1. Overview
There are no sign-up fees, contracts, or fees to pause, switch, or cancel. You can modify, pause, or cancel anytime through the Manage Plan form. New subscriptions begin with a trial period unless otherwise stated.

1.1 Trial Period
The Group Class Program includes a 10 consecutive calendar-day trial starting on your sign-up date. During the trial you may attend one (1) in-person group class and one (1) open play; online classes and other premium features are not included. These are the only services available during the trial. Trials cannot be paused or extended for unused services, and may be waived at our discretion.

Cancel before the end of the 10th day to avoid any charge — cancellation during the trial is immediate and stops the plan from activating. If you don't cancel, your selected plan activates automatically and the first charge applies, with no refunds or extensions for unused services. Youth Play, Adult Play, and Competitive Play Pass do not include a trial.

2. Billing, Renewal & Cancellation
Subscriptions renew automatically each month on your original payment date. Auto-renewal can only be ended by cancellation. To cancel, submit a request through the Manage Plan form using your billing email. Cancellation during the trial takes effect immediately; cancellation of an active subscription takes effect at the end of the current paid cycle, with access continuing until then. Cancellation does not result in refunds, credit, or prorated charges.

2.1 Pausing
Subscriptions may be paused in whole-month increments, from one (1) to three (3) months. Submit pause requests through the Manage Plan form before your next billing date. 

While paused, you aren't charged and access is suspended; both resume automatically when the pause ends, and your renewal date shifts forward by the length of the pause. 

3. Refunds
All subscriptions are non-refundable. We don't offer refunds, store credit, or prorated refunds for any charge — including for technical issues during online classes, forgetting to cancel, non-attendance, or charges after a pause ends if you didn't cancel. Please use the trial to decide whether the program is right for you.

4. Child Safety & Supervision
Staff supervise students during scheduled class times and ensure orderly dismissal. Students under 10 must be signed in and out by a parent or legal guardian. Students 10 and older may check themselves in and out only with parental permission. Texas Chess Center is not responsible for supervision before check-in or after class ends; parents and guardians are responsible for their child's safety outside scheduled class hours, including time on or near the property.

5. Referral Program
Current Group Class members may earn a referral bonus when a new customer they refer enrolls online in a qualifying group class plan and stays active beyond any trial period. Eligible referrals may receive a $50 check or subscription credit at our discretion. Self-referrals, duplicate accounts, and household members may be excluded. Bonuses are not guaranteed and may change or end at any time.

6. Other

• A $25 monthly discount applies for each additional sibling when the sibling add-on is selected. Siblings may be added at checkout or to an active subscription through the Manage Plan form; the discount applies to the next billing cycle.

• Texas Chess Center may modify subscription offerings, pricing, benefits, and policies with reasonable notice.

1. Registration
Registration is done on our website and closes 30 minutes before the scheduled tournament start time. Players who want to register after this cutoff may receive a first-round bye at the Tournament Director’s (TD) discretion. National Masters (NM) and above play for free in non-FIDE tournaments, please contact us for registration.

1.1 Eligibility
Players must be familiar with US Chess rules and have an active US Chess membership. Subject to event limitations, players of all ages and ratings are welcome. By registering, you confirm:
-Your US Chess membership is active, current, and in good standing
-You agree to follow all tournament rules.
-If your membership is expired you cannot play until renewed; if not active by round 1 pairing, the player is provided with bye(s) or withdrawn with no refund.

1.2 US Chess IDs
Each player must register with their own US Chess ID. Ratings are tracked by US Chess through participation in rated events.

2. Refund Policy

2.1 FIDE & Championship Tournaments
A full refund is issued if canceled more than 48 hours before the start time of the 2-Day schedule. A 50% refund is issued if canceled between 48 hours and 2 hours before the start. No refunds are issued within 2 hours of the start or for no-shows.

2.2 Scholastic, Blitz & Weekly Swiss Tournaments
A full refund is issued if canceled at least 2 hours before the start. No refunds are issued within 2 hours of the start or for no-shows.

2.3 Cancellations & Refund Processing
Cancellations and withdraws must be emailed or otherwise communicated before the applicable deadline. Refunds are typically processed within five business days. Norm tournaments follow the refund policies listed on their individual registration pages.

