A chess tournament announcement: 10 ready templates

Alexey Mudry · updated October 26, 2026

A good announcement answers every question before it is asked and ends with one sign-up link. A bad one makes people message the organiser privately: "is it OK for beginners?", "what time?". Below - seven things every announcement must have, ten ready templates for different channels and occasions, and a schedule for what to publish when. Square brackets - fill in your own.

What an announcement must contain

Question	What to write
What	format and control: "blitz 5+3, 7 rounds, Swiss system"
When	date, weekday, start time and rough finish
Where	venue, address, how to find the room
Who for	any level, beginners, children under 12, company staff
Cost	free, an entry fee or "order something at the café"
How to sign up	one link; if places are few - how many are left
What to bring	a charged phone, your own clock and board - if needed

The most common mistake is leaving out "who for". A beginner who is not sure they are welcome simply will not sign up. The line "any level, you can come on your own" brings people better than any prize.

Ten announcement templates

Copy, fill in your details in the square brackets and cut what you do not need:

1. Short post

Telegram channel or group chat, 2-3 weeks ahead

♟ Blitz tournament at [venue] - [weekday], [date], [time] 5+3, 7 rounds, Swiss. Any level, you can come on your own. 📍 [address] 💰 [free / entry fee] Sign up: [link]

2. Detailed post

Facebook, Instagram, the club website

Chess evening at [venue] 🏁 [Weekday], [date], from [time] to [time]. We play blitz 5+3, seven rounds of Swiss - every round a new opponent at your level. Who for: anyone who knows how the pieces move. No rating needed, no tournament experience either. Lots of beginners. What to bring: a charged phone - it holds the clock and the game scores. Boards and pieces are provided. 📍 [address, how to get there] 💰 [price] 👉 Sign up: [link] [Number] places. Results and photos - in this group after the tournament.

3. Poster

a poster at the venue, an image for social media

CHESS TOURNAMENT [date] · [time] [venue], [address] Blitz 5+3 · 7 rounds · any level Prizes: [what] Scan the QR code to sign up →

4. Junior tournament

parents' chats, the school, a chess club

Junior chess tournament, [date], [time] For children born [years] who know the rules. Age groups, each with its own places and certificates. Duration - about [N] hours, time control [control]. 📍 [address] 💰 [entry fee] Parents: waiting area [where], games can be followed on the broadcast from a phone. Sign your child up: [link]. Sign-up includes consent to data processing and photos.

5. Company tournament

a work chat or mailing list

Colleagues, on [date] at [time] - the [company] chess tournament! Where: [meeting room / hall], [floor]. Format: blitz 5+3, 5 rounds, about two hours. Level does not matter: pairings follow results, so strong players meet strong players. Prizes: [what]. Sign up by [date]: [link]. [Number] places.

6. Evening in a bar

the venue's social media, stories

Chess at [bar] every [weekday] 🍻♟ Tonight at [time]: a blitz evening of 7 rounds. You can come alone - we will find you opponents. Tables are kept for players, the kitchen is open. Sign up: [link]

7. Rated tournament

the federation website, chess players' chats

Rated tournament [name], [dates] Rapid [control], [N] rounds, Swiss system, rated by [FIDE / national federation]. Chief arbiter: [name, category]. Venue: [address]. On-site registration until [time]. Entry fee: [amount]. Prize fund: [amount], distribution - in the regulations. Regulations and sign-up: [link]

8. The day before: confirmation

the tournament chat, a day ahead

Tournament tomorrow! ♟ [Time], [venue], [address]. Please confirm by replying "+" before [time] today - places of those who do not confirm will go to the waiting list. Bring a charged phone.

9. Places left

the channel, 3-5 days before the tournament

[N] places left for [name] - [date] ⏳ [Format, time, venue in one line]. Sign up: [link]. Sign-up closes when places run out.

