Last Updated - 11.25.07

Welcome to the Harvard Chess Club!


The Harvard Chess Club, founded in 1874, is the oldest chess club in the Boston area. We have several strong masters and experts but welcome players of all strengths. Besides meeting weekly to play, teach, and study chess, our club hosts on-campus tournaments , sends out teams to compete in various intercollegiate matches (such as the annual Harvard-Yale match and this year's match against Peking University), and are actively involved in volunteer scholastic chess programs. For upcoming events, please scroll down.


You can find information about regular club meetings for the fall 2007 semester by clicking here.
To receive regular e-mails on club events, you can keep updated by subscribing to our mailing list.
Recent News and Upcoming Events
Events in Orange are open to the public.

2007 Harvard-Yale Chess Match, New Haven, CT - 11-16-2007

The annual showdown ended in hard-fought tie. Full results coming soon!

2007 Harvard-Peking University Chess Match, Beijing China - 03-23-2007

Pictures are now posted here! Peking University's chess team invited the Harvard chess team to a return match over Spring break. The following 7 team members attended: Sebastian Predescu (2236 FIDE), Arin Madenci (2211 FIDE), Albert Yeh (2161 FIDE), Luke Calhoun (2038), Annie Weiss (1995), Johnny Sadoff (1777), and Seth Bannon (1527 P).

Puzzle of the week

Do you enjoy solving chess puzzles? Check out our puzzles page .

Interested in teaching chess to kids?

We are currently working with Boston YMCA to set up a chess program at various locations including Roxbury, Chinatown, Central Square, and Egleston. If you would like to volunteer as a chess instructor, please contact one of the site directors here .

2nd Beginner's Chess Tournament! - 03-04-2007

We are hosting our second beginner's blitz tournament on Sunday, March 4th in the basement of Lowell Lecture Hall from 2 to 5 PM. The tournament is primarily for students who have little experience with competitive chess. For any questions regarding the beginner's tournament and eligibility, please contact Sebastian at predescu@fas.harvard.edu. Results from the 1st Beginner's Chess Tournament are posted here.

When: Sunday, March 4, 2-5 PM
Where: Basement of Lowell Lecture Hall , at the intersection of Kirkland and Oxford St.
Format: Six 2-game matches of 5-minute blitz (no knockouts).
Entree Fee: $5 general, $2 with Harvard ID
Prizes: Cash, amount dependent on number of entries
Equipment: Provided, but you may wish to bring your own clocks in case we run short.
Refreshments will be provided!

2006 Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship, Washington DC - 12-30-2006

Going into the last round, Harvard (avg. 2029) had the golden opportunity to qualify for the Final Four of collegiate chess with an upset over Miami Dade's A team (avg. 2272). The battle was close, with Miami Dade finishing on top 2.5-1.5. Harvard finished 9th out of 24 teams in this year's Pan American Intercollegiate Team Chess Championship . On a side note, the Pan Ams featured the second Harvard-Yale match of the year, which ended in a draw. Great job to team members Julian Arni, Danny Goodman, Albert Yeh, and Johnny Sadoff for their strong performance! Pictures.

1st Beginner's Chess Tournament - 11-05-2006

22 students competed in the Harvard Chess Club's 1st Beginner's Chess Tournament. Tournament format was 5 rounds swiss, G/5. Cash prizes were given to the top 3 places ($30-20-10). Congratulations to the following prize winners for the tournament:

1st (tie): Jeff Lane, 4.5/5.0
1st (tie): Corey Tolbert, 4.5/5.0
2nd (tie): Santiago Rompani, 4.0/5.0
2nd (tie): Patrick Menzies, 4.0/5.0

Final Results.

2006 Harvard-Peking University Chess Match, Cambridge MA - 10-08-2006

For the past week, the Harvard Chess Club hosted 5 students from Peking University in only the second time these two chess teams have met. The format of the tournament was two G/60 per board, alternating color. The Peking Chess Team avenged their previous defeat at home in 2004 with a record of 6-4. Besides playing some intense chess, members of the club took Peking students on a tour of Boston, visiting popular places such as Quincy Market, Newbury Street, and the Prudential Center. Please check out pictures of our visitors from China!


Past Events

Next Club Meeting - 12-11-2005

The next club meeting will be held in Loker Coffeehouse from 7-9 PM. International Master Satea Husari will be giving the last of a series of 5 lectures for the semester. The cost is $10 for non Harvard ID holders and is free for Harvard students.

Sunday Blitz Results - 12-4-2005

Congratulations to the following prize winners for the blitz tournament:

1st: Marc Esserman (2269), 6.0/6.0
2nd (tie): Luke Calhoun (2003), 4.0/6.0
2nd (tie): Brian Salomon (2008), 4.0/6.0
1st (U1800): Franny Soarez (1725), 4.0/6.0
1st (U1600): Seth Bannon (1445), 2.5/6.0

For complete results and rating updates, please check the Sunday Blitz page.

Sunday Blitz Results - 11-20-2005

Congratulations to the following prize winners for the blitz tournament:

1st: Luke Calhoun (1993), 5.0/6.0
2nd (tie): Karim Hakimzadeh (1890), 4.0/6.0
2nd (tie): Albert Yeh (2014), 4.0/6.0
1st (U1800): Franny Soarez (1716), 4.0/6.0
1st (U1400): Alexander Gordon (1212), 3.0/6.0

For complete results and rating updates, please check the Sunday Blitz page.

Harvard-Yale Match - 11-19-2005

Harvard fought a close battle against Yale in the annual Harvard-Yale chess match the past weekend but came out one game short (final result was 2-3). This year's event was the first time two teams played for each side, although the match result was determined only by the top 5 boards. For games, please click here.

Harvard-Columbia Match - 11-05-2005

This Saturday Columbia Univeristy hosted the first Harvard-Columbia match. The higher-rated Harvard team came out victorious in a 2.5-1.5 defeat of Columbia. Team members also stopped by the famous Marshall Chess Club where many of the strongest GMs play. For games, please click here.

Simul Results With IM Husari - 10-30-2005

International Master Satea Husari played a 9-board simultaneous exhibition in 2 hours this past Sunday. Results for Satea were 6 wins, 1 draw, and 2 losses. Congratulations to Joshua Dunton and Karim Hakimzadeh, the only two players who won their game.



Non-Harvard chess news is available from Chessbase, The Week in Chess, and Susan Polgar's chess blog.
An archive of the old website is available here.

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