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Chess Center

Photos from Chess Camp at Takoma Park Middle School

Our summer camp season continued last week with a camp at Takoma Park Middle School in Montgomery County, MD.  Nearly 30 students showed up, ranging in strength from beginners to experienced tournament players.  No matter their ability, everybody learned something new over the course of the week, and the camp concluded with a tournament during which the students put their knowledge to use.

We returned to Northern Virginia this week with our camp at Churchill Road Elementary, and next week we start at Colvin Run Elementary.  There’s still space open at most of our camps over the remainder of the summer, so come sign up to join us!

New Season of Summer Chess Camps is Up and Running

Our summer season started yesterday with a camp in West Springfield, VA. The kids are enthusiastic, enjoyed playing in a tournament to start the week, and are learning a lot of the strategy of the game. We will have another tournament on Friday, and the winner of that tournament will receive a trophy.

Next week, we will be in Takoma Park, MD, and after that in other schools in the area, each for one week.

Several students who have been with us in previous years have registered for more than one week, and we look forward to watching them learn new things.

Our tradition of running summer chess camps is among the longest running in the country, and we always have at least one teacher per every ten students.  Space is still available in most camps, and registration is open at https://chessctr.org/summercamps/.

Chess Renaissance in DC

The U.S. Chess Center left its last location in Washington, DC, where we could run regular chess events in 2016. Since then, we and other groups have run occasional events in the city, but people in the city have had to travel to the suburbs for most significant competitions.

Recently, however, the Big Chair Chess Club (“Think b4U move”) and Live Chess have begun filling in the gaps. The Big Chair Club offers classes for kids in addition to occasional tournaments at such sites as Anacostia’s Busboys and Poets.

Big Chair Chess Club President Wendall Brown and Vice President Wendell Hankins with a student.

Malcolm Wooten, who managed the chess club at Howard University when he was an undergraduate there, has created Live Chess and is now running regular events at Potter’s House Bookstore and Café in the Adams Morgan neighborhood.

These events have attracted dozens of players, both casual and serious, and continue on a regular basis.

The two groups collaborate on successful events. They are coming along more frequently now, and it is a wonderful trend that will benefit the local scene. We look forward to continuing to feature their events in our Play Calendar.

Another Large Crowd for Chess in the Park at Eastern Market Metro

There was some rain in the forecast for Saturday morning, but luckily the raindrops stopped in time for our latest edition of Chess in the Park.  This is the third of the three tournaments we held at Eastern Market Metro Park this spring, and we are grateful to Barracks Row Main Street for sponsoring all three.

We were happy to see that the tournament was well-attended in spite of the variable forecast.  58 students from around the District of Columbia, Northern Virginia and Maryland showed up to play.  Most of the students who turned up were able to play at least six tournament games, with some playing as many as nine.

Washington Yu Ying brought back the prize for the best scoring team.  In addition to awards for the top performing schools, there were also trophies for the best scores for individual players.  Both our Chess Kids class (three students) and our after-school programs (two students) were well-represented among the individual trophy winners.  

2024-25 Metro Area Chess League Concludes With Playoffs

We closed out another great season of the Metro Area Chess League on June 1.  After eight rounds of online play across five months of competition, four schools qualified for the in-person playoffs held in-person at our Silver Spring office this past weekend.

Montgomery Blair (Silver Spring, MD), Jackson-Reed (Washington, DC), Langley (McLean, VA), and West Springfield (Springfield, VA) were the high schools who made up the final four.  Congratulations to Langley, who won all three of their playoff matches to take home the season championship for the first time, having also gone unbeaten in their regular season matchups as well. 

In the four seasons since we revived the league in the autumn of 2021, the quality of the competition has improved year after year, and that was the case again this year.  Over a hundred students from twenty different schools across the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia took part in the 2024-25 season, and we hope to draw even more when the next season begins in fall 2025.  

