Author: Lori Balkum

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Anis Day and Night – April Rated Blitz #1

A six round USCF RATED blitz tournament! Join us!

Location:
Ani’s Day & Night
7107 E Riverside
Austin, TX 78741

Date & Time:
Tuesday, April 22nd
7:30pm

Basics:
6 rounds of G/3, +2 Blitz
USCF rated – your USCF membership must be current!

Entry fee:
$20
exact change requested, cash only

Prizes (guaranteed!):
1st place – $100
2nd place – $50
3rd place – $25
best U1600 – $50

Other Details:
All entry fees collected will be returned as prizes (less the cost to rend the venue and the tournament).

Registration and Question:
Contact Eric Kurtz, erickurtz@live.com for more information and to register.

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Thursday Night South Austin Chess Club

Casual chess Thursday, 7pm meetup at The Buzz Mill, open to all levels!

The Buzz Mill 
1505 Town Creek Dr.
Austin, TX 78741

The Buzz Mill is a 24 hour coffee shop and outside bar off Riverside Dr in South Austin.
Please bring a board and clock!
Starts at 7pm and goes until ~10pm.

Visit the South Austin Chess Club on Facebook and @southaustinchessclub on instagram.

Contact Eric Kurtz, erickurtz@live.com for more details.

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Waco May 17 Swiss

Rated 4SS in 3 sections; G/45, d5. This event takes place on May 17, 2025. Limited to 60 players!

VIEW ENTRY LIST (coming soon) (This is manually entered, so it does not always reflect the most recent registrations.)

Location
Holy Spirit Episcopal Church
1624 Wooded Acres Dr
Waco, TX 76710
(free parking on site!)

The church is behind the Target shopping center. Enter through main doors and turn right. The tournament room is at the end the of hallway.

Sections

  • Championship (Open to players rated 1400 and up)
  • U1600 (Open to players rated 800-1599)
  • U1000 (Open to players rated 1000 or less)
Notes on Sections:
-Players rated 1400-1599 may play in Under 1600 or play up to Championship.
-Players rated 800-999 may play in Under 1000 or play up to Under 1600.
-Most unrated players should play in the Under 1000 section. Please email us if you are unrated and want to play in a higher section.
*We go by monthly published ratings, but if your live current rating goes up before the tournament, you may email us and request to change sections.

Rounds and Times
Four Rounds at a time control of G/45;d5

  • Registration & Check-in: 9:00 to 9:20 AM
  • Round One: 9:30 AM
  • Round Two: 11:15 AM
  • Round Three: 1:30 PM (after lunch)
  • Round Four: 3:15 PM
  • $20 – Cash only (exact change appreciated). Paid when you arrive to tournament. 
  • Cash Prizes– Based on the number of entries

Registration Link and tournament info

  • Onsite Registration is 9:00 – 9:20 AM.  If you show up onsite without preregistering, there’s a chance the tournament will already be full.
  • Pre-registered not checked in by 9:20am will not be paired in round 1, unless you notify us (via email or text) that you are on the way.
  • (For parents registering children, you may enter the parent email and phone number, but please enter the player’s name.)

Details

  • Please bring a clock if you have one! We will provide chess sets.
  • US Chess Membership is required. Please be responsible for your membership prior to the event to help the organizers and prevent delays.
  • Notation is required.  Notation sheets will be available if needed, but please bring a pencil or pen.

Questions

For questions or problems registering, please email or text:
Dan Shafer (daniel_m_shafer@baylor.edu)
Deborah Shafer (dshaferchess@yahoo.com)
Or visit our site (wacochess.org)

Read our ONLINE TLA!

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Waco April 26 Swiss

Rated 4SS in 3 sections; G/45, d5. This event takes place on April 26, 2025. Limited to 60 players!

VIEW ENTRY LIST (This is manually entered, so it does not always reflect the most recent registrations.)

Location
Holy Spirit Episcopal Church
1624 Wooded Acres Dr
Waco, TX 76710
(free parking on site!)

The church is behind the Target shopping center. Enter through main doors and turn right. The tournament room is at the end the of hallway.