2.4 Competitive Pass or Premier Subscription Players
Missed events are not eligible for refunds. Missed tournaments without prior notice result in:

(1) a warning for the first offense,
(2) a one-month subscription suspension for the second offense without a subscription refund, and
(3) loss of eligibility to use any subscription benefits that provide full tournament entry discounts. If a player uses a Competitive Pass or Premier Subscription registration code

Registrations made with a Competitive Pass or Premier Subscription code are only valid if your pass/subscription is active on the tournament date. If you cancel, entries remain valid only for tournaments occurring within your current billing period; tournaments after cancellation require the standard entry fee or reinstatement.

For example, If you register while active, then cancel a week later, any tournaments after the cancellation date are no longer valid unless you pay the standard fee or reactivate.

3. Ratings, Section Placement & Pairings
-Regular Rating (Monthly) refers to the most recent published US Chess Regular rating.
-Live Rating refers to the current US Chess rating as of the most recently rated event.
-Peak Rating refers to the highest rating ever achieved and is not used for eligibility.
-Section Floor refers to the minimum Regular rating eligible for a section.
-Section Cap (Ceiling) refers to the maximum Regular rating eligible for a section.
-Playing Up refers to entering a section above the one a player’s current rating normally qualifies for.

3.1 Section Placement
Players are placed into sections based on their Regular (Published Monthly) US Chess rating as of the tournament start date. Unrated players are placed in the lowest section by default unless the TD approves alternate placement based on verified evidence of playing strength.

3.2 FIDE to USCF Conversion Formula
Players with a US Chess unrated rating (never played a US Chess rated tournament) may request placement using a verified FIDE or substantiated online rating. If FIDE is 2000 or below, USCF is calculated as −1073 + 1.5667 × FIDE. If FIDE is above 2000, USCF is calculated as 20 + 1.02 × FIDE.

3.3 Scholastic Tournaments
Only students in grades K–12 are permitted to play in scholastic tournaments. Scholastic players may only play up within their own grade category.

3.4 Live Rating Cap Enforcement
Any player whose Live Regular rating exceeds a section’s cap by 150 points or more must automatically play up.

4. Playing-Up Policy

4.1 Rating-Based Eligibility
A player may request to play up if
(1) their Regular or Live rating is within 150 points of the next section’s floor, in which case a play-up fee applies, or
(2) their Regular or Live rating meets or exceeds the next section’s floor, in which case no play-up fee applies. Peak ratings may not be used for playing-up eligibility.

Examples for a tournament with Open and U1800 sections are as follows:
A) A player with a Monthly rating of 1620 and Live rating of 1739 is eligible to play up.
B) A player with a Monthly rating of 1620 and Live rating of 1647 is not yet eligible.
C) A player with a Monthly rating of 1620 and Live rating of 1809 is eligible with no play-up fee.

4.2 Blitz & Quick Tournaments
Section placement is based on Regular ratings. Tournament directors may automatically move players to a higher section if their Quick or Blitz rating is significantly higher. A Blitz or Quick rating may be used only to waive the play-up fee if it is at least 150 points higher than the player’s Regular rating and meets the higher section’s floor.

4.3 Alternate Ratings
FIDE, Chess.com, Chesskid.com, lichess.org, or other foreign federation ratings may not be used to play-up if the player already has a US Chess rating. Alternate ratings may be considered only if the player is unrated with US Chess; if a player has a FIDE ID then the conversion formula in 3.2 is used. Substantiated online ratings must come from established accounts with sufficient game history, at TD discretion.

Unrated players must disclose any FIDE or foreign ratings at registration, and the TD may verify and reassign sections accordingly based on our policies. Failure to disclose relevant ratings may result in reassignment, forfeiture of prizes, or removal without refund.

4.4 TD Discretion
Tournament Directors reserve the right to deny any playing-up request or reassign a player to a different section for competitive balance or tournament integrity.