Playoff Standings:

1) Langley    3-0
2) West Springfield    2-1
3) Montgomery Blair    1-2
4) Jackson Reed    0-3

U.S. Chess Center Exhibits at Kensington Day of the Book Festival

Dozens of chess players – children, teens, and adults – took on two of the Chess Center’s young masters during Kensington’s Day of the Book Festival. On a beautiful April Sunday, thousands of book-lovers came to Kensington, Maryland, to meet authors, hear discussions, and play chess.

The book festival is now an 18 year tradition. FIDE Master Allan Savage (pictured below) volunteered for many years to play chess against all comers during the festival, giving a book to anyone who could beat him. When he passed away during the pandemic, the festival asked the U.S. Chess Center to continue the activity, and we were proud to honor his legacy.

Mr. Savage was a former Maryland Champion. A librarian by profession, he was a prolific chess author and player. He spread his love of the Royal Game from his roots in the Midwest to Maryland, where he lived for nearly five decades.

David Sherman, a chess master, and former Maryland and DC Champion, as well as being a great friend (and former employee) of the Center hosted the chess tent twice, and this year two of our teen students got together to play festival participants. Anyone they couldn’t beat received a book, and two skilled players held our masters to draws and received their prizes.

Near the same spot, Kensington will host a free open-air chess tournament for kids in grades 2 – 8 this fall. Details will come this summer.

Photos from Chess in the Park on May 10

The U.S. Chess Center, in continued partnership with Barracks Row Main Street, was pleased to be able to stage another edition of Chess in the Park this past Saturday, May 10, at Eastern Market Metro.  The 54 students who played enjoyed some lovely weather, made new friends and played some exciting games of chess.

A total of 32 schools were represented at the tournament: 15 from the District of Columbia, 10 from Maryland and 7 from Virginia.  Washington Latin’s team took home the trophy for the best-performing DC team, while Yu Ying PCS was the runner-up in that category.

Eastern Market Metro will play host to one more Chess in the Park event this summer, on June 7, and any student in grades 2-8 who knows the rules of tournament chess may register to play. 

Chess in the Park Returns To Eastern Market Metro

Our popular series of free Saturday children’s tournaments at Eastern Market Metro Park will be back for three more editions in 2025.  The U.S. Chess Center, in tandem with Barracks Row Main Street, is happy to announce April 27, May 10, and June 7 as the scheduled dates for this year’s events.

Chess in the Park is a drop-in event open to all students in grades 2-8 that know the rules and etiquette of chess.  Online registration is now available.  No membership in any organization is required to participate; however, there is a limited amount of table space so we strongly suggest that interested students register in advance.

Elementary Team League 2024-25 Matchday 8 Results

We finished up another great season of the Elementary Team League last weekend.  Spring Hill took the season title ahead of Haycock and Kent Gardens.  Congratulations to all the participating schools and students!

Round 15:

Haycock 4-0 Orange Hunt
Colvin Run 3-1 White Oaks
Kent Gardens 4-0 Willow Springs
Cleveland Park Library 0-1 Greenbriar West
Churchill Road 2-2 Oakton
Ravensworth 1-3 Spring Hill

Round 16:

White Oaks 0.5-2.5 Churchill Road
Spring Hill 3-1 Haycock
Oakton 2-2 Kent Gardens 
Willow Springs 2-0 Cleveland Park Library 
Orange Hunt 2-2 Colvin Run
Greenbriar West 0-3 Ravensworth

Standings after Matchday 8 of 8:
 
Spring Hill 211
Haycock 189
Kent Gardens 182
Oakton 155
Churchill Road 170
White Oaks 115
Colvin Run 114
Willow Springs 98
Cleveland Park 89
Greenbriar West 80
Orange Hunt 78
Ravensworth 72

Elementary Team League 2024-25 Matchday 7 Results

We have entered the homestretch of this year’s Elementary Team League season.  After last Saturday’s matches, there is only one round remaining.  Spring Hill and Haycock will battle it out for the season title on the last day of League matches on March 22.

