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Hamden
Chess Club
2025-2026 Kids Team
2026
Summer Program
College
Scholarship Program
Gift Certificates!
$25 | $50 | $100
Please Note: PMCA and Hamden
Chess Club will be closed Monday, January 19, 2026 in recognition
of
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There will be no store hours, classes
or adult casual play.
Monday students may attend
a makeup class at their respective levels on either Tuesday or Wednesday:
Makeup Options: Beginner Classes: Tues@5:15PM or Wed@4:15PM
Intermediate Classes: Tues@4:15PM or Wed@5:15PM
Please email info@playmorechess.com if you wish to attend a class that is on a different day than your regularly scheduled class). Regular hours, classes and other activities resume Tuesday, January 20, 2026.
HCC
Upcoming Tournaments
(For a full listing, see the Events
page)
HCC January Game-in-45 Challenge Sat., Jan 24, 2026 1:00PM
HCC
January Action Quads Mon., Jan 26, 2026 6:30PM
HCC
January U1200 Beginner Open
Sat., Jan 31, 2026 1:00PM
The Playwright Irish Pub & Restaurant (across street) offers
a free beverage for with entree or burger purchase (show copy of
tournament flyer)
First
Friday Chess Social
Friday, Feb 6, 2026 5:00-6:30PM
Enjoy
chess with fellow enthusiasts. Rousing game replays on the big screen,
music,
free cookies.. Open to all ages and chess levels - Whether a casual
player or serious competitor this is a great space to meet new people,
test your skills, and enjoy a shared love of the game
FREE - Just show up - no registration needed.
.
Come join the fun!
For
kids of all rating levels, organized by National Master Jordan Groff
(Coach Jordan). This team is for Scholastic chess players who wish
to play in regional USCF tournaments in CT and nearby states during
the course of the year.
Online
Sign Up
New HCC Membership Benefit:
The books listed are available for purchase, and HCC Members may borrow up to two books at a time for up to
30 days. from the HCC Chess book collection.
https://www.librarycat.org/lib/HamdenChessClub
Hamden Chess Club named Connecticut Chess Club of the Year for 2023 (and 2021) by Connecticut State Chess Association
Upcoming USCF and weekly online Tournaments, Adult Casual Play are listed on Events page
Chess
Classes
for Kids (Year-Round)
*Beginner,
Intermediate and Advanced Classes - Eight class times offered each week
*Engaging learning, tournament play within each week's group
*Online and In-Person Options
*Includes
option to participate tournaments at reduced rate; free online chess club
participation
Sign Up
Hamden
Chess Club
*Casual Play and USCF Tournaments
*In-Person
Activities:
Casual Play Mondays & Thursdays; Monthly USCF- Rated tournaments
for kids and adults
*Online Activities: 10+ tournaments each month with prizes
*HCC
library borrowing access
*151 HCC members
Sign
Up
Chess
Classes for Adults
(Fall, Winter, Spring)
Classes meet one evening
(two hours) per week
Winter/Spring 2026 Courses:
*Chess
for Beginners
*Chess
Tactics and Calculation
*Chess
Endgames
*Chess
Openings
Sign up online at Hamden
Adult Education or at PMCA for Adult Chess Classes
Upcoming
Adult Chess Classes in partnership with Hamden Adult Education
(Offered in Winter/Spring 2026):
WINTER/SPRING
2026(Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30PM)
Taught by NM Jordan Groff
- Sign up for Adult Chess Classes at Hamden Adult Education web site at the respective course links or in-person at PMCA. The entire course catalog of Enrichment courses will be listed at: www.hamdenadulted.com.
Class Location: Play More Chess Academy, 1227 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT 06517
Congratulations:
Congratulations
to our recent winners of HCC online and
OTB tournaments (in Bold):
Jan
14: Asher Luszcz
Jan 7: Owen Anatra
Jan 5: Al Watrous
Dec 20: HCC December Game-in-45 Challenge: Open: David Bernat,
Jordan Groff (2.5/3 - tie 1st/2nd); U1600: Elizabeth Smith (3.0/3 -1st);
Arya Tushar Shah, David Diaz, Oliver Barber, Ravendra Nohar, Sarvin Bhagwagar
(2.0/3 - 5-way ties 2nd); Special Prizes: Biggest Upset: Arya Tushar Shah;
Top Female Open: Sarah Thomas; U1600 Elizabeth Smith
Dec 17: Omkar Maralappanavar
Dec 15: HCC December Action Quads: David Bernat (1st- Quad 1);
Omkar Maralappanavar (1st-Quad 2/Sm Swiss); Nicholas Watrous, Ravendra
Nohar, Gabi Rosenstein (Tie-2nd-Quad 2/Sm Swiss)
Dec 13: HCC December U1200 Beginner Open: Christopher Runcie (1st);
Donald McAndrew, Wesley Clark, Daniel Svolik, Dixon Yee (4-way tie, 2nd);
Trophies: Top U900: Christopher Runcie; Top U600: Dixon Yee; Top Female:
Arianna Xie
As
of Jan 15, 2025 $42,110 has been distributed in cash and prizes at the
adult and kids tournaments (OTB and online) since our first tournament.
See USCF cross
tables for HCC tournaments and HCC
Online tournaments on Lichess for cross-tables and lists of past tournaments.
Join the HCC, participate in our next tournament, and win a prize!
Recent News:
- 2025-11-4 Mini-documentary (5 min) about PMCA and Hamden Chess Club
- 2025-09-08 HCC Family membership option added
- 2025-09-05
Inaugural First Friday Chess Social
- 2025-05-31 2024-2025 Year-in-Review (PMCA and HCC)
- 2025-05-12 Congrats to HCC Club member Alex Emmons for earning USCF National Master title at the HCC May Action Quads tournament
- 2025-01-01 Annual College Scholarship program
- 2024-11-10 HCC Member Benefit can now borrow books from the HCC Library for up to 30 days
- 2024-05-31 2023-2024 Year-in-Review (PMCA and HCC)
- 2024-05-22 College Scholarship Winners Announced by PMCA/HCC
- 2024-05-14
Hamden Chess Club named Connecticut
Chess Club of the Year for 2023 by Connecticut State Chess Association
Newsletter:
Play More Chess Academy
1227 Whitney Avenue, Hamden, CT 06517
Email: info@PlayMoreChess.com | Phone: 203.680.8456