Sections

  • Championship (Open to players rated 1400 and up)
  • U1600 (Open to players rated 800-1599)
  • U1000 (Open to players rated 1000 or less)
Notes on Sections:
-Players rated 1400-1599 may play in Under 1600 or play up to Championship.
-Players rated 800-999 may play in Under 1000 or play up to Under 1600.
-Most unrated players should play in the Under 1000 section. Please email us if you are unrated and want to play in a higher section.
*We go by monthly published ratings, but if your live current rating goes up before the tournament, you may email us and request to change sections.

Rounds and Times
Four Rounds at a time control of G/45;d5

  • Registration & Check-in: 9:00 to 9:20 AM
  • Round One: 9:30 AM
  • Round Two: 11:15 AM
  • Round Three: 1:30 PM (after lunch)
  • Round Four: 3:15 PM
  • $20 – Cash only (exact change appreciated). Paid when you arrive to tournament. 
  • Cash Prizes– Based on the number of entries

Registration Link and tournament info

  • Onsite Registration is 9:00 – 9:20 AM.  If you show up onsite without preregistering, there’s a chance the tournament will already be full.
  • Pre-registered not checked in by 9:20am will not be paired in round 1, unless you notify us (via email or text) that you are on the way.
  • (For parents registering children, you may enter the parent email and phone number, but please enter the player’s name.)

Details

  • Please bring a clock if you have one! We will provide chess sets.
  • US Chess Membership is required. Please be responsible for your membership prior to the event to help the organizers and prevent delays.
  • Notation is required.  Notation sheets will be available if needed, but please bring a pencil or pen.

Questions

For questions or problems registering, please email or text:
Dan Shafer (daniel_m_shafer@baylor.edu)
Deborah Shafer (dshaferchess@yahoo.com)
Or visit our site (wacochess.org)

Read our ONLINE TLA!

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Luis Salinas Memorial 80th Texas State and Amateur 2025

Description: Visit the event website  or view the tournament description on King Registration.  Organized by the  Tom Crane and the Arlington Club, this is an Annual TCA State Championship tournament USCF and FIDE rated swiss chess tournament in two sections (Championship and Amateur) open to players from all states. There will be 7 rounds in total. 

View the Advance Entry List!

Location:
The Vista (formerly Vista Ridge and/or Music City Mall)
2401 S. Stemmons Freeway
Lewisville, TX 75067

Hotel Partner:
Marriott TownePlace Suites Dallas Lewisville
adjacent to the Vista Ridge Mall
731 East Vista Ridge Mall Drive
Lewisville, TX 75067

The hotel is offering $109 rate.  Please make reservations using the hotel reservation link.

Championship: 7 rounds, Swiss, G/90;+30. Must be rated 2000 or above (Regular rating) by either US Chess or FIDE to play in this section or have had a provable 2000 or higher regular rating in the past. The defending Texas Amateur Champion may also play in this section. Foreign unrated players may play in this section and, at TD/Organizer discretion, may be required to play in this section.

 Place Prizes: $3000/$1500/$750
Other Prizes: 2200-2399 $500, U2200 $500. 
Texas State Champion: The highest scoring Texas player(s), including ties, will be named “Texas State Champion.”

Amateur: 7 rounds, Swiss, G/90;+30. Available to players with ratings under 2000 and unrated players.

Place Prizes: $1000/$750/$500
Classes A-D: 1st 250, 2nd $100
Texas Amateur Champion: The highest scoring Texas player(s), including ties, will be named “Texas Amateur Champion.”

Schedule (4-day or 3-day):
4-day Round 1 – Fri: 6:45 pm
3-day Round 1 – Sat: 9:30 am
Sections merge in round 2.
Round 2 – Sat: 2:45 pm
Round 3 – Sat: 6:45 pm
Round 4 – Sun: 11:30am
Round 5 – Sun: 5:15pm
Round 6 – Mon: 9:30am
Round 7 – Mon: 2:45pm

Byes: Up to two 1/2-point byes are available if requested before the end of round 2 and before receiving a full-point bye, but 1/2-point byes for both rounds 6 and 7 are NOT permitted.

Entry Fee: $150, if received by 5/17 at 8pm, else $175 (after including on-site), senior (over 65)/handicapped/additional family participant $125 if received by 5/17 else $150. (Note:  Senior/handicapped or additional family participant pay the entry fee then email section information to the organizer, who will refund the overage). 
On-Site via King Registration will be open until 6:00 PM 5/23.
Registration Saturday morning and other changes are onsite only.

