It's a Great Day for OTB Chess!

We are a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization dedicated to chess education and promoting chess in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County. The Club has roots going back to the mid-1800s and holds some of the nation's longest-running tournaments in the United States. We have helped to organize national championship tournaments including the 1946 U.S. Open and the 2004 National Elementary and the 2010 U.S. Blind. Our newsletter, En Passant, has won awards from Chess Journalists of America.

Upcoming Events

September 2024

Thursday September 19

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Thursday Evening Club Hours (Members Only)

There is a steward available to open the club for members during this time. Drop by the club for some chess with other members or a good place to read and study.

Saturday September 21

10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Saturday Morning Club Hours (Members Only)

There is a steward available to open the club for members during this time. Drop by the club for some chess with other members or a good place to read and study.

2:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Saturday Afternoon Club Hours (Members Only)

There is a steward available to open the club for members during this time. Drop by the club for some chess with other members or a good place to read and study.

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Saturday Evening Club Hours (Members Only)

There is a steward available to open the club for members during this time. Drop by the club for some chess with other members or a good place to read and study.

Sunday September 22

12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Fall Beginner 101 – Junior Section

Our Beginner class will provide the student with a better idea of what to aim for when they play. Basic goals, fundamental concepts, simple tactics and techniques are the focus. Carefully selected positions are introduced, and students are prompted to work through the tactics in class. Our beginner classes are free for members who are unrated or rated U1000. They are recommended for members with ratings between 0-600 or who have not played before.


Signup

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://members.pittsburghchessclub.org/portal/signup/DTlUU7js4&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1720312992121767&usg=AOvVaw0VbV4fEM9wB2k7ZHdaCfN7
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm
Fall Advanced Beginner 111 Lessons – Junior Section

Solving short problems, improving endgame skills, ability to visualize ahead, and analyze positions. Discussion of strategic principles and an introduction to commonly played openings along with the ideas behind them are the main topics in this class. Carefully selected positions are introduced, and students are prompted to work through the tactics in class. Our advanced beginner classes are free for members who are unrated or rated U1000. They are recommended for members with ratings between 500-1000 or who have completed a Beginner course.


Signup

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://members.pittsburghchessclub.org/portal/signup/DTlUU7js4&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1720312992121767&usg=AOvVaw0VbV4fEM9wB2k7ZHdaCfN7
4:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Fall Beginner 101 – General Section

Our Beginner class will provide the student with a better idea of what to aim for when they play. Basic goals, fundamental concepts, simple tactics and techniques are the focus. Carefully selected positions are introduced, and students are prompted to work through the tactics in class. Our beginner classes are free for members who are unrated or rated U1000. They are recommended for members with ratings between 0-600 or who have not played before.


Signup

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://members.pittsburghchessclub.org/portal/signup/DTlUU7js4&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1720312992121767&usg=AOvVaw0VbV4fEM9wB2k7ZHdaCfN7
5:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Fall Advanced Beginner 111 Lessons – General Section

Solving short problems, improving endgame skills, ability to visualize ahead, and analyze positions. Discussion of strategic principles and an introduction to commonly played openings along with the ideas behind them are the main topics in this class. Carefully selected positions are introduced, and students are prompted to work through the tactics in class. Our advanced beginner classes are free for members who are unrated or rated U1000. They are recommended for members with ratings between 500-1000 or who have completed a Beginner course.


Signup

https://www.google.com/url?q=https://members.pittsburghchessclub.org/portal/signup/DTlUU7js4&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1720312992121767&usg=AOvVaw0VbV4fEM9wB2k7ZHdaCfN7

Monday September 23

6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Monday Evening Club Hours (Members Only)

There is a steward available to open the club for members during this time. Drop by the club for some chess with other members or a good place to read and study.

Tuesday September 24

5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Tuesday Evening Club Hours (Members Only)

There is a steward available to open the club for members during this time. Drop by the club for some chess with other members or a good place to read and study.