Round 13:

Ravensworth 1-2 White Oaks
Willow Springs 0-4 Churchill Road
Haycock 4-0 Orange Hunt
Spring Hill 3-1 Kent Gardens 
Cleveland Park Library 0-4 Oakton
Colvin Run 2.5-0.5 Greenbriar West

Round 14:
Oakton 4-0 Willow Springs
Churchill Road 3-1 Colvin Run
Greenbriar West 0.5-3.5 Haycock
Orange Hunt 0-4 Ravensworth
White Oaks 1-3 Spring Hill
Kent Gardens 4-0 Cleveland Park Library

Standings after Matchday 7 of 8:
 
Spring Hill 183
Haycock 167
Kent Gardens 156
Oakton 155
Churchill Road 148
White Oaks 106
Colvin Run 90
Cleveland Park 89
Willow Springs 88
Greenbriar West 76
Orange Hunt 68
Ravensworth 54

Any student who is a part of our after-school clubs can register to play in the Elementary Team League, and participating is a great way for students to build up skills and confidence for prestigious competitions like the state and national championships.  Please contact your child’s chess club instructor if your son or daughter is interested in taking part.

U.S. Chess Center Students Compete at World Amateur Team Championship

Two teams of our students had a wonderful time at the World Amateur Team Championships over Presidents Day weekend in Parsippany, New Jersey. Unlike events like the scholastic championships, this event is a fixed team tournament, meaning that the four players on one team sit together to play the four players of the opposing team.

Cooper Middle School, consisting of players who had been in our Spring Hill Elementary club and half of them now in the Theophilus Thompson Club on Sundays, won the award for the top middle school in the competition. Spring Hill Elementary tied for first place among elementary schools but lost out on tie-breaks for the championship plaque this year. (Spring Hill took clear first place last year.)

Every student returned talking about making plans to return to event next year. Leo, of Spring Hill, notched his first score against a National Master, a source of great pride. Emily, a Spring Hill fourth grader, gushed about how much fun it was to beat adults.

Bryan, from Cooper, liked being seated with his teammates, so that he could watch his friends play without having to look for them in a huge tournament hall. With about 1,500 players in the championships, the event could have been overwhelming for the young players, but because they were seated with their teams, everyone was comfortable throughout.  The players also enjoyed the unique aspects of this event, such as playing teams that were all female, or all senior citizens, or other teams of students from other parts of the country.  Some teams came in costume, and many had interesting names.

 

The fixed team format provides additional benefits. Nobody feels bad at the end of a game. When a player wins and the team wins, the player is happy. When a player loses but the team wins, the player is happy. When a player wins but the team loses, the player is happy. When a player loses and the team loses, the player knows that the whole team is the same boat, and the player is happy. Fixed team events are great for promoting the best of chess, and we are glad that our teams participated.

Elementary Team League 2024-25 Matchday 6 Results

This year’s Elementary Team League season at the three-quarter point after yesterday’s two rounds of matches at St. Luke’s.  Spring Hill continues to hold a handy lead in the overall standings, with Haycock and Kent Gardens in a tight battle for second place.  White Oaks were the major movers this past Saturday, scoring two 4-0 match sweeps to move up four spots in the overall standings.   

Round 11:

Orange Hunt 1-3 Spring Hill
Greenbriar West 0-3 Willow Springs
Oakton 2-1 Ravensworth
Haycock 2-2 Kent Gardens 
Churchill Road 3-0 Cleveland Park Library
Colvin Run 0-4 White Oaks

Round 12:
White Oaks 4-0 Oakton
Kent Gardens 3-1 Colvin Run
Ravensworth 0.5-3.5 Haycock
Willow Springs 0-4 Orange Hunt
Spring Hill 3-1 Churchill Road 
Cleveland Park Library 3-0 Greenbriar West 

Standings after Matchday 6 of 8:
 
Spring Hill 155
Haycock 136
Kent Gardens 134
Oakton 123
Churchill Road 118
White Oaks 92
Cleveland Park 89
Willow Springs 82
Colvin Run 73
Greenbriar West 68
Orange Hunt 68
Ravensworth 42

 

 

Elementary Team League 2024-25 Matchday 5 Results

Only six teams were able to field teams this past Saturday in the Elementary Team League.  With the League scoring system weighted to incentivize participation, those schools that did send the full complement of four students to play gained ground on the rest of the field.

