To play in a US Chess rated tournament will you need to be a member of United States Chess Federation.

This depends upon your age. You can review the cost of the memberships by going to https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess.

You will receive a provisional rating after playing three rated games.

A provisional rating is received after playing three rated games. This rating may fluctuate greatly until you receive an established rating.

Your rating depends upon the strength of the players you have played and the results of those games. The more games you play, the more reliable your rating will become. After playing 26 games, you will receive an established rating. Ratings range from 100 to 3000. The higher the rating, the stronger the player.

To play in a rated tournament you should have tournament chess set. However, many, but not all tournaments, provide sets. A tournament chess set is generally a “Staunton” set.

The colors of the pieces should be distinctly opposite in color (black/white) and should be pleasing to eye. The board should have squares that are distinctly opposite in color (black/white, blue/white) and the pieces should fit comfortably in squares. The size of the square should be 5-6cm.

A rated game will have a time control. The format of the time control is generally in the format of minutes and delay. It is written as G/30;d5. This means that each player will receive 30 minutes to complete a game. If the move is made within the first 5 seconds of their turn, no time will come off their clock. A game in G/30 means that each player receives 30 minutes, and the total game will not exceed 60 minutes (1 hour).

You do not need a chess clock to take part in a tournament. However, you cannot claim a win on time.

The rules of chess are very encompassing. You can obtain the rules of chess by clicking on this link. 

Just because you lose a game in a tournament, do not leave the tournament. There are many instances where a person has lost a game but may win a tournament. It depends upon who wins and loses.

Points are earned for a win (1 point), and a draw (1/2 point). These points are summed together and the player(s) with the most points wins the tournament.