new Albany Chess Center: John Fawole, an FM (fide master) has started this up. They have a variety of USCF-rated tournaments from Friday to Monday. Activities are scheduled throughout the week at 23A Walker Way, Albany, NY 12205.
email: info@albanychesscenter.com
website: https://albanychesscenter.com/
Staunton Club Stuff
Staunton club members should feel free to send messages to this list if they have chess-related ideas to share, agenda items they want considered at the upcoming annual meeting or questions about upcoming events. Our regular meetings, when we aren’t having a tournament or our annual meeting, consist mostly of informal blitz and analysis. Some club members get together on weekday afternoons at Spot Coffee or The Kaffee Haus. If you want to play, send an email to staunton-club-members@saratoga-staunton.club to see if anyone can join you and arrange the time and place. Kaffee Haus on Wednesdays from 2 to 4 is more popular. (They have parking in the back)
Sunday, Sept 21 – Annual Meeting
I will send out last year’s minutes ahead of time. There are many issues we should discuss: Starting our tournaments earlier, writing up our formal and informal rules for all tournaments (too many players don’t know when they need to stop the clock to get the TD or how to claim a draw by repetition), keeping track of the membership, etc.
Sunday, Sept 14 – Quick Chess Tournament
link to official announcement below with the other tournaments. Registration from until 7:35, tournament starts 7:45. Same as the previous ones this year.
Important World Chess News
You might want to google a bit to see why Naka bothered winning the Louisiana State Championship. Here is Susan Polgar’s coverage
Local Chess Clubs and Tournament News:
(If you are involved with any of these clubs or informal chess gatherings, tell me about them! The meeting schedules and activities – info on other clubs has not been updated in ages. I’d like to add or update the contact info for the various groups below. Send me a name, phone, and email.)
Albany Area Chess Club: meets on Wednesdays at 7:30 PM at the Shelly Studio, 6 British American Blvd, Suite 103, Latham, NY 12110.
The Saratoga Staunton Club (us) meets on Sundays at 7 PM at the Saratoga Springs United Methodist Church, 175 Fifth Avenue, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (also some members try to get together at Spot Coffee on Railroad Place in Saratoga or Kaffee House on West Av – see the note above)
The Schenectady Chess Club meets on Thursday evenings at 7:30 at The Niskayuna Community Center, 2682 Aqueduct Rd, Niskayuna, NY
Blind Squirrel Chess Club meets on Saturdays from 10 – 2 at the Bancroft Hall Library, Salem, NY
Legion of Kings in Latham NY is a new club in Latham meeting at Grace Fellowship in Latham. They are offering formal instructions and trying to organize tournaments on Thursdays. Contact Antonio Sturges, sturgeschess@gmail.com
for details.
HiFi Larking Bar (an informal chess gathering?)
199 Lark St, Albany, NY 12210
A group of chess players gather every Tuesday night at 7:30 at the HIFI Larkin Bar on Lark St. There are drink specials, byo vinyl, and a good group with beginner through about 1900. It’s a nice group with a lot of abilities. Chess + 2 for 1 Beers + Records
Chess in the City (summers in Schenectady)
My on break until next summer
Tournaments:
Finn Chess Club (same location as Albany Area):
September 13 – Julius Finn Cup #157
https://new.uschess.org/julius-finn-cup-157
Most of their announcements show up first on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/FinnChessClub
Saturday evening reg 5:30PM, rounds 6,7,8,9. G25d5 EF$5 check the link for details.
contact info: finnchessclub@gmail.com
Staunton September 14 Quick:
https://new.uschess.org/staunton-september-14-quick
Make The Right Move Tournaments:
– summer break –
Bennington Fall Open
Saturday, October 4, 2025
https://new.uschess.org/bennington-fall-open
Bennington Free Library
CCA Tournaments:
Nothing is coming up in the greater capital district
Link to find upcoming tournaments:
Note that all tournaments I mention can usually be found by clicking this link.