From state associations to local clubs - more people are finding fun and adventure in the game in nearly all corners of Mississippi
The Mississippi Chess Association has existed since at least the 1950s to organize the State Championship each year. In 1973 it became more formal with annual dues and a chess publication about five or six times a year. The organization, in return for requiring MCA membership from all state players at tournaments held be local clubs, would publicize events beforehand and print games and the cross tables from them afterwards.
When active tournament directors were elected officers (Steve Perry and Jimmy Hughes) around 1985, the MCA started organizing nearly every rated tournament in the state.
In 1980 the Jackson Optimist Club started holding annual chess tournaments for high school and junior high students--tournaments at the elementary level were started in 1985. The MCA designated the winner of this event as the Mississippi High School Champion until 1988 when the Optimist Club limited the scope of its annual event to students in the Greater Jackson area, the MCA started running scholastic events. The Optimist Club ran its last tournament in 1992 when the chess chairman, Warren Porter, returned to college for a degree.
Dues are $10 annually, usually paid in October around the time of the state tournament. The MCA asks tournament organizers to require players from Mississippi to join or be members of the MCA in return for helping promote their events and publicizing the results afterwards.
At the 2022 annual business meeting of the MCA membership, Chris Allen Baker of the Scott County Chess Club was elected to the organization's Board of Directors for a two-year term. Following that meeting, Baker was elected vice-president by board members.
While we will publicize Mississippi Chess Association events and other information, we encourage everyone to visit their website by clicking the button at the right. Then come back to keep reading what we have going here.
Penn's Restaurant, Forest - Scott County Chess Club event - CLICK HERE
Dogmud Tavern, Ridgeland - See Below
Nissan Training Center, Canton - Details TBA
CSpire Corporate Headquarters, Ridgeland - See Below
To be announced
Dogmud Chess Tournament
is set for July 25
at 681 S. Pear Orchard Road, Ridgeland
4 Swiss rounds G/15 d15 $20 early entry
5 Swiss rounds G/30 d10 $30 early entry
Quads
USCF rated and unrated
Check in 11:30 until noon
Round 1 starts at 12:15
All entries increase by $5
after 11:59 p.m. July 18
The Mississippi Chess Association will host its first ever State Women's Championship
set for September 14
Nissan Training Center,
300 Nissan Drive, Gate 1, Canton
4 Swiss rounds G/45 + 15 increments
3 sections: Open, Reserve (U600),
Under age 12; All players eligible
for Open section
USCF rated & active membership required
Check in no later than 8:30 a.m.
Round 1 starts at 9 a.m.
Entry fee: $20 by Sept. 1
$25 after Sept. 1
The Mississippi Chess Association
will host its annual state tournament
October 19-20 at 1000 Highland Colony Parkway, Ridgeland
5 Swiss rounds; rounds 1 & 2 g/60 i30
rounds 3-5 g/90 i30
Sections Open, U1500, U1000
US Chess Federation membership required for all players; MS Chess Assn. membership required for players 18+
Entry Fee $55/player
(includes MCA dues)
junior entries (under 18) $45
Does not include MCA dues
** After Oct. 7 all entries increase by $20
***The Mississippi Chess Association will host its annual business meeting
Sunday, Oct. 20, at 1:30 p.m.
The Capital City Chess Club
hosts a year long Chess league tournament.
The 2024 series is underway.
12 rounds with one round per month;
No elimination; Swiss format
Game Control 90+30
Sections: Open and U1400
Must have active USCF Membership
Entry Fee $40
Games are to be held on the SECOND Sunday of the Month at 2 pm at the Outlet Mall Food Court in Pearl or at Dogmud Tavern in Ridgeland as long as an approved tournament director (T.D.) is present.
The Mississippi Scholastic Chess Association is a registered non-profit corporation dedicated to:
The Franklin Chess Center in Meadville is a privately funded enterprise of the Southwest Mississippi Chess Foundation. The Center has been featured on the CBS national news program "60 Minutes" and has introduced over 150 children to the game of Chess.
They have continuous activities through the year and compete on the state and national levels.
