• Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Our Events
  • Newsletter
  • Our Tournaments
  • Chess Across Mississippi
  • Chess Education
  • Photo Gallery
  • About Chess
  • FAQ
  • Donations Welcome
  • Dave Ross
  • Chess in Black History
  • Hall of Champions
  • More
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Our Events
    • Newsletter
    • Our Tournaments
    • Chess Across Mississippi
    • Chess Education
    • Photo Gallery
    • About Chess
    • FAQ
    • Donations Welcome
    • Dave Ross
    • Chess in Black History
    • Hall of Champions

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Our Events
  • Newsletter
  • Our Tournaments
  • Chess Across Mississippi
  • Chess Education
  • Photo Gallery
  • About Chess
  • FAQ
  • Donations Welcome
  • Dave Ross
  • Chess in Black History
  • Hall of Champions

Find us on Social Media

Our members

We welcome people of all ages and skill levels from beginners to intermediate and above.

Click below to see more of our members.

Photo Gallery

Aaron Thomas Baker, standing right, with his father, Chris Allen Baker - founders of the Scott County Chess Club   

Aaron has enjoyed success in school playing in tournaments hosted by the East Central Talented and Gifted Association.  

What we do

The Scott County Chess Club usually holds meetings on the first Saturday of each month 

(unless announced otherwise for a particular meeting).

Meetings are held from 9 until 11 a.m. at the Forest Public Library. Anyone interested in playing or learning how to play Chess just needs to show up. No membership dues are charged. The club also sponsors two major tournaments each year and other activities when possible.


We strive to promote the game of Chess in Scott County and provide opportunities for persons 

of all ages and skill levels to learn and play the game.  

Frequently Asked Questions

How we got started

When Aaron Baker was in the second grade at Forest Elementary School in February 2018, he learned the game in the WINGS gifted class. Each student made a chess board out of construction paper and was given small plastic chess pieces. 


Aaron came home and asked his father, Chris, to play a game. Chris responded that he didn't know how to play. "I had always wanted to learn, but I never got around to it. The perceived complexities intimidated me," he said. Aaron showed him how the pieces move and the general parameters of the game, "and I was hooked."

 

The father and son duo wanted to find others in the community to join in the game so Chris contacted Dianne McLaurin at the Forest Public Library to see what could be arranged in starting a club. “A library patron came to us and suggested the idea of starting a chess club here. We were excited about the idea and we were already aware of children who expressed interest,” McLaurin said.


Two interest meetings were held in May and attracted a good turnout. The Friends of the Library support group purchased five chess sets for use during club meetings and for library patrons to use during their visits.


At first, the club focused on children, but then expanded to all ages. Attendance began to grow over the next two years, including turnouts of 20+ players participating. Anyone who already played the game or wanted to learn was invited. 


And then COVID-19 struck.


Like other programs, the club was suspended from March 2020 until September 2021 when the library started to resume normal operations. Many of the original players drifted away due to the extended downtime so the club began to rebuild - keeping the door open to past players while welcoming new ones.


The club took another step forward in the fall of 2021 by joining the U.S. Chess Federation as an affiliate club and hosted its first tournament in November. The Roosevelt Chess Classic attracted 46 players from across Mississippi and three other states. Chris was also a guest on the "Good Things with Rebecca Turner" radio show on SuperTalk to promote the game and the club. 


Growth continued in 2022 with the addition of another tournament, the Bienville Chess Classic, and Chris became a tournament director. The club also started a newsletter distributed via email. This web site was launched in September 2022 and the club began making regular appearances at community events. 


For more information about past and future events, click HERE.

Deanne McCown

Deanne McCown was the gifted teacher at Forest Elementary School when Aaron was in the 2nd grade.

Our first Chess board and some art

Pictured at right is Aaron's first chess board made in his gifted class in 2018 while in the second grade at Forest Elementary School. His teacher, Deanne McKown, had each student make a board out of construction paper and provided small plastic pieces as she taught them the game.


The image below the board is a king piece painted on glass which Aaron made during a crafts event at a local church youth activity.  

Our first board and Chess art

Chess on the airwaves

'Good Things with Rebecca Turner'

'Good Things with Rebecca Turner'

'Good Things with Rebecca Turner'

We have been blessed to be a guest three times on SuperTalk MS participating in the show "Good Things with Rebecca Turner" talking about chess

and its growth in the state. 

SuperTalk Mississippi

'Good Things with Rebecca Turner'

'Good Things with Rebecca Turner'

The show airs statewide on the SuperTalk Mississippi radio network between 2 and 3 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. You can also watch it online streaming.  

Watch the show

More guests

'Good Things with Rebecca Turner'

More guests

On our third visit, we were blessed to include local Chess Leader Beth Thrasher (right) talking about chess growth 

and chess in education.

Our Partners and Sponsors

Thank You!

We would like to thank the following people and entities for all their support in helping us get started and keep going. We could not do what we do without you. 


Partners - Organizations

Central Mississippi Regional Library System / Forest Public Library - Dianne McLaurin

Friends of the Forest Public Library - support group

U.S. Chess Federation - Chris Green

Mississippi Chess Association - Mark Nicholas

Mississippi  Scholastic Chess Association - Douglas Stewart and Jay Mitchell

Capital City Chess Club (Pearl) - Beth Thrasher

Roosevelt State Park - Pam Holman and Debbie Franklin

Bienville National Forest

Forest Baptist Church

Andrew Jackson Council - Boy Scouts of America


Tournament Sponsors:

Community Bank - Lee McCarty

Cox Chevron - Vance Cox

Bank of Morton - Martha Rogers

Tom Miles - State Representative

Priority One Bank (Morton) - Beverly Tadlock

French's Pharmacy - David and Rita French

Fountain ACE Hardware - Jeff Fountain

Bank of Forest - Allen Breland

Jack Batte and Sons Lumber Mill (Forest) - Kathy Batte


Partners - Tournament Directors

Chris Allen Baker - Chief Tournament Director

Beth Thrasher - Senior Assistant

Mark Nicholas - Senior Assistant

Douglas Stewart - Assistant

Jay Mitchell - Assistant

Anjanette Rassif - Assistant


Partners - Resources

Community Bank - Nelda Tyree

SwissSys - Thad Suits

Mississippi Trophy - Angie Banks 

Larchwood Designs - Carrie Phillips 

Go Daddy - (Service rep.) Kris 

Mississippi Secretary of State - Michael Watson

Billy Freeman - Photography

Ingram Printing - Chris Ingram


Partners - Publicity

The Scott County Times - Tim Beeland

SuperTalk Mississippi - Rebecca Turner


Partners - Community involvement

Forest Chamber of Commerce - Allyce Lott

Town of Lake - Kettra Tally

City of Morton  - Christopher Hines


Individuals - People who have contributed or helped in any way

Emily S. Baker

Ajanette Rassif

Alene Staggs Lindsey

Swetha Sundararajan

Become a partner!

Donations are welcome!

If you believe in what we are doing and want to assist, we would appreciate your financial support to help us meet our mission goals. Click at right for more information on how you can contribute any amount. Your name would be listed above among our supporters.  

Find out more
Mississippi Secretary of State

Credentials

We are registered and incorporated with the Mississippi Secretary of State as a non-profit organization. 

Our business identification number is 1360195 

Find out more

Copyright © 2023 Scott County Chess Club - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept