CHESS
Port Townsend
Port Townsend Chess is a Washington State registered nonprofit association formed for charitable and educational purposes. The Port Townsend Chess mission is to deliver mentoring, coaching, social engagement, and competition through volunteer scholastic and community chess club activities.
Things Chess
Chess Night Port Townsend
Every Tuesday 6 - 8 pm
Aldrich’s Market (upstairs)
940 Lawrence St, Port Townsend, WA 98368
We play chess. Do you? Do you want to?
A few hours of chess, community, and various degrees of competition. Open to all ages, skill levels, and interests. Women and younger players are encouraged.
New to chess or just getting back into it? Help, guidance, and advice are always available. Experienced players will find a good game here.
Bring a chess board and set if you can (but we always have a few extra)
2025 MS/HS Chess Regional Championships
September, 2024
The NW Scholastic Chess Association has set the dates nd locations for the Washing State MS/HS Regional Chess Championships.
The last two years the Blue Heron Middle School chess team competed at the SW WA Regional Championship. They took home third place honors each year (.5 points out of second place and 1.5 points out of first last year).
For 2025 Port Townsend Chess and the North Kitsap HS Chess Club worked with the NW Scholastic Chess Association to establish the new Peninsula Region comprised of Jefferson, Callam and Kitsap counties.
We are very excited for teams from both Blue Heron Middle School and Port Townsend High School to compete in the inaugural Peninsula Regional Chess Championship, February 8, 2025, at North Kitsap High School.
Outdoor Chess on the Plaza
June, 2024
We are going to try and get outdoor chess going on the downtown plaza (by Better Living Through Coffee) this summer.
Sundays starting at about 1pm
(through the summer - weather permitting)
Don't know who or how many will show up on any given day, but I am sure there will be a game or two to be had.
It would be kind of cool to make outdoor chess a thing in Port Townsend.
We will have extra chess sets and boards available.
Salish Elemenetray Chess Fest
May, 2024
What do you get when you put a whole bunch of kids in a large room with a giant chess board, bunch of chess sets, cookies and a lot of prizes for playing games?
A lot of fun, that's what.
The Chess Fest at Salish Coast Elementary was a wonderful day. Kids from first grade through fifth grade playing chess together. Parents getting to see their kid playing in a room with a bunch of other kids.
This is how a chess culture starts in the community. Thank you to the school, the parents, the volunteers and the kids for making it a wonderful day.
Chess at the Nest! Let's Play!
February, 2024
A Port Townsend Chess volunteer (and a really good chess player) has been doing some chess coaching at The Nest. Other kids saw them playing chess and asked The Nest to schedule a chess meet-up so they could play.
So . . . Port Townsend Chess purchased and donated three regulation chess sets and boards so The Nest could get this going.
The Nest is a Community Coffee House - where 100% of the proceeds go towards youth and young adult programming.
Drop in, have a coffee, and play a game or two.
1119 Lawrence Street, Uptown, Port Townsend
Wed-Thurs 8:30-5pm| Fri 8:30-7:30pm | Sat 8:30-5pm
SW WA Middle School Scholastic Chess Championship
February, 2024
The chess team from Blue Heron Middle School traveled to Centralia for the SW WA Middle School Ches Champion and Port Townsend Chess tagged along.
BHMS finished third overall as a team winning 13 of the 23 games played. A very impressive showing.
New Chess Club at Salish Coast Elementary School
January, 2024
UPDATE: More than 100 kids, grades 3, 4 and 5, signed up for chess club. More than 100 kids, indeed!
In 2024 Port Townsend Chess will begin partnering with Salish Coast Elementary School for the launch of a brand new school chess club for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades.
This is very exciting!
This will dovetail nicely with Port Townsend Chess volunteer activities with the ongoing chess club at Blue Heron Middle School and the Port Townsend High School chess club (which we hope to expand in the 2024-25 school year).
National Sea Cadets Chess Training
December, 2023
Port Townsend Chess was proud to provide volunteer chess training for the 2023 National Sea Cadets Advanced Leadership Strategy course at Fort Worden in December.
Sea Cadets ages 13 to 18, from across the country participated and had the opportunity to learn about the history, strategy, and tactical thinking involved in chess.
2023 National Chess Day Student Tournament Wrap-up
October, 2023
The 2023 National Chess Day Tournament in Port Townsend on October 14, 2023, is done and in the books. It was by all accounts an event to remember (and hopefully repeat for future tournaments). The location was beautiful, the players were exemplary, the chess was well-matched and the parents all behaved themselves.
Let’s do the numbers:
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28 players registered
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Players came from Port Townsend, Chimacum, Kingston, Poulsbo, Stanwood and Blaine
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13 individual schools participated
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4 different High Schools
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5 different Middle Schools
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4 different Elementary Schools.
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5 different school districts represented
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9 individual prizes awarded, 3 in each section (HS, MS, Elem)
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2 Top School Team trophies awarded (North Kitsap HS, Blue Heron MS)
And to our sponsors, Skillmation and Aldrich’s Market, thank you. You made all of this possible and you helped make our community a better place for it. Thank You!
Port Townsend Chess Spring Tournament
June, 2023
The Port Townsend Chess Spring Classic Tournament was a multi-generational affair. The players were about equally split between students and adults. Adults, from beginners to the current Montana open chess tournament champion (a Port Townsend resident) participated. We had students from 5th grade to HS seniors all competing. We had student players from as far away as Redmond and Yelm.
For many, this was their first chess tournament experience and most seemed ready for more. That is why we are scheduling the Port Townsend Chess National Chess Day Student Tournament on October 14, 2023.
We Stand on the Shoulders of Giants
Port Townsend and the greater Olympic Peninsula boast a long and proud tradition of playing, promoting and encouraging chess.
A bit of history:
Port Townsend Chess
Port Townsend Chess is a registered non-profit charitable association with the Washington Secretary of State, registration number 2008785. More information is available at https://www.sos.wa.gov. 360-725-0377.