Chess coach wants my 9 year old in a rated tournament after six months of classes

olive_diary_155420 Sept 2026

My son has been doing chess on Saturday mornings since March. The coach says he is ready for a rated junior tournament next month and wants us to register him this week. He is keen. I am less sure. He takes losing at carrom hard, and a tournament means several games in a day against children who have played for years. I also work most Saturdays, so I would need to arrange someone to sit with him for the full day. For those whose children started tournaments early, was it worth it, or would you have waited another few months?

2 comments

peach_notebook_462520 Sept 2026
From my classroom, with younger children: I've noticed that the ones who go into a competition expecting to lose a few games cope far better than the ones who expect to win. Maybe talk about that with him before you decide ♥ Also ask the coach how many rounds and how long the day is. That alone might decide it for you.
cobalt_wave_22520 Sept 2026
My daughter played her first rated event at 8, after about the same amount of coaching. Five rounds, a long day. We packed lunch, a book and a water bottle. She lost four of them and still asked when the next one was. The losing was harder for me to watch than for her. I would not wait just for that reason.