Rochester Chess Club

06/06/2026

Reminder... tomorrow is the deadline for the lowest registration prices for the Rochester Open and Midwest Women and Girls Championship. See details and how to register here: https://www.minnesotachess.com/rochester-chess-festival

04/28/2026

ROCHESTER CHESS: FREE EVENT AT THE FARMERS MARKET ON MAY 2, 9 AM – NOON.

Rochester Chess, an educational nonprofit, will host a free chess exhibit at the Farmers Market Farmers Market on the fairgrounds on Saturday, May 2, 9 AM – noon. Children and adults are invited to play chess and receive instruction from our team of experienced chess coaches led by coach Kevin. Chess sets will be provided. The market is an opportunity to share your love of chess and to pick up some fresh vegetables! If you do not know how to play chess, no problem, we will teach you! We will be in the large grassy area west of the main market. No registration is required. Stop by anytime!

09/28/2025

National Chess Day Scholastic Chess Tournament on Saturday, October 11.

This is a reminder to register for the National Chess Day Scholastic (K8) chess tournament on Saturday, October 11, if you have not already done so. https://rochester.ce.eleyo.com/course/25199/2025-fall-youth%E2%80%941/rochester-scholastic-chess-tournament-gr-k-8

Let's Play Chess!
Celebrate National Chess Day by participating in the largest youth chess tournament in Rochester. Students can expect a supportive environment with instruction from experienced chess players and high school role models. Students will be paired with others at a similar skill level and do not need any prior experience in chess events. This opportunity is presented in partnership by Rochester Chess and Rochester Community Education.

All Experience Levels Welcome
Any student in grades K-8 may participate. Participants will play in one of three divisions.

Beginner (Grades K-2): Afternoon only. If you understand how to move the pieces, you are ready to have fun and play chess with other kids.

Novice (Grades 3-8): Students will be paired with students of a similar skill level. This division may be a good fit for students who have not previously competed in a chess event.

Advanced (Grades K-8): Tournament results will be rated by the United States Chess Federation (USCF). A USCF membership is required and can be purchased on their website for $24: https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess.

Excellent instructors - Chess Master Matt Jensen, Master Thompson, and experienced high school chess players will provide game analysis..

Let's Play Chess! Celebrate National Chess Day by participating in the largest youth chess tournament in Rochester. Students can expect a supportive environment with instruction from experienced chess players and high school role models. Students will be paired with others at a similar skill level a...

08/13/2025

Free Scholastic K-12 Chess Tournament on Saturday, September 6 (9:30 AM – 3:30 PM) at the Mayo Clinic Harwick Building, South Cafeteria, 205 3rd Avenue SW, Rochester, MN. Park for free on the street or in a nearby parking ramp.

Four rounds of Game/30, d5s in a Swiss Style format will be played. All participants will play 4 games. No elimination. Participating in the K-12 sections requires a USCF membership (https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess). A separate unrated K-2 section will be held (11:45-3:00).

Chess sets and clocks will be provided. Half-point byes are available for schedule conflicts. Online pre-registration is required to reserve your spot in the tournament. Participation will be limited to the first 50 registrants.

Complete details and an online registration form can be found at this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdnH1Mjut07-KS8kYIyE-hOVBZNHo5oRXIwjCKaxvbNe1eHbQ/viewform?usp=pp_url.

Directed by Matt Markland.

Parent and coach volunteers are needed. Contact Dennis Mays ([email protected]) for more information.

08/11/2025

Rochester Chess, an educational nonprofit, will host a free chess exhibit at the Farmers Market Farmers Market on the fairgrounds on Saturday, August 16, 9 AM – noon.

Children and adults are invited to play chess and receive instruction from our team of experienced chess coaches. Chess sets will be provided. The market is an opportunity to share your love of chess and to pick up some fresh vegetables! If you do not know how to play chess, no problem, we will teach you! We will be in the large grassy area west of the main market.

No registration is required. Stop by anytime!

Questions? Contact Dennis Mays [email protected]

