We decided to dedicate our 2025 June tournament theme to the people who make Puddletown way more than just a place to play chess. The ones who show up early, stay late, support our mistakes, cheer on our wins, and honestly believe in us even when we blunder five moves in…
In today’s world, having a strong online presence is essential, even for a youth-led organization like ours. When we started Puddletown Chess, we didn’t just want to create a place for students to learn the game. We wanted to build a community. That meant reaching players, families, and partners beyond the…
When we first started hosting tournaments, we focused exclusively on scholastic players—kids up to grade 12. It was all about creating a space for young players to compete, learn, and improve their game. But as our tournaments grew in size and reputation, something interesting happened: many adults wanted to join in…
During our most recent tournament, on March 15th, I shared three heartwarming stories that embody the spirit of humility and gratitude within our Puddletown Chess community. Story#1: A Young Player's Generosity On his birthday last May, one of our remarkable young chess enthusiasts chose to donate $100 of his own hard-earned…
How odd, I thought, scrolling past this year's US Girls Junior Championship player list. Many of the familiar names I had seen on television over and over again in the past were absent this year. Instead, I saw more young friends, attending this prestigious event for the first time. Last year,…
Puddletown is a very young non-profit, only about 8 months old. In that short duration, I am super proud of all the progress we have made in spreading the word about PTC, but what’s really fascinating is that we already have 3 sponsors! And I want to share a bit more…
Team chess events are some of the most fun and memorable experiences I have. The team events aren't just about winning or losing. That is not the main purpose of these types of tournaments. I believe that the purpose of team tournaments is to have fun and encourage all of your…
I would love to welcome Ethan Zhang, who will be a new teacher starting in the spring term, teaching the Pawn's program. Ethan has many chess achievements, like placing well at the OSCF state championships, and at the Oregon Open tournament. He has a lot of teaching experience, teaching not only…
Three classrooms of students. Two gatherings of friends. One. Hundred. People. That's the number of people I was challenged to teach chess to within a year. I was at the closing ceremony of the Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions. The Haring runs concurrently with the Irwin (Senior), the Denker…
Zoey Tang's US Girls Junior Championship Experience "Focus on the step ahead of you, not the whole staircase" ~Unknown This was the quote running through my head when I scanned the email for the umpteenth time, not believing the words. Every small step I had taken, every hour I had invested…
We were lying on the bed and watching TV when my mom got a pairing text message. We were so confused. Shouldn’t my tournament start tomorrow? “Mom, did you register Austin for the 6-day schedule? That starts tonight.” “Oops!” The game was about to start in about half an hour, and…
Hello PuddleTown readers! This is Austin. I am so excited to have a platform to share my knowledge and understanding of chess, and to spread the beauty of chess throughout the community. Chess has taught me a lot. It constantly helps me develop various skills like creativity, planning, time management, and…
Hi, my name is Ishaan, and I am one of the founders of our new non-profit organization, Puddletown Chess. We named it Puddletown because Portland is a very rainy city. I want to do many things with this organization. First, I want to introduce many new people to the game. This…