Changes/Refunds: All refunds and changes must be requested by email and sent to tcrane5000@gmail.com. No refunds after 5/20. Changes and withdrawals are subject to a $10 fee.

Read the online TLA!

Side Events:  A K-12 Scholastic will be offered on Saturday, May 24th. 

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2025 TCA North Texas Scholastic Championship – Final Results

The 2025 Texas State (North) Scholastic Chess Championships held at The Vista in Lewisville, Texas on February 28 – March 2, 2025.

Final Results are below. 

Special congratulations to our new State Champions.
K-1: Lakshan Ganesh (individual), Basis Cedar Park (team)
Primary:  Praneel Akula (individual), Talley Elementary (team)
Elementary:  Oscar Yihang Zhang  (individual), McCoy Elementary (team)
Middle School:  Vijay Srinivas Anand  (individual), Uplift Education – North (team)
High School:  Aryan Gutla (individual), Coppell High School (team)

The event  has been rated by the USCF:  https://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202503022542.0-15570195.

Thank you for playing!!!

Return to the  State Scholastic tournament page .

K-1 Championship

Final Results (Individual)    (Team)

Primary JV (K-3 U500)

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

Primary Championship

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

Elementary Novice (K-5/6 U500)

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

Elementary JV (K-5/6 U900)

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

Elementary Championship

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

Middle School Novice (6-8 U500)

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

Middle School JV (6-8 U900)

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

Middle School Championship

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

High School JV(9-12 U1000)

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

High School Championship

Final Results   (Individual)    (Team)

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AGCA Summer Camp 3 – 2025

Description: A full day, week long chess camp, hosted by the Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy from August 4-8, 2025.  All scholastic players are invited to register. Day passes available!

Location:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy
12466 Los Indios Trail, Ste 100
Austin, TX 78729

Coaches: GM Kamil Dragun, CM Jeffrey Serna, Shahin Masoumi

Groups:
Each camp features five  days of instruction. Students will be separated into 5 groups:
Beginner Group: Under 400 USCF (including unrated)
Novice Group: 400-800 USCF
Intermediate Group: 800-1200 USCF
Advanced Group: 1200 – 1600 USCF
Expert Group: 1500+ USCF
**NOTE: It is, however, required for the kids to know all the rules of chess and how each pieces move!
For more information, link to the the camp website.

Date and Time: 3rd camp session: August 4-8, 2025, 9am – 4pm

Daily Schedule
Drop-off: 8:30 – 9:00 am
Camp start: 9:00 am
Lunch break: 12:00 -1:00 pm
Camp resumes: 1:00 pm
Pick up: 4:00 – 4:30 pm

Food:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy staff will provide light snacks and beverages during scheduled snack times. Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch. 

**NOTE: Please email us at info@austin-chess.com with any food allergies and/or restrictions your child may have! 

Registration:
Please register and pay online. 
Full week attendance is preferred; however, Day Passes are available – just send us an email (info@austin-chess.com).
Weekly Fee is $500.
Day Pass Fee is $115

Cancellation Policy
A full refund, minus a $50 service fee, will be provided for all cancellation requests received 7 days prior to camp start date. No refunds are provided if the cancellation is not received a week prior to camp start date.

Questions:
Contact  the Austin Grandmaster staff (info@austin-chess.com) if you have questions about registering for this event. 

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AGCA Summer Camp 2 – 2025

Description: A full day, week long chess camp, hosted by the Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy from June 16-20, 2025.  All scholastic players are invited to register. Day passes available!

Location:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy
12466 Los Indios Trail, Ste 100
Austin, TX 78729

Coaches: GM Kamil Dragun, CM Jeffrey Serna, Shahin Masoumi

Groups:
Each camp features five  days of instruction. Students will be separated into 5 groups:
Beginner Group: Under 400 USCF (including unrated)
Novice Group: 400-800 USCF
Intermediate Group: 800-1200 USCF
Advanced Group: 1200-1600 USCF
Expert Group: 1500+ USCF
**NOTE: It is, however, required for the kids to know all the rules of chess and how each pieces move!
For more information, link to the the camp website.

Date and Time: 2nd camp session: June `16-20, 2025, 9am – 4pm

Daily Schedule
Drop-off: 8:30 – 9:00 am
Camp start: 9:00 am
Lunch break: 12:00 -1:00 pm
Camp resumes: 1:00 pm
Pick up: 4:00 – 4:30 pm

Food:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy staff will provide light snacks and beverages during scheduled snack times. Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch. 

