Our October Golden Autumn II tournament drew 153 players, our largest ever turnout!! Everyone got candy to celebrate Halloween a bit early. We provided nearly 50 free entries: 38 for girls, 10 for rural/low income players. 4 players participated in their first USCF-rated tournament. One fun story: after the main award…
Imagine this: you've traveled to St. Louis to play in one of the most prestigious youth events in the US, for your fourth year this time. The nine other girls in your section are among the top young female players, and you're all fighting for the $15,000 first prize. Imagine that…
We’re thrilled to welcome National Master Nicholas Bruha as the newest member of our volunteer team! Nicholas is currently a sophomore at Northwestern University, where he’s pursuing a double major in economics and biology. Despite his academic workload, he continues to give back to the chess community—a game he’s been passionate about since 3rd grade.…
99 players joined us for our April Oceanic Chess Gala II tournament. We barely missed out on triple digits, but it was a strong turnout considering the other great tournaments happening at the beginning of April (Seaside, Chess for Success). More than a third of the entries were provided for free:…
Nearly 140 players joined us for our November Turkey Tactics tournament (try saying that ten times fast!). The turnout was almost as large as our anniversary tournament. More than a third of the entries were provided for free: 34 for female players and 24 for low-income/rural players. Thirty players participated in…
This past weekend, Puddletown Chess celebrated our 2nd anniversary with our players, parents, coaches, and volunteers. Since our founding, we have remained committed to promoting accessibility in chess, ensuring that all players—regardless of background—have access to this incredible game. So far this year, we have donated $16,000 to directly support young…
September: a month of changing seasons, a new school year, Labor Day... but most importantly, of course, Puddletown's birth month! It's amazing to see how much we've grown in just one year. So far this year, we've donated over $16,000 to our community, including (but not limited to) cash donations to…
This past Saturday, our training program students and coaches gathered at Godfather's Pizza for a day filled with laughter, friendly competition, and, of course, delicious pizza. This end-of-summer party was a special opportunity for coaches and students to spend time together outside the traditional "classroom" setting. As soon as the pizzas…
I am thrilled to share exciting news from the 2024 Oregon Scholastic Chess Federation (OSCF) State Championships. This year's event was a big success for us, and I want to thank our players, coaches, volunteers, and supporters. Puddletown players performed very well, racking up a total of 23 prizes across various levels.…
113 players joined us in our April Oceanic Chess Gala tournament, our largest turnout ever! For the first time, we had to bring in more tables to fit everyone. Of these players, 20 were playing their first-ever USCF-rated tournament, 33 received free entries as female players, and 12 others received free…
After our Feburary newsletter was sent out, we received many questions from parents and players regarding the National K-6 Elementary Championship. Here are a few of the most common ones; let me know if there’s anything else you’re curious about! 1) Can anyone attend Nationals? I thought only state winners qualify. …
When I started playing chess, each medal and trophy I won was treasured dearly. I started a little trophy cabinet that I was immensely proud of. Yet fast forward a few years, and the little trophy cabinet had become a big trophy cabinet that was taking up a lot of space.…
90 players joined us in our February Winter Wonderland tournament (which would have been a more suitable name for last month's tournament, but oh well). Of these players, 19 were playing their first-ever tournament, 22 received free entries as female players, and 9 others received free entries as low-income/rural-area players. Congratulations…
Up until this year, whenever someone asked me how I balanced school and chess, I gave a principally correct answer (school first, try to study chess every day, etc.), but I never really understood the question. Middle school and even freshman-year coursework barely required time outside of school, after all—still lots…
Puddletown had another amazing turnout to the November Tournament with over 60 players! Unfortunately we had a smaller play venue this time and have to set a limit to total number of players. Of the 60 players, 8 played their first tournament, 20 were girls who received free entry for the…