2nd Steel City Open Results

By Zack | January 31, 2024

The 2nd Steel City Open held on January 20-21, 2024 was a success with 30 players participating. Benjamin Lin and Zachary Thompson both tied for the top score of 4.0/5.0 in the Championship section, with Benjamin Lin having won the Game 15-min playoff round to earn the 1st place trophy and title of 2nd Steel […]

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25th Fred Sorensen Memorial Winners

By The_Knight_Manager | October 10, 2023

Congratulations to the winners of our 25th Fred Sorensen Memorial: Daniel Hodgson, Sam Timmons, John Vuillemot, Aayansh Samanta, Benjamin Nicholson, Jordhy Ledesma, Constance Robbins, and Cole Risbon.

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45th Pittsburgh Summer Open Winners

By The_Knight_Manager | August 27, 2023

Congratulations to our 45th Pittsburgh Summer Open winners: Championship Section: Zachary Thompson, Engin Katipoglu, Aayansh Samanta, Neelansh Samanta and Peter Lu. Reserve Section: Matt Bradley, Sudarshan Aravind, Arjun Kairi, Felix Zheng, Andrei Balcan, Mokshagnya Chityala and Cory Weeks. Novice Section: Benjamin Nicholson, Cole Risbon, and Lipi Kairi. For the “Comeback Win” trophy, we were looking […]

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August Quick Quads Winners

By The_Knight_Manager | August 22, 2023

Congratulations to our August Quick Quads winners: Maxim Yaskolko, Charles Kiesling, and Trevor Richards.

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Quads in the Park X Winners

By The_Knight_Manager | August 20, 2023

It was great weather and another great weekend of chess in Schenley Park this weekend. Congratulations to the Quads in the Park X winners: Jack Bluebaugh, Justin Glover, Joshua Foster, Siddhartha Senthilkumar, and Benjamin Nicholson. Also, thanks to Pat Barron for directing.

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26th Robert P. Smith Memorial Winners

By The_Knight_Manager | August 15, 2023

Congratulations to the winners of the 26th Robert P. Smith Memorial: Melih Özbek, Franklin Chen, Edward Dean, Robin Steiner, John Vuillemot, Charles Kiesling, Aayansh Samanta, Joshua Schmitt, Andrei Balcan, and Sam Kinkus Also thanks to Tyler Smith for helping with tournament directing.

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July Free-For-Members Winners

By The_Knight_Manager | July 16, 2023

Congratulations to our July Free For Members tournament winners and plus scorers: Zachary Thompson, Peyton Legg, Matt Bradley, Joseph Pleso, Peter Lu, James Shirley, Jack Bluebaugh, Chintala Yashasvi Yadav, Drew Moses, Kitana Olson, Kamila Olson, Isaac Kirby, Andrei Balcan, Avani Bhargava, William Murtha, and Siddhartha Senthilkumar Thank you to Pat Barron for directing and to […]

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Quads in the Park IX Winners

By The_Knight_Manager | July 16, 2023

It was great weather and another great chess this weekend in Schenley Park. Congratulations to our Quads in the Park IX winner: Peyton Legg.

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June Blitz Winners

By The_Knight_Manager | June 27, 2023

Congratulations to our June Blitz winners: GM Bryan Smith, Yaroslav Bezghin, Mark Jeromin, Robin Steiner, Andrei Balcan, Nuno Da Silva Sabino, Alberto Japon, and Aradhya Neema.

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2023 Fred Thompson Memorial Winners

By The_Knight_Manager | June 26, 2023

Congratulations to our 2023 Fred Thompson Memorial Winners: James Flaherty, Z.achary Thompson, Peyton Legg, Oliver Siemer, Oliver Graham, Hardy Gu, Drew Moses, Cortland Nesley, Shaurya Gulati, Arjun Kairi, Brexton Laney, Andrei Balcan, Siddhartha Senthilkumar, and James Shirley. For the “Best Comeback Win” trophy, we were looking for games that met the comeback criteria: “An occurrence […]

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