Everything you need to know

Bangalow Chess is a free weekly chess night where players of all skill levels can come along, play competitive games, meet other players, and enjoy a relaxed social atmosphere.

Nothing. All of our weekly chess nights are free to attend.

No. We do ask players to register once with their full name, phone number, email address, chess experience and the town they want to start playing at, so we can keep track of results and send occasional updates. There are no membership fees, subscriptions, or ongoing costs. Everything is completely free. See our privacy policy for exactly what we do with those details.

Our focus is on creating a welcoming, competitive, and social chess environment where anyone can walk in, find a game, and become part of the local chess community.

Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. We regularly post event updates, venue announcements, leaderboards, tournament information, special events, and other important news.

Tuesday — Bangalow Hotel, Bangalow
Wednesday — The Rails, Byron Bay

Games run from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. We recommend arriving a little before 6:00 p.m. so we can get everyone registered and paired for Round 1.

Absolutely. You're welcome to attend either or both venues each week. Nothing is stopping you from playing Tuesday and Wednesday if you'd like.

Yes to both. If you miss the first round, we'll do our best to include you in later rounds. There's no obligation to stay for the entire night.

Yes. Our Thursday night event ran for a short period and is no longer operating, but every game played there is permanently recorded. Those results still count towards your career games, wins, score, win rate and player rating exactly as they always have. Nothing has been removed or reset.

Most games are played with a 10-minute clock per player (20 minutes total). At the end of the night, tie-break games may be played using 3 minutes per player (6 minutes total).

Most players will play 4 games across the night. There are usually around 6 rounds available, with players sitting out approximately 2 rounds — giving everyone time to grab food, have a drink, socialise, or watch other games.

Most games last around 20 minutes, although some finish earlier.

No. All boards, pieces, clocks, and equipment are provided.

This is quite rare. On the occasional night where an extra player is needed, guest players such as venue staff, spectators, or casual participants may volunteer to fill a pairing. Guest results do not affect official standings or rankings.

Sometimes. Prizes, vouchers, merchandise, and giveaways may be offered at selected events. Any prizes are entirely at the discretion of the organisers and may vary from week to week.

Any skill level is welcome. We regularly have complete beginners, casual players, improving players, and experienced players all on the same night.

No. We pair players using their Player Rating, so you are matched against opponents close to your own level wherever possible. New players start from the skill level they picked at sign-up and settle into their true rating over their first few nights.

Absolutely. Many players attend their first-ever chess event with us. We'll explain how the night works and get you paired with suitable opponents.

No. You do not need one to turn up, and you do not need an official rating from anywhere else. We give every player our own Player Rating from 1 to 100 based on their results with us. See the Player Ratings section below.

No. We are completely independent and not affiliated with FIDE or any other chess organisation. We run our own in-house rating system, built using our own statistics, analysis tools, software, and performance models.

Yes. Many players attend on their own, especially when they're new. The pairing system ensures you'll have opponents to play and people to meet throughout the night.

That's completely normal. A large number of players attended for the first time without knowing anyone. We'll help get you settled in and paired for your first game.

Yes. Spectators are welcome to come along, watch the games, and see how the night works before deciding whether they'd like to play.

Our official tournaments are 18 and over. Players aged 16 and 17 are welcome to play in the official tournament, but a parent or guardian has to sign them up and agree on their behalf. We do not register players under 16.

It is not a venue or licensing issue. We publish player names, results and photographs on this website and on our Instagram and Facebook pages, and we are not comfortable doing that with children. The age limit is about the public and social media side of Bangalow Chess, nothing else.

Yes, absolutely. Children are welcome to come down with a parent or guardian, watch the games and see how the night runs. There is nothing stopping a curious kid and their parent turning up and having a look.

Often, yes. If one of our regulars is free between rounds, they are usually happy to play a casual game with a young visitor. Those games are informal only. They are not part of the tournament, they are not scored, and the result is not published anywhere.

