The earliest reference to the game in Middle Latin is a poem de scachis, preserved in Einsiedeln Abbey.
Chess in medieval Europe was played in monasteries and at feudal courts.
Tournament organisers and chess clubs send game results and appropriate fees to the ECF which then compiles ratings that measure the playing strength of active players.
The most famous tournament held in Britain is probably the Hastings International Chess Congress, which runs from late December to early January.
Tournaments usually pay prizes both for the first three or four places and for people who get the most points within a particular range of grades, but the vast majority of players who enter them play for recreation.