Round 9:

Spring Hill 3-1 Ravensworth
Churchill Road 1-3 Kent Gardens 
Haycock 3-1 Oakton

Round 10:
Kent Gardens 2-1 Oakton
Haycock 3-1 Spring Hill
Ravensworth 1-3 Churchill Road 

Standings after Matchday 5 of 8:
 
Spring Hill 127
Haycock 111
Oakton 110
Kent Gardens 110
Churchill Road 100
Cleveland Park 73
Greenbriar West 68
Willow Springs 66
Colvin Run 64
White Oaks 60
Orange Hunt 46
Ravensworth 34

 

Elementary Team League 2024-25 Matchday 4 Results

The current season of the Elementary Team League has reached the halfway point with the conclusion of the latest afternoon of match play this past Saturday at St. Luke’s.  We are happy to continue to see new faces among the students turning up to represent their schools.

At the top of the leaderboard, Spring Hill continues to set a brisk pace, defeating their closest rivals Oakton in Saturday’s second match to extend their lead in the overall standings.

Round 7:

Spring Hill 4-0 Greenbriar West
Ravensworth 0-2 White Oaks 
Orange Hunt 1-3 Oakton
Willow Springs 1-3 Haycock 
Kent Gardens 2-2 Cleveland Park Library
Churchill Road 2-1 Colvin Run

Round 8:
White Oaks 0-3 Kent Gardens
Oakton 1-3 Spring Hill
Haycock 2-2 Churchill Road 
Colvin Run 1-3 Orange Hunt
Cleveland Park Library 2 – 2 Willow Springs
Greenbriar West 4-0 Ravensworth

Standings after Matchday 4 of 8:
 
Spring Hill 113
Oakton 100
Haycock 93
Kent Gardens 88
Churchill Road 80
Cleveland Park 73
Greenbriar West 68
Willow Springs 66
Colvin Run 62
White Oaks 60
Orange Hunt 46
Ravensworth 34

Potomac Youth Chess League New Season is Underway

The 2025 season of the Potomac Youth Chess League, the online competition we run for middle schools in the greater Washington D.C. area, began on January 11.  Matches take place on lichess.com on Saturday afternoons. 

The League has grown to ten schools this year, with The Avalon School and Sligo Creek Middle School in Montgomery County, MD, Cooper Middle School and Longfellow Middle School in Fairfax County, VA, and San Miguel School in northwest DC all joining the competition for the first time.  Good luck to all the participating schools this season!
Round 1 Results - 1/11/2025

Two Rivers 0-8 Cooper

DCI 7-1 BASIS DC

San Miguel 0.5 – 7.5 Longfellow

Washington Latin 5-3 Avalon

Sligo 7.5-0.5 Ingenuity Prep 

Round 2 Results - 1/18/2025

Cooper – Sligo (match postponed)

Longfellow 7-1 DCI

Avalon 8-0 San Miguel

Ingenuity Prep 0.5 – 7.5 Washington Latin 

BASIS DC 8-0 Two Rivers

Round 3 Results - 2/1/2025

San Miguel – Ingenuity Prep (match postponed)

Two Rivers 0-8 Longfellow

DCI – Avalon (match postponed)

Washington Latin 5-3 Sligo

BASIS DC 4-4 Cooper

Round 4 Results - 2/8/2025

Sligo 8-0 San Miguel 

Longfellow 8-0 BASIS DC

Ingenuity Prep 0-8 DCI

Cooper 4-4 Washington Latin

Avalon 2-2 Two Rivers

Round 5 Results - 2/22/2025

Sligo 6.5-1.5 Longfellow

Ingenuity Prep 8-0 Avalon

Washington Latin 3.5-4.5 BASIS DC

Cooper 7-1 DCI

San Miguel 2-2 Two Rivers

Round 6 Results - 3/8/2025

Cooper 8-0 Longfellow

Two Rivers 1-7 Ingenuity Prep 

BASIS DC 8-0 Avalon

DCI 2-6 Sligo

San Miguel 0-8 Washington Latin

2025 League Standings

SchoolMatch PointsBoard Points (tiebreaker)
Sligo743
Longfellow639
Cooper5.540
Washington Latin536
BASIS DC3.525.5
DCI327
Ingenuity Prep324
Avalon113
Two Rivers05
San Miguel02.5

Elementary Team League 2024-25 Matchday 3 Results

Back from the winter break, the Elementary Team League resumed this past Saturday at St. Luke’s.  In the middle of a snowy, cold Saturday, we still had a decent turnout of students showing up to represent their schools.  

