Author: Dennis Mays
ROCHESTER CHESS: MARCH 23-29.
Monday, March 23: Chess tournament on the 4th Monday of the month at Zen Fusion, starts at 6 pm. https://zenfusionmn.com/
Tuesday, March 24: Casual chess and kids’ chess at the club. Doors open at 6 pm.
Game analysis: Bring a favorite game to share with the group.
Wednesday, March 16: Free casual chess at Novios Cafe, 1 – 3 pm. Note new day! https://www.novioscafe.com/
Monday, April 6. Brand new! Free scholastic blitz tournament for 7th to 12th graders. Seven rounds (Subject to change) of G/3 +2s increment 
️ USCF-rated blitz ️ in a Swiss Style format (Subject to change) will be played. No elimination. Participating in the Rated section requires a USCF membership (https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess). Chess sets and clocks will be provided. Half-point byes are available for schedule conflicts in the first three rounds. Register now to reserve your spot: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfysfpFrqdGW9aMs307zjonmaoywom0H7mz7X_jEQP55ZsWiA/viewform?usp=header
Contact Eric Zheng (Zhengeric0701@gmail.com) or Joshua Wang (joshuawang774@gmail.com) for more information. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each section rated and unrated.
Mark your calendars for a slow swiss starting on Tuesday, April 14, G/60+30s increment, and a scholastic swiss on Saturday April 11. More details will be posted soon.
ROCHESTER CHESS: MARCH 16-22.
Tuesday, March 17: Casual chess and kids’ chess at the club. Doors open at 6 pm.
Game analysis: Bring a favorite game to share with the group.
Thursday, March 19: Free casual chess at Novios Cafe, 1 – 3 pm. https://www.novioscafe.com/
Friday, March 20: TCCL Round 6. Team chess at the Minnesota Valley Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 10715 Zenith Avenue South, Bloomington. Games start at 7 PM. Contact Paul Kinion if you are interested in playing for a Rochester team: paulkinion@gmail.com.
ROCHESTER CHESS: MARCH 9-15 AND SCHOLASTIC CHESS NEWS
Monday, March 9: Free Chess at LTS Brewery (2nd Tuesday of the month). Games start at 6 PM. https://www.ltsbrewing.com/
Tuesday, March 10: Casual chess and kids’ chess at the club. Doors open at 6 pm.
Game analysis: Bring a favorite game to share with the group.
Thursday, March 12: Free casual chess at Novios Cafe, 1 – 3 pm. https://www.novioscafe.com/
Scholastic Chess News: The 61st Annual Scholastic Chess Championship was held on March 7-8, 2026
at the University of St. Thomas. A record-setting 383 students competed in 4 sections for the state championships. Special thanks go to the tournament organizer MSCA’s Tim Rademacher and to the tournament director Sarah Wahl for running an amazing event. More details of the scholastic championship are posted on the MSCA website: https://www.minnesotachess.com/.
Slight Stumble Causes Drop for Century HS Chess
By Chuck Handlon, Secretary – Treasurer Rochester Area Scholastic Chess League.
In 2025 the Century HS chess team attained 19.5 points in the Minnesota State Chess Association K–12
Championship Tournament. This result was good for a three-way tie for first place with Eastview HS and Eden Prairie HS. A slight stumble by Century in the final two rounds of the 2026 State Scholastic Chess Tournament cost Century a half point and Century’s 19 points dropped it into a third-place tie with Eastview. The top four teams were separated by only 1 point. Eden Prairie finished second with 19.5 and Wayzata HS was the champion with 20 points. Mayo HS finished 8th with 15.5 points and Rochester Homeschool finished 22nd with 5.5 points.
Several Rochester players won individual honors. Century Sophomore Johan Myburgh placed overall
15th in high school division of over 150 players. Century Sophomore Eric Zheng placed 4th in the under
1000 USCF rated division. Two Rochester Freshmen placed in the under 1500 USCF rated division.
Mayo’s Omar Aly was 3rd and Isaac Gommers who attends Schaeffer Academy was 4th.
For more information contact RASCL Secretary Chuck Handlon chuckwheelerhandlon@gmail.com