The Mississippi Chess Association Team Championship was held July 20
at Jackson Preparatory School, Flowood
The tournament received a great turnout
of more than 10 teams competing in two sections including Open and Reserve (U1300)
The tournament included 3 Swiss rounds G/60 + 15i
The 2nd annual J'Kennethon Smith Memorial Tournament
was held July 13
at the Outlet Mall Food Court, Pearl
4 Swiss rounds G/45+5
3 sections: Open, U1100, U600
Mixed Doubles
J’Kennethon Smith died on July 9, 2022, after being struck by a vehicle protecting a female cousin by pushing her out of harm’s way. “Ken” was a top academic student, multi-sport athlete, farmer, and a Chess player. He taught chess to younger children and was a smiling face and a gentle soul. All profit from this event goes to providing clocks to scholastic chess programs in disadvantaged districts.
The Mississippi Chess Association
hosted its G/60 tournament
Saturday, June 15, at Jackson Prep school, Flowood
4 Swiss rounds (no elimination)
Sections: Open, Reserve (U1300), Amateur (U800), K-5, & K-3.
St. Augustine School
hosted its spring tournament
April 27 in Ridgeland
Adults, Youth, children were welcome
Students from all schools, homeschool,
all levels, grades; Rated and unrated
The Capital City Chess Club
hosted an opportunity for players to learn from International Master Dave Ross
Tuesday and Wednesday, April 23-24,
at the Food Court, Outlets of MS, Pearl
On Tuesday, 12 players faced Ross in simultaneous games.
On Wednesday, 7 players faced Ross simultaneously on a 45 minute clock. Ross played a Gambit Opening
After the games Ross provided lessons.
The Capital City Chess Club
hosted a Partner Chess Tournament
April 6 at the Food Court,
Outlets of MS, Pearl
4 rounds (no elimination) Swiss format
Game Control 45+5
The Mississippi Chess Association
hosted the 2024 Senior Chess Championship
April 6-7 at 300 Nissan Dr. Gate 1, Canton
Open only to all ages 50 and above
age cutoff date July 27
4 rounds (no elimination) Swiss format
Game Control 90+30
Our Chess kids have been busy this year.
These events have been held
since January 2024 all over the state:
Jan. 27 - MSCA Bughouse Championships Jackson
Feb. 3 - Ole Miss Chess Tournament
Oxford
Feb. 17 - MS Scholastic Girls State Championship, Flowood
Feb. 24 - Kemper County Chess Tournament
Scooba
March 2 - Holmes County Chess Tournament Goodman
March 9 - MSCA Individual/Team Cup Starkville
March 15 - Knights at Museum, Jackson
March 23 - MS Scholastic Team State Championship, Ridgeland
The Capital City Chess Club
hosted a March Madness tournament
on March 2 at the Food Court,
Outlet Mall of MS, Pearl
Great turnout - more than 50 players participated in the four round Swiss Tourney
Mississippi Chess Association
hosted the state championship tournament
Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 21-22
CSpire Corporate Headquarters
1000 Highland Colony Parkway
Ridgeland, MS 39157
Mississippi Children's Museum
hosted tournament
Saturday, Sept. 15
2145 Museum Blvd., Jackson, MS
Players were encouraged to attend
and play in pajamas!!
G10 + 3; 4 rounds, No eliminations
K-3 grade, K5, K8, K12 - UNRATED
MS Coast and Gulf Coast Chess Clubs
hosted adult and scholastic tournaments
Saturday, Sept. 9
Long Beach, MS
USM Gulf Coast Campus
The tournament featured sections
for adults and students in all grade levels
Capital City Chess Club
hosted a Partner Showdown Tournament
Saturday, August 12.
Outlets of Mississippi Food Court, Pearl MS
The tournament featured a two-person team fixed roster; 4 rounds Swiss; G/45+5
Sections: Open and U1000 (USCF rated)
Two summer chess camps for kids was held at Dogmud Tavern, in Ridgeland.Both camps were huge successes
weeks of June 12-15 & July 10-13
The events also included tournaments
for the general public.
