The Beginning of our Chess Club
Back in November, I made the decision to start playing chess on a consistent basis. Like many of you, I got bitten by the chess bug thanks to the Netflix hit show, “The Queen’s Gambit”.
For most of 2021, I was playing online chess on and off. Then as the year was coming to an end, I made a resolution to not only start playing, but also to work on improving. As 2022 began, I wanted to start playing over-the-board (OTB), but I could not find any places to play.
I was looking for a location close to the Miramar area. My search results were slim. I continued to play online but I wanted to experience the real deal. Playing OTB is a different skill set. It’s different from playing online. My goal was also to participate in tournaments, but that requires OTB practice.
It’s then that I made the decision to begin a club on my own. I wish I could say that I heard the voice of James Earl Jones from the movie “Field of Dreams” saying, “If you build it, they will come.” But that wasn’t the case.
The First Event
Nevertheless, I moved forward with setting a Meetup page for the Miramar Chess Club (MCC). The initial interest in the club was lukewarm. I purchased two tournament size boards and a digital clock for the club. I was all in.
Honestly, I wondered if this was going to work out. I enlisted my wife to tag along with me for the first session. I figured that at least, I wouldn’t be the only person in front of a chess board. Lucky for me, we had one personwho showed up. That first session consisted of two players which included me.
“As each week progressed, more and more
players began to show up.”
As each week progressed, more and more players began to show up. Since then, we continue to grow and connect with new people with different skill levels.
This is exactly the purpose I envisioned for the chess club. My desire was to create a place where the community can connect; A place where we can all learn and grow as chess players. This is the reason whywe welcome anyone who plays, used to play or just wants to learn. Our club is free because we want to serve everyone.
Moving Forward
Today, our chess club has swag (sold via our store). We are an official US Chess Federation (USCF) Affiliate. We are constantly evolving to serve our club.
I would like to extend an invitation to you to join us on this amazing journey.
To learn more about our events, check out our event page. If you want to connect with us, use our contact form to drop us a line.