We’ve now entered the heart of the League season, this latest matchday being the first of six matchdays in the next twelve weeks.  Participation in the League is free and open to students in our after-school clubs, and there’s still time to sign up with your instructor to participate later on in the season.

Round 5:
White Oaks 2.5-0.5 Greenbriar West
Kent Gardens 1-3 Ravensworth 
Oakton 4-0 Haycock
Willow Springs 2-2 Colvin Run 
Spring Hill 3.5-0.5 Cleveland Park Library
Orange Hunt 0-4 Churchill Road 

Round 6:
Greenbriar West 1-2 Kent Gardens
Churchill Road 0-4 Oakton
Haycock 3-1 White Oaks 
Cleveland Park Library 3-0 Orange Hunt
Ravensworth 1.5 – 2.5 Willow Springs
Colvin Run 1.5 – 2.5 Spring Hill

Standings after Matchday 3 of 8:
 
Spring Hill 83
Oakton 80
Churchill Road 66
Haycock 65
Kent Gardens 64
Cleveland Park 53
Colvin Run 52
Willow Springs 52
White Oaks 50
Greenbriar West 48
Ravensworth 34
Orange Hunt 26

Elementary Team League 2024-25 Matchday 2 Results

This past Saturday afternoon was the second matchday for this year’s Elementary Team League.  In the middle of the hectic holiday season, we still had around 40 students show up at St. Luke’s to play.

Round 1:
Greenbriar West 2.5-1.5 Orange Hunt
Kent Gardens 1.5-2.5 Willow Springs
Spring Hill 4-0 White Oaks
Colvin Run 1-3 Oakton
Haycock 2-2 Cleveland Park Library
Churchill Road 3-0 Ravensworth

Round 2:
Orange Hunt 0.5-3.5 Kent Gardens
Oakton 3-1 Greenbriar West
White Oaks 0.5-3.5 Churchill Road
Cleveland Park Library 2-2 Colvin Run 
Ravensworth 0-4 Haycock
Willow Springs 1.5 – 2.5 Spring Hill

Standings after Matchday 2 of 8:
 
Spring Hill 55
Kent Gardens 50
Oakton 48
Haycock 47
Churchill Road 46
Greenbriar West 39
Cleveland Park 36
Colvin Run 35
White Oaks 33
Willow Springs 30
Orange Hunt 22
Ravensworth 13

Support Local Youth – Shop for a Christmas Tree With National Capital Optimist Club

For nearly a century, National Capital Optimist Club has been a positive presence for youth throughout the greater D.C. area.  NCOC has enlisted financial support for countless children’s charitable initiatives, including, for the past 20 years, the U.S. Chess Center.

National Capital Optimist Club’s annual Christmas tree sale is now in progress at Kensington Baptist Church.  Each tree sold helps provide funds for local youth enrichment initiatives.  If you are shopping for a tree for the festive season, we strongly urge you to consider coming to Kensington to support NCOC and the work they do.

Elementary Team League 2024-25 Matchday 1 Results

The new season of the Elementary Team League, the friendly competition we run for students enrolled in after-school chess clubs, has just begun.  We are grateful to St. Luke’s United Methodist Church of Tysons Corner for providing the venue for a fourth consecutive year.
 
