What to bring to a chess tournament: a checklist

Alexey Mudry · updated October 26, 2026

Packing for a chess tournament is quicker than for any sport: no kit, no equipment. But a couple of forgotten things can spoil the day - the phone with the clock dies, there is no ID at a rated tournament, a child is hungry by round three. Below - a checklist by section, a table by tournament type and what not to take into the playing area.

A checklist by section

📱

Always

☐ a phone charged to 100%
☐ a power bank and a cable
☐ water
☐ a snack: a banana, nuts, a bar
☐ the entry fee, if there is one

📝

For classical

☐ two pens - for the scoresheet
☐ a warm layer: a game lasts up to four hours
☐ smartwatches and fitness bands - switched off in your bag: they are electronic devices

🪪

For a rated tournament

☐ an ID document, if the regulations ask for one
☐ your FIDE ID or national ID - check it is on your entry
☐ the entry fee: cash or transfer, as the regulations say

🎒

For a child

☐ a birth certificate or a copy, if the regulations ask for one
☐ indoor shoes, if the tournament is at a school
☐ water and a snack - children forget to eat between rounds
☐ something to read or a puzzle for the waiting time
☐ a parent's phone with the app, if the child plays without their own

What to bring to different tournaments: a table

Tournament	What to bring	Why
Club evening, blitz	a charged phone, water	boards, pieces and clocks are provided
All-day rapid	phone, power bank, water, food	little time between rounds for a café
Classical	pens, warm clothes, food	a game lasts up to four hours
Rated tournament	ID document, FIDE or national ID, entry fee	without them the result will not be rated
Junior tournament	the child's document, indoor shoes, a snack	and a photo consent, if the organiser asks

You do not need to bring a board, pieces or a clock to an amateur tournament - the organiser provides them. At Vibe Chess tournaments the clock is on your phone, so the main thing to bring is a charged phone.

What not to take into the playing area

• headphones - they cannot be used during a game;
• chess books and notes - looking at them during a game is forbidden;
• a phone with messengers open - at Vibe Chess meetups a phone at the board is allowed only with the app open, as the clock and camera;
• noisy food and drinks in crinkly wrappers - your neighbours need quiet.

The phone rule in detail - phones in the tournament hall.

A player making a move, a phone with the chess clock beside the board — A Vibe Chess tournament in Moscow City: on the table - a board and a phone with the clock, nothing else.

A player thinking over a move, a phone with a chess clock beside the board — A Vibe Chess tournament in Moscow City: on the table - a board and a phone with the clock, nothing else.

Your phone before round one

• charge it to 100% and plug in a power bank if the tournament is long;
• turn on Do Not Disturb;
• install the Vibe Chess app and sign in beforehand, not in the hall;
• close other apps - the clock likes a responsive phone.

Which phone will do and how to install the app - which phone works for Vibe Chess. How to prepare for the play itself - how to prepare for your first chess tournament.

The main thing to bring is a charged phone

At Vibe Chess tournaments your phone holds the pairings, the clock and the score. Install the app in advance and find a tournament in your city.

Open the Vibe Chess app

Frequently asked questions about packing for a tournament

What should I bring to a chess tournament?

A charged phone and a power bank, water and a snack, the entry fee. For classical - pens and warm clothes, for a rated tournament - an ID document and your ID number, for a child - a document, indoor shoes and a snack.

Do I need my own chess set and clock?

For an amateur tournament - usually not, the organiser provides them. At Vibe Chess tournaments the clock is on the player's phone.

What should a child take to a chess tournament?

A document if the regulations ask for one, indoor shoes, water and a snack, and something to keep busy between rounds.

Can I have my phone at the board?

The regulations and the arbiter decide. At Vibe Chess meetups a phone at the board is allowed only with the app open - as the clock and camera.

Do I need an ID document for a chess tournament?

For a club one - no. For rated and junior tournaments - if the regulations require it.

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

For players: how to prepare for your first tournament, phones in the tournament hall, classical 90+30 and parents at a junior chess tournament.

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 →