NZCF Tournaments / Obtaining An NZCF Rating


Previously being a member of the Hamilton Chess Club enabled individuals to play in NZCF sponsored tournaments and receive an NZCF rating. Following a 2026 change in the NZCF constitution this is no longer the case. New NZCF rules stipulate that to play in NZCF rated tournaments players must now be paid up members of the New Zealand Chess Federation. To become a member of the NZCF individuals need complete an NZCF application form available online and pay the appropriate fee. The cost of NZCF membership is $25 per year. For individuals that might play in only one or two NZCF tournaments each year a more cost-effective option could be to take out a one-month membership as the cost of this is only $5. As an example if you play two tournaments in January and another in September the cost would then only be two single month memberships (January and September) or $10 in total.