Students from twelve schools — eleven in Northern Virginia and one in the District of Columbia — showed up at the church on Saturday for the first and second round of matches.  Kent Gardens and White Oaks are off to an early lead after winning their first two matches, with Spring Hill close behind in third.
Since the League began in the mid-1990’s, we’ve had thousands of students use this competition as a runway to build up their skills in preparation for stronger tournaments like the state and national championships.  Any student enrolled in one of our after-school clubs may sign up to represent their school team, and we especially encourage participation among children who haven’t played competitively outside of their school.  
 
The next match day for the League will be December 14.

Round 1:
Colvin Run 1-3 Haycock
White Oaks 3-1 Willow Springs
Spring Hill 2.5 – 1.5 Churchill Road
Oakton 1-3 Kent Gardens
Greenbriar West 3-1 Mixed Team
Ravensworth 1-2 Mixed Team
Orange Hunt 0-3 Mixed Team

Round 2:
Greenbriar West 1-3 Churchill Road
Spring Hill 2.5-1.5 Haycock
Orange Hunt 1-3 White Oaks
Colvin Run 2.5-1.5 Ravensworth
Mixed Team 1-3 Kent Gardens
Mixed Team 4-0 Willow Springs

Standings after Matchday 1 of 8:
 
Kent Gardens 28
White Oaks 28
Spring Hill 26
Churchill Road 21
Haycock 21
Greenbriar West 20
Oakton 20
Colvin Run 19
Cleveland Park 16 
Orange Hunt 12
Ravensworth 11
Willow Springs 10

Pictures from DCPL Battle of the Branches

Dozens of Washington chess enthusiasts turned out this past Saturday for D.C. Public Libraries’ Battle of the Branches.  Hosted at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library near the National Portrait Gallery in Northwest, the event had chess players from all over the city turning out to represent their favorite library branch.

The event had separate categories for children (ages 5-12), teens (ages 13-19), adults, and seniors, and all four age groups were well represented.  In the final standings, the host branch, MLK, came out on top, with Watha T. Daniel/Shaw Library placing second and Petworth Neighborhood Library taking third.

Rep. Raskin Recognizes the Chess Center in Congressional Remarks for National Chess Week

This past Friday, the U.S. Chess Center was proud to be named in U.S. Representative Jamie Raskin (MD-08)’s congressional remarks for National Chess Week. 

In a statement celebrating the double medal-winning performances of the two American teams at September’s Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary, Congressman Raskin also highlighted the value of chess as an educational and social tool for young people, a belief that has animated the work of the U.S. Chess Center since our founding.  

Congressman Raskin is a strong and enthusiastic chess player himself, and while celebrating the success of our country’s greatest grandmasters, he was also quick to emphasize that chess is a vocation not just for the sublimely talented; it enriches the minds of everyone who learns to play the game.  
 
You can read the remarks in their entirety here:

https://www.congress.gov/congressional-record/volume-170/issue-155/extensions-of-remarks-section/article/E1025-3 

 
 

Photos From a Great Season of Summer Camps

Our last week at Alpha STEM in Chantilly brought the curtain down on a fun summer of chess camps, during which we had around 150 kids enrolled with us.  We spent time teaching students in Springfield, Chevy Chase, McLean (two weeks) and Vienna (two weeks) prior to the aforementioned camp in Chantilly.

Some of our summer students we knew already from our after-school chess programs, while there were others we were happy to meet for the first time.  As usual during our camps, we had all ability levels represented; some of the kids were beginners who learned the rules and strategy of chess over the course of camp.  Other students used the time to build on the basic knowledge of the game that they already had.  All of our lessons were structured and stratified so that everybody was challenged to learn something new.

In between the lessons, the kids relieved some tension in the school gymnasium and made new friendships over skittles games.  Each Friday of camp finished up with a tournament, during which the students got to put what they’d learned during the week on full display.

Chess helped us all make a lot of great memories this summer, and with the new school year nearly upon us, we are already looking eagerly ahead to the start of our after school clubs in just a few short weeks.

Dozens of Students Beat the Heat at Chess in the Park

In spite of the heat, we had 61 students show up to Eastern Market Metro yesterday for the second edition of Chess in the Park for the season.  We ultimately cut the event 25 minutes short because of the weather, but a majority of the students got to play at least six games, with some playing as many as ten.

