Category: Club Meetings
ROCHESTER CHESS: APRIL 20-26 + Registration for the Rochester Chess Festival is Open.
Tuesday, April 21. April USCF-Rated Slow Swiss Round 2. Membership in USCF is required (https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess). Games start at 6:30 PM. Half-point byes are available for schedule conflicts. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each section. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLbdE_ua7FsHrR7MChXO9KqYCHcVWAqpjDUCs48ifVcM-BAQ/viewform?usp=pp_url.
Casual chess and kids’ chess at the club. Doors open at 6 pm.
Wednesday, April 22: Free casual chess at Novios Cafe, 1 – 3 pm. All are welcome. Come for great coffee, drinks, and delicious food. https://www.novioscafe.com/
MSCA and Rochester Chess are partnering for the 2026 Rochester Chess Festival, which will be held on July 10-12 in the Mayo Civic Center. Friday, July 10 at 7 PM will feature the popular Tandem Simultaneous Chess Exhibition by International Masters John Bartholomew and Sean Nagle. Limited to 40 players. FREE for tournament participants thanks to MSCA sponsorship! Otherwise it is $10 at the door. Register here: https://forms.gle/K3AjMC51QhVNrEzj6
The Midwest Women and Girls Championship will run concurrently with the Rochester Open on Saturday and Sunday, July 11-12, G/60 +30s. Over $7,000 in prizes are projected for the two events. Free entry for Masters! A complete description and links to registration can be found on the MSCA website: https://www.minnesotachess.com/rochester-chess-festival.
ROCHESTER CHESS: APRIL 13-19 + REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE ROCHESTER CHESS FESTIVAL.
Monday, April 13. Poker and chess at LTS Brewery at 6 PM. https://www.ltsbrewing.com/
Tuesday, April 14. April USCF-Rated Slow Swiss Round 1. Membership in USCF is required (https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess). Games start at 6:30 PM. Half-point byes are available for schedule conflicts. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each section. Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLbdE_ua7FsHrR7MChXO9KqYCHcVWAqpjDUCs48ifVcM-BAQ/viewform?usp=pp_url.
Casual chess and kids’ chess at the club. Doors open at 6 pm.
Wednesday, April 15: Free casual chess at Novios Cafe, 1 – 3 pm. https://www.novioscafe.com/
MSCA and Rochester Chess are partnering for the 2026 Rochester Chess Festival, which will be held on July 10-12 in the Mayo Civic Center. Friday, July 10 at 7 PM will feature the popular Tandem Simultaneous Chess Exhibition by International Masters John Bartholomew and Sean Nagle. The Midwest Women and Girls Championship will run concurrently with the Rochester Open on Saturday and Sunday, July 11 -12, G/60 +30s. Over $7,000 in prizes are projected for the two events. A complete description and links to registration can be found on the MSCA website: https://www.minnesotachess.com/rochester-chess-festival.
ROCHESTER CHESS: APRIL 6 – 14.
Monday, April 6. Today! 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.
Tuesday, April 7: 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, April 8: Free casual chess at Novios Cafe, 1 – 3 pm. https://www.novioscafe.com/
Saturday, April 11: Free Scholastic Chess Tournament (K12): Four rounds of Game/30, d5s in a Swiss Style format will be played. All participants will play 4 games. No elimination. Participating in the K-12 rated sections requires a USCF membership (https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess). A separate K2 unrated section will be held. Chess sets and clocks will be provided. Half-point byes are available for schedule conflicts.
Parent/coach volunteers are needed. Contact Dennis Mays (dennismays101@gmail.com) for more information.
Trophies/medals will be awarded to the top finishers in each section.Site: Mayo Clinic Harwick Cafeteria, 205 Third Ave. SW, Rochester, MN. Online pre-registration is required to reserve your spot in the tournament. Participation will be limited to the first 50 registrants. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIM-Hv1pC4tuCodNZVRWVAUcRf6OuW8MshAqB2objTI3mzew/viewform?usp=pp_url
Tuesday, April 14 – 28: April Slow Swiss. Three rounds of Game/60+30s increment in a Swiss format will be played beginning on Tuesday, April 14. Membership in USCF is required (https://new.uschess.org/join-us-chess). Games start at 6:30 PM. Half-point byes are available for schedule conflicts. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each section. Reserve your spot by registering online: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLbdE_ua7FsHrR7MChXO9KqYCHcVWAqpjDUCs48ifVcM-BAQ/viewform?usp=pp_url