07/29/2025

The 2025 Rochester Chess Festival was held in the Mayo Civic Center on July 18 – 20. Rochester Chess partnered with the Minnesota State Chess Association (MSCA) to organize the Festival. One hundred sixty five players competed in the Open and Women and Girls tournaments. Fifty seven players competed in the simultaneous exhibition on Friday. ⁣
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A report by MSCA board member Tim Rademacher can be found here: https://www.minnesotachess.com/post/rochester-chess-festival-is-big-success. ⁣
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Additional photos of the event can be found here: ⁣
https://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaChess/posts/pfbid02bCkH4xHbxbNacMzwQ4xo4rs8BPmRWmMdE2bSMCsAhEXBfTqdcLDMZtxPQzFFvT7rl.⁣
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The Friday evening simul was organized by MSCA and sponsored by Matt Jensen’s ChessGoals, which features chess improvement programs targeting players rated 2000 and under: https://courses.chessgoals.com/. IMs John Bartholomew and Sean Nagle took on all comers (57 total!) in the simul. They alternated moves and played until after midnight! The simul players were looking for IM scalps. The final record was 48 wins, 4 losses, and 5 draws. Michael Kern and John Blomer were among the winners (the other winners have not been reported at this time). Local players Charlie Johnson, LT Taylor, Ben Schimke, and Ansh Singh drew their games, as did Dan Voje of Chess Castle fame. Congratulations to all and many thanks to IMs Bartholomew and Nagle for providing an exciting start to the festival weekend.⁣
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The MSCA organized the first-ever Midwest Regional Championship for Women & Girls. 18 girls competed in the event. Top-seed Joshini Sudhakar cruised to victory by winning the tournament with a perfect 5-0 score. The complete list of prize winners is below:⁣
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1st – Joshini Sudhakar (5) $300⁣
2nd – Yuno Shemesh (4) $200⁣
1st U1100 – Shreya Binu (3.5) $100⁣
T-2nd U1100/1st U800 – Dhansika Sasikumar, Margot Lagnado Ling, Sanvitha Vallurupalli, Claire Niu, and Riya Dadala (3) $30 each⁣
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Trophies:⁣
1st U700 – Dhansika Sasikumar (3)⁣
2nd U700 – Margo Lagnado Ling (3)⁣
3rd U700 – Sanvitha Vallurupalli (3)⁣
4th U700 – Riya Dadala (3)⁣
5th U700 – Risa Dadala (2.5)⁣
6th U700 – Veera More (2)⁣
7th U700 – Viha More (2)⁣
8th U700 – Seerat Singh (2)⁣
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The women and girls tournament has been rated by USCF: https://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202507208812-31982688.⁣
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One hundred forty seven players competed in the Rochester Open in one of 5 sections. IM Samrug Narayanan finished in first place in the premier section with a perfect score of 5-0.⁣
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Cade Sigl finished in first place with 4.5 points in the U1900 section. In the U1500 section Yusuf Khan continued his winning ways and took 1st prize with 4.5 points. Brothers Isaac and Luke Sellon finished in a 5-way tie for 2nd place in the U1500 section.⁣
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Teddy Clisbee topped the field in the U1100 section with 4.5 points. In the U700, unrated newcomer Mauro Carmona from Rochester scored a perfect 5-0 in his first-ever OTB tournament.⁣
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The open tournament has been rated by USCF: https://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202507208842-16917452⁣
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Many members of the Rochester Chess Advisory board and other members of the chess community pitched in the make this event successful. Without them the Rochester Chess Festival would not have been possible. The Mayo Civic Center offered substantial discounts on the rental space. The chess community appreciates the generosity of Monika Kopek and Kindra Knutson of the Mayo Civic Center for supporting community activities like the Rochester Chess Festival.⁣
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Media coverage of the events:⁣
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https://www.kaaltv.com/news/rochester-chess-open-encourages-female-players-to-join/⁣
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https://www.kttc.com/2025/07/20/rochester-hosts-largest-chess-festival-citys-history/⁣

07/07/2025

ROCHESTER CHESS AT THE FARMERS MARKET ON JULY 12
Rochester Chess, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, will host a free chess exhibit at the Farmers Market on the fairgrounds on Saturday, July 12, 9 AM – Noon. Children and adults are invited to play chess games and receive instruction from our team of experienced chess coaches. Chess sets will be provided. The market is an opportunity to share your love of chess.

You do not know how to play chess? No problem, we will teach you! We will be in the large grassy area near the music. No registration is required. Stop by anytime! I hope to see you there. Questions? Contact Dennis Mays [email protected]

06/11/2025

ROCHESTER CHESS AT THE FARMERS MARKET ON JUNE 21.

Rochester Chess, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, will host a free chess exhibit at the Farmers Market on the fairgrounds on Saturday, June 21, 9 AM – Noon. Children and adults are invited to play chess games and receive instruction from our team of experienced chess coaches. Chess sets will be provided. The market is an opportunity to share your love of chess.

You do not know how to play chess? No problem, we will teach you! We will be in the large grassy area near the music. No registration is required. Stop by anytime! I hope to see you there. Questions? Contact Dennis Mays [email protected]

05/14/2025

Rochester Chess will host a free chess exhibit at the Farmers Market on the fairgrounds (Rochester Farmers Markets) on Saturday, May 17, 9 AM – noon. Children and adults are invited to play chess games and receive instruction from our team of experienced chess coaches. Chess sets will be provided.

The market is an opportunity to share your love of chess. If you do not know how to play chess, we will teach you! We will be in the large grassy area near the band. No registration is required. Stop by anytime! I hope to see you there. Questions? Contact Dennis Mays [email protected]

04/18/2025

Sign up to view an online movie screening! The Thinking Game will be shown from 6-8 pm CDT on April 27th.