Over a dozen elementary and middle schools throughout the District of Columbia, Maryland and Northern Virginia were represented among the players.  BASIS DC took the trophy for the top-performing team.  St. Peter School fielded the largest team with 12 players (10 of whom were girls!)  Congratulations to all who participated.

 

In Memory of Norman Constantine, our Former Teacher

We are sad to announce the passing of Norman Constantine, who taught chess with us for many years. Mr. Constantine, or Mr. C as so many children knew him, was a gregarious man, a wonderful teacher who was as generous and kind as any educator could be.

Mr. C was known for giving books to students, especially classic literature and history books. In the chess world, he gave his time. He was responsible for keeping the Maryland Chess Association afloat during the 1980s and ‘90s, serving as Membership Secretary but doing much more.

He found sites for tournaments, directing some and assisting with others. He was instrumental in creating the Capital International Invitational tournaments in 1989 and 1990, the strongest chess tournaments ever held in Maryland. Both Vladimir Epishin and Maryland’s Alex Sherzer earned their first International Master norms at the 1989 event, helping to propel them both to the Grandmaster titles.

Mr. C taught not only history and computer science at the high school level, employed by the Newport Schools, St. Albans, Wakefield School and Annapolis’ St. Mary’s school, he sponsored chess clubs at each of them. Following his retirement as a classroom teacher, he accepted employment with the U.S. Chess Center, where he taught the youngest children in our Chess Kids classes on Saturday mornings, hosted Open Play on Saturday afternoons, and taught chess classes and clubs at schools including Burroughs Elementary in the District and Spring Hill Elementary in McLean.

Until recently, he would come to Bishops & Beers gatherings to engage in two of his favorite pastimes. He will be missed by all who knew him.

Chess In the Park Returns To Eastern Market Metro for 2024

In the wake of the great success of last year’s events, we are happy to announce that the U.S. Chess Center, in cooperation with Barracks Row Main Street, will be returning to Eastern Market Metro to stage two additional Chess in the Park tournaments on June 1 and June 22.  Like last year’s events, these tournaments are free of charge and open to all students in grades 2-8 who understand the rules of tournament chess.

Students may register for one or both Saturday tournaments, and we strongly recommend signing up in advance to reserve a spot.  More information and online registration is available here: https://chessctr.org/play/easternmarketmetro/

Metro Area Chess League Playoffs 2023-2024: Chantilly Sweeps to Victory

Chantilly High School dominated the Metro Area Chess League playoffs yesterday. Run as a three-round Swiss System tournament in the beautiful offices of the Institute for Educational Leadership in Washington, DC, the playoffs featured the top eight schools from the regular season.

The final standings in tiebreak order were:
1. Chantilly
2. Langley
3. Jackson-Reed
4. Oakton
5. Montgomery Blair
6. Richard Montgomery
7. Magruder
8. McLean
 
In an event like this, using tiebreaks makes even less sense than in a regular tournament, so it is better to think that Langley, Jackson-Reed, and Oakton tied for second place, with Blair, Richard Montgomery, and Magruder tying for fifth.

Chantilly won all three of its matches without relying on the tiebreak system designed to eliminate drawn matches. Demonstrating how evenly matched the teams were, five of the twelve matches ended with 2-2 scores, with tiebreak employed to determine the winners.
Twenty-seven schools entered the league this year. Plaques acknowledging regular season performance go to Langley as the top Virginia school, Richard Montgomery as the top Maryland school, and Jackson-Reed as the top District of Columbia school. In addition, BASIS DC won the competition for the top DC Public Charter School, with E.L. Haynes finishing as the runner-up in that category.
 
The regular season competition was a hybrid of online with in-person matches. The large majority of matches were played online, but a few were played in person. Scheduling the matches was a challenge for the coaches and captains, and during the playoffs the coaches had a meeting to discuss methods to improve that process. Those suggestions, which are designed to improve the communication process among the competing schools, will be implemented for the 2024-2025 season.
 