10. Results and the next tournament

the channel, the evening after the tournament

[Name] results 🏆 [N] people played, [M] of them at our tournament for the first time. 🥇 [name] - [points] 🥈 [name] - [points] 🥉 [name] - [points] Full table: [link]. Photos - in the album. Next tournament - [date], [format]. Sign-up is already open: [link]

When to publish

• 2-3 weeks ahead - the main announcement (templates 1-7);
• 3-5 days ahead - places left (template 9), if places are few;
• the day before - confirmation in the tournament chat (template 8);
• on the day - a reminder to players: in the Vibe Chess app it goes out by itself in the morning;
• the evening after - results and the next tournament (template 10).

A calendar for the whole season - a season calendar of competitions, how to reduce no-shows - 30 signed up, 15 came.

The sign-up link in the Vibe Chess app

In the Vibe Chess app every tournament has a card, and the card has an invitation: a link for messengers and social media and a QR code for a poster. Via the link a person sees the date, the venue with a photo and address, the format, and signs up with one button.

• one link works for all ten templates;
• the QR code - for the poster (template 3) and the hall screen;
• on the morning of the tournament those who signed up get a reminder with the address and time automatically.

The Invite a friend block on the tournament card: a QR code and an Other ways to invite link — A QR code right on the tournament card.

A tournament card at a coffee shop: venue photo, date, blitz 5+3, 5 rounds, the venue's address and description — What a person sees via the link in the announcement.

One link for any announcement

Create a tournament in the Vibe Chess app - its card gets a sign-up link and a QR code, and players get a reminder on the day by themselves. Free.

Open the Vibe Chess app

Frequently asked questions about tournament announcements

What should a chess tournament announcement say?

The format and control, the date and time, the venue and address, who the tournament is for, the cost, one sign-up link and what to bring.

How many days ahead should I publish?

The main announcement - 2-3 weeks ahead, places left - 3-5 days ahead, confirmation of attendance - the day before.

How do I attract beginners?

Say plainly "any level, you can come on your own" and explain that pairings follow results: strong players meet strong players.

Do I need a poster if I have social media?

For a tournament in a café, school or office - yes: it is seen by people who do not follow your channel. Add a QR code for sign-up.

Where do I get a sign-up link?

In the Vibe Chess app - on the tournament card: a link for messengers and social media and a QR code for the poster.

Anyone can be the organizer

There are no club or arbiter roles in the app: the create button is available to everyone. You can announce a tournament today and run it this weekend.

Swiss
when there are more than ten players and nobody should be knocked out
Round robin
when the field is small and fairness matters most
Free meetup
when you simply want to get together and play

Create a tournament

More than a bot: the app, FIDE rules and a TRF report

The app. Besides the bot there is an app - inside Telegram and simply at playvibechess.com/app: what is on in your city, the player list, a live table, the current round, your profile and game history - everything that is awkward to read as chat messages.
Pairings by FIDE rules. Pairings are computed by bbpPairings, an open-source engine implementing the Dutch system: score groups, floats on an odd field, colour alternation, no rematches, and no player gets a bye twice.
A TRF report. A finished tournament exports as a single file in the FIDE data exchange format - the one arbiter software and federations accept. Your profile stores the FIDE ID, national federation code, title, sex and date of birth for it.
Free. All of the above, with no subscriptions, paid plans or limits on the number of tournaments and players.

Full overview

Missing a feature? Message the developers

The bot is constantly improved based on real tournaments. If you need a feature that isn't there yet, message the developers right inside the bot with the /support command. Many features appeared exactly because organizers asked for them, and useful ideas get added quickly.

What to read next

More about players: how to reduce no-shows, a tournament waiting list, a season calendar of competitions and chess tournament photography.

Alexey Mudry · hosted 37 events for Vibe Chess · 157 reviews · rating 5.0

At the board since childhood: hazy about his rating, precise about every rook he has blundered. Counts an evening as a good one if the opponent stayed to talk afterwards instead of rushing off to check with an engine. Message →