in Expert, etc.) but if you wish to go higher, you can use your peak post-tournament rating from the past year. So a 2090 player with peak 2100/up 3/20/21 or after can enter Master, a 1690 player with peak 1700/up 3/20/21 or after can enter Class A, etc.
We also have major tournaments such as the World Open in which the top section is open to all, but the entry fee is more if not rated 2200/over or some other USCF rating. Here too, you can use the one year peak to avoid the higher fee. Beginning May 12, 2024, we may not use players’ peak ratings to play up into sections which also offer FIDE norms, because FIDE uses only the player’s actual FIDE rating in effect at the time of the tournament to calculate FIDE title norms.
The shopping cart cannot handle using peak rating, so enter the highest section it allows you to and email director@chess.us asking us to raise the section, or refund the difference if peak rating allows you to qualify for a discount.
By using peak rating, we hope to encourage activity, as players wishing to play up, once achieving a necessary rating, will have at least one year of eligibility.