Registration for next year’s season will begin in September, with the first matches taking place in November. The 2024-25 regular season is scheduled to end in March 2025.  Learn more at: https://chessctr.org/macl/

DC Girls Open Tournament Is Another Great Success

The DC K-12 Girls’ Open Chess Tournament, held this past Saturday at the Lamond-Riggs/Lillian J. Huff Neighborhood Library in Northeast, drew a big crowd of chess enthusiasts.  Over 30 girls showed up to the competition, some of them experienced chess veterans and some who were brand new to tournament play.   Everybody had a great time.

We take our hats off once again to Chess Girls DC for putting on another fantastic event, and more broadly for all their hard work to promote chess for women and girls these past several years.  We are already looking forward to the next big all-girls’ tournament, the 7th annual DC Girls’ Regional, this coming October.  

Metro Area Chess League Season Enters Final Round

The Metro Area Chess League continued its trend of closely decided matches at the top in Round 7.  Leaders Langley edged their contest against Montgomery Blair by 2.5-1.5, clinching a playoff spot with their seventh win in seven matches.  Behind them, however, there is a very close race, with Chantilly, Jackson-Reed and Oakton currently holding the three remaining playoff spots.  Of those on the outside looking in, Blair and Richard Montgomery both have a serious chance of making the playoffs with a win in their final round matches.  

Check back next week to see who made it in!

Standings After Round 7 of 8

School TeamMatch PointsBoard Points (tiebreaker)
Langley723
Chantilly622
Jackson-Reed5.519.5
Oakton519.5
Richard Montgomery519
Montgomery Blair4.518
McLean416.5
Magruder415.5
Gonzaga415
Poolesville3.514.5
Arlington Career Center313.5
Don Bosco Cristo Rey313
Rochambeau312.5
West Springfield312
St. Anselm’s312
Bishop McNamara312
DeMatha312
McKinley Tech311
Georgetown Prep2.59.5
Hayfield211
Rockville29.5
E.L. Haynes1.58
BASIS DC1.57
St. Albans1.56
Girls Global Academy14
St. John’s11
Marshall00

Potomac Youth Chess League Concludes Its 2024 Season

The revived Potomac Youth Chess League has wrapped up its first season back in action.  A previous iteration of the league ran from 1997 to 2010.  The format and structure were similar to the PCSAA Chess League that we ran for charter schools the past three years; this year, that competition was merged and enlarged to be open to all middle schools in the greater Washington area.

Matches consisted of four-player teams from each participating school, and were played online during Saturday afternoons on lichess.org.  Eight schools took part this year, and matches began on January 6 and concluded on March 23.  Congratulations to league first-timers Capital Village PCS, whose team came out on top of a close race to take the title ahead of DCI.  

Final standings below:

SchoolMatch PointsBoard Points (tiebreaker)
Capital Village533.5
DCI4.532.5
Washington Latin331
BASIS DC324.5
Two Rivers2.517
Ingenuity Prep219.5
Meridian110
Capital City PCS00

We hope to continue to grow the league next year.  If you are interested in having your middle school participate, please send an email to admin@chessctr.org.

Chess champion, David Sherman, will play a simultaneous exhibition at the Day of the Book Festival on Sunday, April 21 in Kensington, MD

The 17th Kensington Day of the Book Festival will be on Sunday, April 21. We will be there to play chess with anyone who wants to join us. https://www.dayofthebook.com/

In addition to the chess tent, there will be live music, authors reading from their books and engaging in discussions, children’s programs, cookbook demos (and quite a variety of food vendors), poetry readings, and booksellers.

For many years, Allan Savage performed a simultaneous chess exhibition at the festival. Allan, a friend of the Center, passed away unexpectedly during the pandemic, and the Center has picked up the torch.

David Sherman, a former Maryland and DC Champion who used to teach chess with us, volunteered last year and again this year to continue Mr. Savage’s tradition.

Looking for Chess Books? The U.S. Chess Center also has over a thousand used chess books for sale, starting at $1.00 and up and your purchase helps support the charitable mission of the Chess Center.  Peruse our inventory of used chess books at https://chessctr.org/usedbooks/