**NOTE: Please email us at info@austin-chess.com with any food allergies and/or restrictions your child may have! 

Registration:
Please register and pay online. 
Full week attendance is preferred; however, Day Passes are available – just send us an email (info@austin-chess.com).
Weekly Fee is $500.
Day Pass Fee is $115

Cancellation Policy
A full refund, minus a $50 service fee, will be provided for all cancellation requests received 7 days prior to camp start date. No refunds are provided if the cancellation is not received a week prior to camp start date.

Questions:
Contact  the Austin Grandmaster staff (info@austin-chess.com) if you have questions about registering for this event. 

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AGCA Summer Camp 1 – 2025

Description: A full day, week long chess camp, hosted by the Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy from June 2-6, 2025.  All scholastic players are invited to register. Day passes available!

Location:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy
12466 Los Indios Trail, Ste 100
Austin, TX 78729

Coaches: GM Kamil Dragun, CM Jeffrey Serna, Shahin Masoumi

Groups:
Each camp features five  days of instruction. Students will be separated into 5 groups:
Beginner Group: Under 400 USCF (including unrated)
Novice Group: 400-800 USCF
Intermediate Group: 800-1200 USCF
Advanced Group: 1200 – 1600 USCF
Expert Group: 1500+ USCF
**NOTE: It is, however, required for the kids to know all the rules of chess and how each pieces move!
For more information, link to the the camp website.

Date and Time: 1st camp session: June 2-6, 2025, 9am – 4pm

Daily Schedule
Drop-off: 8:30 – 9:00 am
Camp start: 9:00 am
Lunch break: 12:00 -1:00 pm
Camp resumes: 1:00 pm
Pick up: 4:00 – 4:30 pm

Food:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy staff will provide light snacks and beverages during scheduled snack times. Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch. 

**NOTE: Please email us at info@austin-chess.com with any food allergies and/or restrictions your child may have! 

Registration:
Please register and pay online. 
Full week attendance is preferred; however, Day Passes are available – just send us an email (info@austin-chess.com).
Weekly Fee is $500.
Day Pass Fee is $115

Cancellation Policy
A full refund, minus a $50 service fee, will be provided for all cancellation requests received 7 days prior to camp start date. No refunds are provided if the cancellation is not received a week prior to camp start date.

Questions:
Contact  the Austin Grandmaster staff (info@austin-chess.com) if you have questions about registering for this event. 

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Evan Boatwright Memorial Chess Tournament – Temple, TX

Join us for a Chess Tournament in memory of Evan Boatwright hosted by the Temple Chess Club. USCF rated 4SS, G/45, d5 in 3 sections on March 29, 2025 in Temple, TX. Limited to the first 60 players!

View Entry List  (This is manually entered, so it does not always reflect the most recent registrations.)

Tournament Details and Advance Registration (Online) Form

LOCATION:
Holiday Inn
5247 S General Bruch Dr
Temple, TX 76502
Free parking provided!

BASICS:
4 rounds of G/45, d5
3 sections: Open, U1600, U1000

Registration & Check-in: 9:00 to 9:20 AM.
(*Because we do not accept payment in advance, players not checked in by 9:20 am will NOT be paired in Round 1, unless you notify us that you are on the way. If you are registered, but can no longer play, please let us know.)

Round Times: 
Round 1- 9:30 AM
Round 2- 11:15 AM 
Round 3- 1:30 PM (after lunch)
Round 4- 3:15 PM

Entry Fee: $20 CASH (no credit, no debit) upon arrival. Exact change is appreciated!

Prize Fund: $800 guaranteed

Open Section: $150-$100-50,  U1800 – $60-$40

Under 1600 Section: $100-$60-$40

Under 1000 Section: $100-$60-$40

Limited Capacity of 60 players!
Register online to ensure you get a spot.
(If you show up onsite without preregistering, there’s a chance the tournament will already be full.)

Current USCF membership required! Please check that your membership is active before registering.

**Please bring your own tournament size chess set and chess clock.  None will be provided.

For questions or problems registering, please contact Forrest Marler, fzmarler@gmail.com, (254) 231-7026.

USCF Online TLA!