Tag: information
ROCHESTER CHESS JUNE 1-7 + ROCHESTER CHESS FESTIVAL JULY 10-12, 2026.
Tuesday, June 2: Free Chess Class, 5 – 6 PM led by Coach Lucas in the Mayo Clinic Harwick Building. Casual chess and kids chess, 6 – 8 PM.
Wednesday, June 3: Free casual chess at Novios Cafe, 1 – 3 PM. All are welcome. Come for great coffee, drinks, and food. https://www.novioscafe.com/
Saturday, June 6: Rochester Chess will host a free chess exhibit at the Rochester Farmers Market on the fairgrounds on Saturday, June 6, 9 AM – noon. Children and adults are invited to play chess and receive instruction from our team of experienced chess coaches led by coach Kevin. Chess sets will be provided. The market is an opportunity to share your love of chess and to pick up some fresh vegetables! If you do not know how to play chess, no problem, we will teach you! We will be in the large grassy area west of the main market. No registration is required. Stop by anytime! Volunteer coaches and experienced players are welcome to help members of our community to improve their chess
The deadline for the first early registration discount for the 2026 Rochester Chess Festival is Saturday, June 6. Register early to save up to $40 compared to onsite registration. https://www.minnesotachess.com/rochester-chess-festival
RESULTS OF THE MAY SLOW SWISS + UPCOMING EVENTS.
Rochester Chess hosted the Rochester May Slow Swiss (G/60+30) on 5/12, 5/19, and 5/26. Fifteen players competed in 2 sections. Cole Lappi won the upper section with a perfect 3-0 score. Andrew Merkel won the lower section also with a perfect 3-0 score. The winners were awarded a full-year membership to Rochester Chess. Thanks to everyone who competed. The event has been rated by USCF: https://ratings.uschess.org/event/202605260373?section=0.
June will be packed with local chess events directed by TD Matt Markland. The chess starts with Thinker Quads on Saturday, June 13 in the Mayo Clinic Harwick Building. G/60, d5. Rounds at 10 AM, 1 PM, 4 PM, no byes. Matt plays and directs. Register online: https://forms.gle/ofFFRwqJuUoNmdLw5
The June Slow Swiss (Rochester Open Warm Up!) G/60,+30s increment will be held on June 16, 23, 30 in the Mayo Clinic Harwick Building. Matt plays and directs. Register online: https://forms.gle/BqTrcUkDQnDFTeiy8
ROCHESTER CHESS, MAY 25 – 31 + TCCL NEWS.
Monday, May 25: Zen Fusion – 4th Monday of every month come test your skills at chess. Happy hour during game and win great prizes. Starts at 6 pm sharp. https://zenfusionmn.com/
Tuesday, May 26: May USCF-Rated Slow Swiss Round 3. Games start at 6:30 pm. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in each section.
Casual chess and kids’ chess at the club. Doors open at 6 pm.
Wednesday, May 27: Free casual chess at Novios Cafe, 1 – 3 pm. All are welcome. Come for great coffee, drinks, and food. https://www.novioscafe.com/
NEWS: Congratulations to the Rochester teams that competed in the 2025-2026 season of the Twin Cities Chess League (TCCL) https://www.minnesotachess.com/tccl. The Rochester Ultimates finished in clear 3rd place out of 8 teams in the Gold round robin (upper) section. In the Silver (Swiss) section, the Rochester Knights finished in a 4-way tie for first place with 5 match points. 15 game points put the team in fourth place overall out of 12 teams. Paul Novotny and Paul Kinion expertly captained the two Rochester teams throughout the season.
The TCCL is a great Minnesota chess tradition with teams from across the state competing in unrated team competition for over 60 years. Members of Rochester Chess can compete for free. If you would like to play for one of the Rochester teams, contact Paul Kinion paulkinion@gmail.com or Paul Novotny novotny@mayo.edu for more information.
Soren Wiedmann not only finished as the top board 4 in the Gold section with 5.5 wins in 7 rounds, but also contributed a win for the Knights in the Silver section! Kevin Gaustad had great results while switching between the Gold and Silver sections as needed by the teams. He contributed 2.5 points for the Ultimates and 3 points for the Knights! One night he even played in both sections at the same time because the teams were short on players! Roger Redmond was a strong first board for the Knights, finishing with 3.5 points while almost always playing against players 300-600 points higher than him! Lucas Sanner had a strong first year finishing with 3 points for the Knights.
Other team members included Jacob Kohlenberg, Justin Ricker, James Bundy, and Matthew Krusack anchoring the Ultimates. The two Pauls (Kinion and Novotny) helped the Knights. Other contributors included Piyush Mukherjee.