The parent or guardian fills out the sign-up form on their behalf and agrees to the terms, including the use of images. If you would prefer that no photographs of your child are published, just tell us at sign-up or email bangalowchess@gmail.com and we will make sure of it.

Yes. Every player who has ever played with us has a Player Rating between 1 and 100. It sits on your player card and updates every week you play. You do not have to do anything to get one.

Your rating moves based on who you beat, not just how many games you win. Beat someone stronger than you and you gain more. Beat someone weaker and you gain less. Lose to someone much stronger and you barely drop at all.

Say you are rated 55. Beat another player rated 55 and you gain about 1 point. Beat someone rated 70 and you gain about 1.4. Beat someone rated 85 and you gain about 1.7. Now flip it around: if you are rated 85 and you beat someone rated 55, you only gain about 0.3, because you were expected to win. Every point your opponent gains, you lose, and the other way around.

Nothing. Draws do not move your rating in either direction. They still count as half a point on the night’s leaderboard, exactly as they always have.

No. Tie-breaks decide who wins the night. They have no effect on your rating.

No. Whatever your rating is when the night starts is the rating used for every one of your games that evening. Winning your first game does not make you a harder opponent in your second. Your rating updates once, after the results are entered.

From September 2025 until August 2026, your rating was worked out from your career averages: your win percentage, your points per game, and how many games you had played. It was a fair measure of your overall record, but it could not tell the difference between beating the strongest player in the room and beating the newest, and it drifted slightly every week as the averages shifted. From August 2026 the rating is opponent-based. It only moves when you win or lose a game, and how far it moves depends on who you played.

No. Everyone carried their existing rating across as their starting point. Nobody started from scratch and nobody lost their standing. Your past results were not recalculated or changed in any way.

Two small corrections were made. The old system permanently pinned two players at a fixed number and scaled everyone else around them, which is gone. And four players who had won every game from a very small number of games were showing a perfect 100, which was not a real reflection of their strength, so they were moved to 50 to settle in properly.

You start on 50, right in the middle. Your first few nights will sort out where you actually sit.

Your starting rating comes from the skill level you chose on the sign-up form. Beginner starts at 10, Average at 30, Good at 50, Very Good at 70, and Excellent at 90. From your first night onward, your results take over and the form answer stops mattering.

Yes. We use it to pair you with opponents close to your own level, so your games are competitive. Everyone still gets a fair share of games on the night, which comes first.

No. Your rating only changes when you play. Take a month off and it will be exactly where you left it.

Not at all. It is a measure of results so far, not of potential, and it exists mainly so we can give you good, even games. Plenty of players have climbed a long way. The number moves with you.

On your player card and on the Masters pages for each venue. It updates after each week’s results are entered.

Use the sign-up button below and fill out your details. Once you've registered, you're in the system and can attend any of our venues without needing to sign up again.

Yes. Once you've registered, you can simply turn up at any of our venues without needing to register again.

Yes. Your results, ratings, and statistics are tracked across the entire network. You'll be able to view venue-specific performance as well as your overall results across all venues combined — making it interesting to compare how you've performed at different locations over time.

Yes. Bangalow Chess is a public competition, so your full name, your results, your rankings and your long-term career record are published on this website and stay there permanently. We never publish your phone number or email address. If you would rather not have your results public, email bangalowchess@gmail.com and we will remove them.

Yes. We photograph and film events and post them here and on Instagram and Facebook, and Masters player cards use real photos of players. You agree to that at sign-up, but you can change your mind at any time. Email us and we will take down any image of you, no reason needed.

For text messages, reply STOP to any message we send. For emails, email bangalowchess@gmail.com and ask to be unsubscribed.

The Monthly Championship is our regular tournament series where players compete throughout the month for standings, rankings, and qualification opportunities.

The Masters is our annual invitational event featuring players who have qualified throughout the year.

Yes. Everyone starts somewhere, and many players improve rapidly through regular attendance. Any player can earn qualification opportunities through their results.