Indy Chess

09/04/2026

Our Pawns to Queens girls group met again last night to level up on workbooks and then play a bughouse arena.

Every workbook they finish earns 20 points; every weekly zoom solving puzzles earns 5; every Scholastic Sunday competition earns 20.

In December the girls get to cash in the points for merch at the Indy Chess online store, and last night they gave ideas for what hoodies they want us to create. We're still working on "Purple knight with a mohawk losing its mind in a patch of flowers with rainbows in the background."

Thanks to some huge supporters stepping up last December, this group remains completely free for participants!

Save the date: 2nd annual Girls City Chess Championship is Saturday, December 12. We sent in a ticket to Weather requesting no snowstorm this year.

09/03/2026

MORE THAN FORTY PLAYERS are already registered for our Scholastic Sunday event this weekend! BUT REMEMBER, there are some significant changes...

1) This month only, it's on the south side at St. Barnabas School Gym at 8330 Rahke Rd. (It returns to St. Monica on Oct. 4.)

2) In response to feedback, the sections for Scholastic Sunday tournaments moving forward (i.e., for all future events) will be...
♟Casual/Unrated
♟Under 500 (USCF-rated)
♟Under 800 (USCF-rated)
♟Under 1100 (USCF-rated)
♟Premiere/1100+ (USCF-rated)

Still 5 trophies per sections | Still $50 gift card for Premiere winner.
Register today at indychess.org/events!

09/02/2026

Three weeks in, and these two beginners just played their first complete chess game, supervised by the school's club champion to help correct illegal moves. We love the season when our school chess programs take off!

08/31/2026

We have our first sponsors/teams of the 4th annual Corporate Chess Challenge--a benefit for our Title I school programs. Thank you to CohenMalad, LLP (title sponsor), Milliman, and Eli Lilly and Company for signing up to compete to be playfully crowned "Indy's Smartest Company!" Learn more: indychess.org/ccc

08/28/2026

♟♟INTERESTED IN PRIVATE CHESS LESSONS?♟♟

We added a new page today to our website: Private Coaches in Indianapolis (indychess.org/coaches). The page currently has the bios and contact information for two coaches affiliated with Indy Chess through contracts to provide chess programs at local schools--Ryan McCrea and Rev. Mike Gant. Both also run private lesson practices for students on their own!

📩Contact a coach today before they fill up for the 🍁Fall semester!

Interested in being a coach? Email Mike at [email protected] for an interview.

A list of private coaches in Indianapolis that can give chess lessons in-person or virtually, including their contact information for rates and availability.

08/27/2026

The early bird price for our Club Championship ends this Saturday, August 29 at 11:59pm!

REGISTER: indychess.org/events
PLAYERS: tinyurl.com/indychess

Join National Masters Harvey Hanke and Greg Kennedy, plus 2025 Club Champion Nate Criss at the event!

08/19/2026

Don't think there is anyone we would rather see right now get the norms for this title. She is such an amazingly strong player.

One draw away from her first GM norm!

16-year-old Alice Lee enters the final round of the Cairns Cup needing just a draw to secure the first GM norm of her career!

Alice, a student of the Kasparov Chess Foundation, has been having a fantastic tournament in Saint Louis. Now, one final game stands between her and a huge milestone.

And there is even more motivation for the next generation of American women in chess. In 2024, Dr. Jeanne Cairns Sinquefield created the Cairns Chess Queens Award, offering $100,000 to each of up to five eligible U.S. women who earn the GM title by July 4, 2029. 🇺🇸🏆

Alice still has a journey ahead to earn the full GM title, but today could be a very important first step.

Let’s wish Alice the best of luck in the final round!

08/19/2026

Many players in our Club Championship will get good trophies, but the 1st place section winners will get the one trophy topper we save each year for the championship: The GOAT!

3rd annual Indy Chess Club Championship
Saturday, September 12
@ St. Paul's Episcopal Church | 6050 N Meridian St., Indy
Rounds: 9:30a, 12:30p, 3p, 6p
Four sections: 1800+/Open, 1400-1799, 1000-1399, Unrated-999
Five trophies per section, plus $1,175 total prize fund
Other awards: Most Improved, Volunteer of the Year, and more

Register today at indychess.org/events!
Club members AND guests welcome to play ($ bonus prizes for club members)

Previous champions:
2024: Rev. Mike Gant
2025: Nathaniel Criss
2026: ...YOU?!?!

08/18/2026

A KIDS' TOURNAMENT ON THE SOUTH SIDE!?!? AND NEW SECTIONS!?!?

Our monthly Scholastic Sunday tournament on Sept. 6th is moving to St. Barnabas School Gym at 8330 Rahke Rd. (It returns to St. Monica on Oct. 4.)

AND in response to feedback, the sections for Scholastic Sunday tournaments moving forward will be...
♟Casual/Unrated
♟Under 500 (USCF-rated)
♟Under 800 (USCF-rated)
♟Under 1100 (USCF-rated)
♟Premiere/1100+ (USCF-rated)

Still 5 trophies per sections | Still $50 gift card for Premiere winner.

Register today at indychess.org/events!

08/18/2026

The price for the Indianapolis Open (Aug 21-23) goes up $22 tomorrow, so register today!

It is a Continental Chess Association tournament, so remember...

CONS
1) They won't provide any boards or clocks
2) You'll be squished together (feels worse when the kids get up and leave their boards 20 times per game and squeeze thru the narrow walkways)
3) The GM on board one will be tucked away in a corner where no one can spectate (and no broadcast in Indianapolis)
4) The time control will be rare and your game will be delayed to start b/c neither of you figured out how to set it on your clock

PROS
5) The prize fund will be huge b/c they have a big following from decades in the biz
6) More than 150 players will register no matter what the entry list says, so great competition
7) Parking will be free and hotels affordable
8) Top two sections are FIDE rated, but that doesn't mean your games will be if your opponents don't have FIDE ratings (or if you lose all of them)
9) High rated in your section? Find a female (if you're male) and ask if they'd partner with you for the Mixed Doubles prize! Low rated in your section? Don't waste the female's time. Females, don't choose your partner and turn in your Mixed Doubles form till after round two to make sure they're sitting on 2.0/2.0, no matter how good a friend they are. They will understand; chess is logical.
10) Without CCA, our country would have a lot fewer opportunities to play rated chess.

PLAYER LIST (AND REGISTRATION): https://chessaction.com/tournaments/advance_entry_list.php?tid=nKOnog==