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.
At the 2024 annual MCA business meeting, Baker was unopposed and unanimously re-elected to the Board of Directors for a second two-year term. Following that meeting, Baker retained his position as vice-president.
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.
The sections below include information in the following order (click on title for quick jump):
Quick Glance - Upcoming events (adult and scholastic)
Upcoming or ongoing events (more details)
Chess Clubs across Mississippi (with map)
Special information about scholastic and Franklin County Chess organizations
Roosevelt State Park, Morton - Scott County Chess Club major event
Delta State University, Cleveland - This is the final of three events designed to provide practice for children and youth in preparation for the K-12 scholastic championships in the spring.
The Mississippi Chess Association
will host the Cleveland Open Tournament
November 16 at Delta State University
Forest E. Wyatt Center, 1003 West Sunflower Rd., Cleveland, MS 38733
All Ages and Out of State players welcome
One Section - Open
4 rounds Swiss System; no elimination
G/30+15; notation required on manual scoresheets (provided)
Round times: 9:00, 11:00, 1:30, 3:15
may accelerate as possible; minimum 10 minute break rest breaks
One half-point bye available requested before tournament start
Cash prizes based on 80 percent of entries
Entry fee: $20 by 8 p.m. Nov. 15
$30 after deadline
Call or email for more information
Douglas Stewart 601-260-6087
The Mississippi Chess Association
will host a Quick and Blitz tournament
December 7 at Nissan Training Center,
300 Nissan Drive Gate 1, Canton
Sections Open, U1600, U1000
Multiple sections may be combined
Quick- 8 Swiss rounds; G/10 d3
9:00, 9:25, 10:10, 10:45, 11:15 - lunch
1:00, 1:35, 2:10
Blitz- Swiss rounds; G/5 d0
Begins 3 p.m. - rounds ASAP - double elimination
US Chess Federation membership required for all players; MS Chess Assn. membership ($10) required for MS residents age 18+
Entry Fee $20/player
(both events)
Check In and onsite registration 8:00-8:45
More information: mark@mcachess.org
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.
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.
MEADVILLE - privately funded chess education center. See below for more information.
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.
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 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 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.
More than 50 players gathered at the CSpire Headquarters in Ridgeland to determine the best players in the state. Sections included Open, U1500, and U1000. The tournament weekend also included the MCA annual business meeting.
The MCA returned to the Mississippi State Fair at the Trade Mart in Jackson to provide the public a chance to see chess up close and ask questions about the game. Two players participated in a Blitz tournament and received complimentary U.S Chess Federation membership/renewal as prizes.
Our Chess kids have been busy this year. These events have been held in the fall 2024 all over the state: October 5 - Southwest Mississippi Chess Jamboree, Meadville; Oct. 12 - Kemper County Tournament, DeKalb; Oct. 26 - Eagle Chess Challenge, Pascagoula;
The Mississippi Chess Association hosted its first ever Women's State Championship
at the Nissan Training Center in Canton. The event attracted nine players for four Swiss rounds using a time control of G/45 + 15 increments. Three sections were available: Open, Reserve (U600), Under age 12.
Two chess camps for kids and two tournaments for everyone were held at Dogmud Tavern in Ridgeland. One camp was held in June and the other in late July where kids could receive instruction and improve their skills. Each camp concluded with a tournament where participants included campers and any players from outside the camps.
The Mississippi Chess Association Team Championship was held at Jackson Preparatory School in Flowood. More than 10 teams competed in two sections including Open and Reserve (U1300). The tournament included 3 Swiss rounds G/60 + 15i.
The second annual J'Kennethon Memorial Tournament was held at the food court of the Outlets of Mississippi mall in Pearl. The tournament included four Swiss rounds of G/45+5 with three sections - Open, U1000, and U600; with a mixed doubles section.
** J’Kennethon Smith died on July 9, 2022, after being struck by a vehicle protecting a cousin by pushing her out of harm’s way. Smith was a top academic student, athlete, and a chess player who taught chess to younger children. Profit from this event goes to providing clocks to scholastic chess programs in disadvantaged districts.
