A Quick Note from Ishaan Every once in a while, someone in our community reminds us what consistent effort, the right mindset, and love for the game can really lead to. Hayul is one of those people. He’s not just an incredibly strong player, he’s also one of our coaches and…
For most of Puddletown’s history, we’ve been an online-first nonprofit. Zoom training program, online tournaments, homework help, office hours, webinars - you name it, we’ve done it….virtually. And don’t get me wrong: it worked. But over time, we started hearing the same request again and again from students, parents, volunteers, and…
Every great movement has a bold goal. At Puddletown, ours is this: help 1,000 students reach a USCF rating of 1,000. We call it our BHAG, our “Big Hairy Audacious Goal.” And while the phrase may sound funny, the mission is anything but. Why 1,000 Rating? A USCF rating of 1,000…
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…
The May Flowers Open II tournament was great! 141 players played in the tournament, nearly making a full tournament. 50 entries were provided for free: 40 female players and 10 low income/rural players. 11 people played in their first USCF rated tournament. Shoutout to John Hart. The kids are always happy…
Tournaments at Puddletown Chess are always exciting, but in February, we decided to add a fun twist! Before each round, I surprised players with a quick quiz about our chess community. The questions highlighted cool facts about our club, and the winners walked away with gift cards! Here’s a recap of…
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:…
The Hello 2025 Tournament was a great success! We were proud to offer free entries to ALL 154 players! Among them, 10 players were attending their first USCF-rated tournament, and 32 were girls. This was our biggest event at Puddletown so far. Looks like everybody's new year's resolution was to become better…
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 is Puddletown's second End of Summer tournament. Compared to last year, we have much more players, especially in the upper sections. A lot of the players in the upper sections are from the beginner's section last year. Some even won prizes in the top sections! It's really amazing to see…
Hello, Puddletown chess enthusiasts! In today's discussion, we're diving into a crucial aspect of Swiss system tournaments: the tie-breaking methods. Ever find yourself tied with others at the end of a tournament, puzzled over why someone else claimed the top prize? That's where tie-breaks come into play, helping determine who stands…
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.…
April 6th marked a momentous day for chess enthusiasts as we hosted our 2024 April tournament at Puddletown Chess. This month’s Oceanic Gala not only brought together a diverse crowd of over 300 players and their families but also saw a flurry of records shattered, setting new milestones for our thriving…