Play
More
Chess!
Home
About
Classes
Events
Hamden
Chess Club
Kids Team
Summer Program
College
Scholarship Program
Gift Certificates!
$25 | $50 | $100
Memorial
Day Weekend
Chess Book Sale
Sat, May 23 (10AM-2PM)
Members of the chess community can sell their chess books - (front
lawn at HCC and indoors)
$15 off HCC club membership with purchase of book from anyone!
Mon, May 25 (Memorial Day Holiday)
Play More Chess Academy and Hamden Chess Club will be closed Monday,
May 25, 2026 for Memorial Day. Monday students may attend a makeup
class at their level on either Tuesday (4:15PM) or Wednesday (5:15PM).
Just email your request to do a makeup class to info@playmorechess.com
2026
Summer Chess Program
(5 Weeks - June 22, 2026 - July 24, 2026)
Sign up for one or more weeks
(Full day, Half-day and 3-day options available)
Flyer/Daily
Schedule
HCC Upcoming USCF Tournaments
(For a full listing, see the Events page)
May
30 (Sat) 1:00PM~5:45PM HCC
May Game-in-45 Challenge G/45,d5; 3SS (Prizes: $600 b/24;
Open Section: $150-100, Top Female $50; U1600 Section: $125-75,
Top Female $50; Biggest Upset in tournament $50. Prizes adjusted
on pro rata basis based on actual entries. Players with tie score
within section share prizes equally
June
15 (Mon) 6:30PM~9:15PM HCC
June Action Quads Tournament G/25, d5; 3RR Quads; (Prizes
$300 b/24; Winner of each quad: $50
June 20 (Sat) 1:00PM~4:00PM HCC
June U1200 Beginner Open G/25,d5; 3SS (Prizes: $300 b/20):
$150-$100; Top Female: $50; Trophies: Top U900, Top U600, Top Unrated;
or choice of chess medals for those not receiving the above
First
Friday Chess Social
Friday, June 5, 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!
GM
Maxim Dlugy
Date TBA
(This event is being rescheduled from its original date)
Lecture, Book signing, Simul
acclaimed chess author and 2025 CT State Champion
Sign up for Lecture (1:00PM), book signing (free - but must rsvp your
name to info@playmorechess.com
Sign up for Simul (~2:15PM - Play a game with GM Dlugy) Registration: $30, by one week prior), $40 by Tues prior; $50 thereafter
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 larger USCF tournaments in the region during the course
of the year. Full team year runs July 1-Jun 30. A half-year signup
option is also now available. Discounts: $100 for current HCC club
members and/or PMCA students; Also $100 discount for full 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
Fall 2026 Courses:
*Chess
for Beginners
*Chess Tactics
*Chess Openings
*Chess Endgames
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 Fall 2026):
Fall
2026(Wednesdays, 6:30-8:30PM)
Taught by NM Jordan Groff
*Chess for Beginners (Sept 16, 23, 30; 6:30-8:30PM)
*Chess Tactics and Calculation (Oct 7, 14, 21; 6:30-8:30PM)
*Chess Openings (Nov 4, 11, 18; 6:30-8:30PM)
*Chess Endgames (Dec 3, 10, 17; 6:30-8:30PM)
- 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):
May
20: Andy Slater
May 18: HCC
May Action Quads Quad 1 (Small Swiss): 1st: Ashi Poltorak; 2nd
(Tie): Gabi Rosenstein, Yosef Bogart
May 11: Al Watrous
May 9: HCC
May U1200 Rated Beginner Open: 1st: Rick Hardin; 2nd (Tie): Tucker
Charles Henry & Nick Read; Trophies: Top U900: Nick Read, Top U600:
Tom Lidman, Top Unrated: Eric Tuller
May 6: Matt Chan
April 29: Andy Slater
April 22: Omkar Maralappanavar
April 20: HCC
April Action Quads Quad 1 (Small Swiss): Rees Thomas, Marfa Esaulova
(Tie 1st/2nd with 2.5/3.0 each)
April 18: HCC April
Game-in-45 Challenge Open: 1st/2nd (3-way tie): Jordan Groff,
David Bernat, Rees Thomas; U1600: 1st: Niranjan Sivakumar; 2nd Tucker
Charles Henry; Top Female: Elizabeth Smith; Biggest upset in tournament:
Atharv Agarwal
April 15: Omkar Maralappanavar
April 13: Gabi Rosenstein
As
of May 21, 2026 $47,110 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:
- 2026-07-19 Congrats 2026 PMCA College Scholarship Winner: Roberto Frunzio
- 2026-05-16 NM Jordan Groff (aka " Coach Jordan" wins 2025-2026 Coach of the Year honor from the Connecticut State Chess Association
- 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