Thank you everyone for participating and thank you Beth Thrasher for hosting
The J'Kennethon Smith Sacrifice
Memorial Chess Tournament
was held on Saturday, July 8,
at the Outlets of Mississippi
Mall Food Court
There was a great turnout of players who supported the tournament and honored the memory of J'Kennethon. An avid chess player in Jackson, he was killed in an accident while saving the life of a family member., making the ultimate sacrifice.
This will become an annual event.
The Mississippi Children's Museums
hosted two Scholastic Chess Tournaments in April at two locations - Meridian (April 15) and Jackson (April 22).
Both locations saw great turnouts including 92 players in Meridian and 118 in Jackson.
The Mississippi Coast Chess Club hosted its Friendship Oak Classic tournament on Feb. 25 for all ages at USM Gulf Coast Campus in Long Beach.
They had a great turnout -
Congrats to our chess friends on the coast!
The Capital City Chess Club hosted tournaments on Feb. 11 and May 13
in the Food Court, Outlets of Miss., Pearl.
Each tournament attracted huge turnouts from across the state.
A spring tournament for all ages was held Feb. 18 in Ridgeland. This is a popular venue and has been attended by more than 100 players.
The Mississippi Scholastic Chess Association hosts a number of events annually at approximately the same time of the year.
Here are some of the past events.
See calendar list above for upcoming events.
Jan. 14/15 - MS Individual Scholastic Chess Championships - CSpire, Ridgeland
More than 80 students from schools across Mississippi participated in an exciting battle for opportunities to represent the state on the national level.
Jan. 28 - The MSCA hosted a tournament for all ages at Meridian High School's Library; scholastic divisions as well as U800 an Open for USCF rated games.
Feb. 4 - The University of Mississippi partnered with MSCA to host a scholastic tournament.
March 4 - The MSCA hosted a scholastic team tournament at St. Andrews Episcopal School.
FOREST - Meets the first Saturday of each month from 9 until 11 a.m. at the Forest Public Library, 210 S. Raleigh Street.
FLOWOOD - Meets Tuesdays from 5:30 until 8:30 p.m. at Schlotzky's restaurant 2451 Lakeland Dr.
RIDGELAND - Meets first Sundays of month from 2 until 7 p.m. at Van's Comics, Cards, and Games, 731 S. Pear Orchard Rd. #1.
VICKSBURG - Meets Thursdays from 6 until 8 p.m. at Newk's Eatery, 3403 Pemberton Square Blvd.
WIGGINS - Meets Wednesdays from 4:30 until 6:30 p.m. at Pizza Inn, 530 West Central Ave., Wiggins, MS 39577 (will be added to state map at later time)
GULFPORT - Meets Thursdays at 6 p.m. at Newk's, 10381 Old Highway 49.
OXFORD - Meets Tuesdays from 6 until 9 p.m. at The Growler, 265 North Lamar Ave. Unit Y.
PICAYUNE - Meets Mondays from 6 until 9 p.m. at IHOP, 500 South Lofton.
HERNANDO - Meets Saturdays from 2 until 5 or 6 p.m. in the lobby of Hampton Inn, 2675 McIngvale Rd.
There is also an organized chess presence in Tupelo, at Miss. State University, St. Andrew Episcopal School, Jackson Prep School, Jackson, Ridgeland, and Franklin County.
The list of clubs around Mississippi was taken from information available on the MCA web site, Facebook pages, and general familiarity of their operations. If any details need to be changed, new clubs added, or any removed, please let us know as soon as possible.
The best way to keep our game growing is to invite everyone to participate. Our founders started the Scott County Chess Club because they wanted to share the joy and experience of the game. We have kept chess education efforts going with teaching the game to Boy Scouts to help them earn the chess merit badge. Using that experience as a teaching framework, we have taught the game in other communities when invited.
We will be constantly refining our technique and adding resources here on our site so please keep checking for more information. If you want to develop a chess presence in your community, let us know and we will offer whatever assistance we can provide.
Copyright © 2024 Scott County Chess Club - All Rights Reserved.
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