The Mississippi Chess Association hosted its G/60 tournament at Jackson Prep school in Flowood. The event included four Swiss rounds with sections: Open, Reserve (U1300), Amateur (U800), K-5, & K-3.
St. Augustine School in Ridegland hosted its spring tournament where adults, youth, children were welcome from all schools, homeschool, all levels, grades; rated and unrated games.
The Capital City Chess Club hosted an opportunity for players to learn from International Master Dave Ross at the Food Court, Outlets of Mississippi in Pearl. On the first day, 12 players faced Ross in simultaneous games. On the second day, seven players faced Ross simultaneously on a 45 minute clock. After the games, Ross provided lessons with evaluations of the players' performances. For more information about Dave Ross, click HERE.
The Scott County Chess Club hosted its third Bienville Chess Classic at Roosevelt State Park in Morton where 58 players from across Mississippi competed in a 4-round Swiss tournament using G/45+5 including sections Open, U1200, U800, and U400.
The Capital City Chess Club hosted a Partner Chess Tournament at the Food Court,
Outlets of Mississippi in Pearl. The event included 4 rounds Swiss format with G/45+5
The Mississippi Chess Association hosted the 2024 Senior Chess Championship at Nissan in Canton. The tournament was open only to all players ages 50 and above as of July 27, 2023. The tournament included four Swiss rounds with G/90+30. The winner represents Mississippi at national level.
The Capital City Chess Club hosted a March Madness tournament at the Food Court, Outlet Mall of Mississippi in Pearl. More than 50 players participated in the four round Swiss event.
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 Scott County Chess Club held its third annual Roosevelt Chess Classic featuring individual and team action. The tournament included 4 Swiss rounds with G/45+5 and sections including Open, U1200, and U800. Prizes included cash, trophies, and medals.
The Mississippi Chess Association hosted the 2-day state championship tournament at CSpire Corporate Headquarters in Ridgeland. The tournament was open to all players, residents and non-residents of Mississippi. Five Swiss rounds included G/60+30 for first two rounds and G/90+30 for remaining three rounds.
The Mississippi Children's Museum hosted the chess tournament tournament in Jackson whereas players were encouraged to attend and play in pajamas. The event used G/10 + 3 in four Swiss rounds and sections included K-3 grade, K5, K8, K12 - UNRATED.
Mississippi Coast and Gulf Coast Chess Clubs hosted adult and scholastic tournaments on the USM Gulf Coast Campus in Long Beach. The tournament featured sections for adults and students in all grade levels.
The Capital City Chess Club hosted a Partner Showdown Tournament at the Outlets of Mississippi Food Court in Pearl. 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 were held at Dogmud Tavern, in Ridgeland during the weeks of weeks of June 12-15 & July 10-13. The events also included tournaments for the general public.
The J'Kennethon Smith Sacrifice Memorial Chess Tournament was held at the Outlets of Mississippi Food Court in Pearl. There was a great turnout of players who supported the tournament. An avid chess player in Jackson, Smith was killed in an accident while saving the life of a family member. This became an annual event.
The Mississippi Children's Museums hosted two Scholastic Chess Tournaments at two locations - Meridian (April 15) and Jackson (April 22). Both locations saw great turnouts including 92 players in Meridian and 118 in Jackson.
NO JOKE! The Scott County Chess Club held its second Bienville Chess Classic at the Alfreda-Harris Lodge at Roosevelt State Park in Morton. The event featured four Swiss rounds using G/45+5 among three sections: Open, U1200, U800.
The Mississippi Girls State Chess Championship was held at Jackson Prep school in Flowood.
The Mississippi Coast Chess Club hosted its Friendship Oak Classic tournament for all ages at USM Gulf Coast Campus in Long Beach.
The Mississippi Scholastic Chess Association hosts a number of events annually at approximately the same time of the year. Here are some of the events for 2023.
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.
Copyright © 2024 Scott County Chess Club - All Rights Reserved.
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