---
title: "Sectional in chess"
url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sectional.md"
canonical_url: "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/sectional"
last_updated: "2026-11-07"
type: "reference"
summary: "A sectional is a tournament section limited to players inside a set rating range. Each section is paired and scored separately and has its own prizes."
related: ["https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/open-tournament.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/scholastic-tournament.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rating-category.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pairing.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rating-list.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md", "https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md"]
---

# Sectional in chess

> **For AI agents:** the complete index of GeorgeLiChess pages is [llms.txt](https://georgelichess.com/llms.txt). Every page is also served as markdown at its URL plus .md.

A sectional is a tournament section limited to players inside a set rating range. Each section is paired and scored separately and has its own prizes.

A sectional is a tournament section limited to players inside a set rating range, so that each competitor mostly faces opponents of similar strength and prizes are fought for fairly.

Many weekend tournaments split the field into sections by rating, for example a top section, a middle section and a lower section. Each section is paired and scored separately and has its own prizes. A sectional is simply one of those groups.

For a student, the section you enter matters more than it first seems. Playing in your own range gives you competitive games, which is where most improvement and most rating movement happens. Playing one section up can be a good stretch goal, but you will often face stronger opponents and fewer winnable games. Playing well below your level may win a trophy but teaches less.

Check the entry rules before you register. Organizers usually use the most recent published rating on a set date, and some allow a player to play up but not down. Unrated players are normally placed in a section by the organizer. Section boundaries and prize rules differ between events, so read the announcement, and ask the [tournament director](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/arbiter.md) if anything is unclear.

Also called: rating section.

Compare it with [Scholastic tournament](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/scholastic-tournament.md). A scholastic tournament is an event for school-age players, usually organized in sections by grade or age, with prizes for individual students and often for school teams as well.

Rating and title terms like "Sectional" matter once you know your next step, and the [improvement plans by rating band](https://georgelichess.com/improve.md) set out a weekly routine for each rating range.

## Related terms

- [Swiss system](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md)
- [Open tournament](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/open-tournament.md)
- [Scholastic tournament](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/scholastic-tournament.md)
- [Rating category](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rating-category.md)
- [Pairing](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pairing.md)
- [Rating list](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rating-list.md)

## Guides that go further

- [Chess ratings explained](https://georgelichess.com/chess-ratings-explained.md): What a rating measures, how FIDE, Lichess, US Chess and chess.com compute theirs, and why the numbers differ.
- [FIDE chess titles](https://georgelichess.com/titles.md): How the Candidate Master, FIDE Master, International Master and Grandmaster titles are earned, with every Handbook clause.
- [How to get a FIDE rating](https://georgelichess.com/how-to-get-a-fide-rating.md): The Handbook rules for a first FIDE rating: five rated games, the 1400 floor, the two 1800 draws and a worked example.

[Book your first lesson](https://georgelichess.com/book.md) and George Li reviews your games and builds a study plan around them. Questions about lessons: write to hello@georgelichess.com.

## Related

- [Swiss system in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/swiss-system.md)
- [Open tournament in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/open-tournament.md)
- [Scholastic tournament in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/scholastic-tournament.md)
- [Rating category in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rating-category.md)
- [Pairing in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/pairing.md)
- [Rating list in chess](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/rating-list.md)
- [Chess terms: Tournaments, ratings and titles](https://georgelichess.com/glossary/category/tournaments-ratings-titles.md)
- [Chess terms glossary: plain definitions](https://georgelichess.com/glossary.md)