Are you a Chess player in Minnesota? If you are, this post will help you. We go over the leading resources for Minnesota players including the best clubs, shops, tournaments, and more.
Chess in Minnesota
Minnesota is known by nicknames that include the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the North Star State, and the Gopher State. It is also becoming known as a state with a strong and continually growing chess scene. Much like what is currently being seen across the rest of the United States, chess in Minnesota is thriving. The following resources have been put together to assist those who want to find out more about playing chess in this beautiful northern state and beyond.
Chess Players In Minnesota
Minnesota’s chess scene is thriving at the moment with players from every age and background currently enjoying the game. The top organization promoting chess activities in Minnesota is the Minnesota State Chess Association. The organization’s webpage offers up some of the best resources regarding the game that can be found anywhere in Minnesota. This includes links to tournaments and clubs across the state of Minnesota.
Grandmasters In Minnesota
Perhaps the most well-known chess player from Minnesota is none other than Chess Grandmaster Wesley So. He has accomplished much during his chess-playing career. These accomplishments include winning the United States Chess Championship as recently as 2020. He also holds the distinction of being the seventh-youngest chess player to ever achieve Grand Master status within the game of chess.
Some other highly ranked chess players in Minnesota should be mentioned. They include National Masters such as Andrew Tang, Sean Nagle, Andrew Lewis Titus, Samrug Narayanan, Leonard Jeffrey Johnson, and Jackson Wahl. They are among the 402 chess players that are currently ranked by the United States Chess Federation.
Minnesota State Rankings From the United States Chess Federation
Minnesota Chess Clubs
- Chess Castle of Minnesota – Chess Castle of Minnesota is the state’s largest chess club as well as it’s most active.
- The Edina Chess Club – Chess players in the Edina, Minnesota region should check out what the Edina Chess Club has to offer.
- The Rochester Chess Club – The Rochester Chess Club helps players in the region to develop their skills in the game of chess.
- Seward Montessori Chess Club – The Seward Montessori Chess Club allows students to learn about the game of chess.
- The Twin Cities Chess Club – The Twin Cities Chess Club serves the greater Minneapolis/St. Paul region and offers the opportunity for chess players of all ages and backgrounds to come together to play the game that they love.
Minnesota Chess Tournaments
Minnesota Scholastic Championship – The state’s scholastic championship is generally held on the 24h and 25th of March.
Minnesota Closed Championship – This Minnesota chess tournament generally takes place from the 3rd to the 5th of May.
The Minnesota Open – The Minnesota Open chess tournament generally runs from February 15th to the 17th.
Minnesota Chess Shops
A Few of Minnesota’s Leading Shops Where You Can Shop for Chess Games
This is a list of a few of the most notable Minnesota game shops that offer a selection of high-quality chess sets.
- The Dork Den – Residents of Mankato, Minnesota consistently claim that The Dork Den is the area’s best shop for board games.
- Dungeon’s End: Game Store – Dungeon’s End: Game Store is a Duluth institution known for its excellent selection of board games. It is a great spot to head when you need to purchase a chess set.
- The Gaming Goat – The Gaming Goat has a reputation for being the go-to spot in St. Paul for games such as chess.
- Tower Games – Board game lovers in Minneapolis consistently rank Tower Games as the region’s top spot for games such as chess.
- Steamship Games Uptown – Steamship Games Uptown is another hotspot in the Twin Cities for board games such as chess.
Further Resources
These further state, national and international chess resources are also helpful for Minnesota chess players.
- Chess in Minnesota
- The International Chess Federation (FIDE)
- The Minnesota State Chess Association’s Official Website
- The Official Facebook Page of the Minnesota Chess Association
- The United States Chess Federation
If this post on Minnesota Chess helped you, you might also be interested in reading more about Chess in the United States or a specific state like Texas or California.