The August 2026 Just the Rules FYI column is now available: Just the Rules: FYI | US Chess.org
If a tournament is both FIDE and US Chess rated there are bound to be some rules conflicts. If your TD follows a FIDE rule when it bumps up against a similar, but slightly different, US Chess rule, then the tournament stands a good chance of being rated in both systems.
All FIDE rated tournaments in the USA must be US Chess rated (that’s how US Chess verifies the event and collects the FIDE rating fee) and must use the FIDE Laws of Chess per the FIDE regulations.
I’ve always just looked at this as US Chess allows using the FIDE Laws of Chess as an acceptable variation that does not need to be announced in advance. Just saying “FIDE rated” is good enough for players to know that the FIDE Laws will be used.
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