Two passports in your bag

Pack your chess passport and your real passport, because this time chess takes you to another country. You sit down across from a kid from Japan, Brazil or Kenya. You play a whole game, even if you share no language. You both know the moves, and that is enough. FIDE, the world chess federation, has members all over the world. Any one of them can be your next trip. There you meet new opponents, new ways to play, and maybe a new chess friend.

Two roads out into the world

• Open tournaments let anyone enter, at any age and any rating. Many of them are held in vacation places. Your grown-up signs you up with the organizer, the person who runs the event.
• Official championships are your continent's youth championship and the world championships for kids. The group that runs chess in your country picks the players by looking at their results and rating.

Both roads count, and slow games, fast games and very fast games all count too.

How to find one

Look with your grown-up at FIDE's calendar on calendar.fide.com, which lists the big official events by country. Open tournaments abroad are listed on chess-results.com, sorted by country as well. A club or a chess camp sometimes travels as a group, so ask if yours does. Pick an event with a group for your age or your level.

Before you travel

Always travel with a grown-up. Check how many rounds there are, and how long one game can last. Then you know what each day will look like. Learn to say "good game" in the local language before you go. After the last round, save the results list.

How you get the sticker

Your grown-up or coach checks it and hands you the sticker. Show the results list with your name on it. You can also show a photo of you at the board, under the event's banner. The grown-up who traveled with you knows it happened. Did you play abroad before you had the passport? It still counts.