5. FIDE Registration Rules
To participate in FIDE tournaments, players must complete the registration form and obtain a FIDE ID, or contact US Chess to request one. An official FIDE rating requires at least five games against previously rated FIDE players, a minimum score of 0.5 points, and a performance rating of 1400 or higher. The first three GMs or IMs to register are guaranteed a minimum prize of $200 (GM) or $100 (IM), valid until the late fee deadline; participants must play all rounds. Players with a FIDE rating of 2300 or higher (FM and above) may play for free.

6. Tournament Transfers
Transfers are permitted once per registration for Weekly tournaments only. Transfer requests must be made before the applicable refund cutoff. Once a transfer is completed, the registration becomes non-refundable and no refunds may be issued at any point in the future. Any price difference between events must be paid. Transfers must be to an event occurring within 90 days.

7. Byes & Missed Rounds
Inform us as soon as possible if you cannot play a round. Half-point (1/2) byes for all non-final rounds are available if requested before the start of the preceding round. If not requested in time, the bye will be worth zero (0) points. For a half-point (1/2) bye in the final round, players must give irrevocable notice of such byes before the end of Round 1.

8. Prize Claims
Players have up to six (6) months from the tournament date end to claim prizes before they expire.

9. Scholastic Supervision & Liability
Texas Chess Center, operated by Titled Chess, does not provide child care and supervises players only within the official tournament area.

10. Tournament Rules can be found at https://www.texaschesscenter.com/tournaments under rules.

Severe Weather Policy: In the event of local school district closures due to weather, all in-person activities will be canceled or rescheduled as needed. Regular online activities will continue as normal unless otherwise stated.

10% off Retail: For members on our Group Class Plans, Play Memberships, or Competitive Play Pass, a 10% off discount on all of our retail items is offered. This discount is not applicable for food or drink items.

Behavior Policy: Disruptive behavior includes damaging property, causing physical harm, violating company policies, and repeated violations of US Chess rules. Progressive steps include initial warnings and written warnings via email. Continued disruptive behavior may result in consequences such as a 1-month suspension without a refund. Removal from the program is the final step if disruptive behavior persists.

Media Release: By enrolling in or attending our programs or tournaments, you agree that Texas Chess Center (TCC) may photograph or record you and/or your child, and may use your or your child’s name, image, likeness, or voice for promotional, educational, and archival purposes. This permission is granted on an irrevocable basis and without any requirement for compensation.

Seasonal Camps: Full camp refunds are available until Thursday at 11:59 p.m. before the camp week.

Private Lessons: All private lessons must be prepaid, and a card must be kept on file to secure your appointment. Payments for taught lessons are non-refundable, and lesson packages are non-refundable, including any unused lessons.

You may cancel or reschedule a lesson up to 24 hours before the scheduled start time without penalty. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours’ notice, or a failure to attend, will result in a full charge. In the event of weather-related or center closures, you will receive a no-penalty reschedule.

Coaches will wait up to 15 minutes for late arrivals. After that time, the lesson will be considered a no-show, and the session will still end at the originally scheduled time. Lessons booked from a package may be rescheduled only once per appointment and must be taken within seven days, subject to coach availability.

Requests to change the lesson location or format (online or in-person) must be made in advance and are subject to coach and space availability. Coaches will communicate about private lessons only through company email or phone and will not use personal contact information. At-home lessons are not offered.

School Programs: If a class is canceled due to weather conditions, we will make every effort to schedule a make-up session in collaboration with your school. While we cannot guarantee a make-up date, we always strive to find a suitable alternative. Refunds are available prior to the second day of the program; however, there are no prorated refunds for students who withdraw after the program begins. Students are not able to make up missed classes outside of the predetermined program schedule.

Refund Policy for Physical Store Goods: To be eligible for a refund, you must present a valid proof of purchase (digital receipt) from our store. Food and drinks items are strictly non-refundable for reasons of health and safety.

Refunds will not be provided for products damaged due to misuse or negligence. Refund requests for physical store items must be made within 30 days of the original purchase date.

To request a refund, please visit our store in person with the product and your proof of purchase. Our staff will inspect the product and verify the eligibility for a refund. If eligible, refunds will be issued to the original payment method used for the purchase. We reserve the right to deny a refund if the product does not meet our refund criteria.