Boylston Chess Club

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Boylston Chess Club
FormationAugust 27, 1919;106 years ago (1919-08-27)
Type Chess club
Legal status 501(c)(3) organization
Headquarters35 Kingston Street, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Website https://boylstonchess.org

The Boylston Chess Club is a chess club based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded on August 27, 1919, at the Boston Young Men's Christian Union, [1] it is one of the oldest continuously operating chess clubs in the United States. The club is operated by the Boylston Chess Foundation, a nonprofit organization established in 2005. It is the largest chess club in Boston and among the most active in the country, hosting frequent tournaments and events for players of all levels. [2]

Contents

History

The club traces its origins to the Boston Young Men's Christian Union, which had a small room for chess starting from the 1850s. Players such as Constant Ferdinand Burille and Harry Nelson Pillsbury visited regularly in the late 1890s. The club was formally established in 1919, with 22 charter members and Augustus Seaver serving as its first president. In 1945, the club became affiliate #51 of the newly formed United States Chess Federation. [2]

In 1989, the club relocated to the 8th floor of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) at 140 Clarendon Street, Boston, due to increasing rent and deteriorating infrastructure. [2] In December 2003, the club moved to 240 Elm Street, Suite B9, Davis Square, Somerville, because of renovations to the YWCA building. [3] In 2022, the club moved to its current location, 35 Kingston Street, Unit 1, Boston. [2]

Activities and tournaments

Since 1991, the club has organized over 2600 rated chess tournaments. [4] In 2022, the club hosted 113 tournaments with 491 unique players, including 45 chess experts and 24 chess masters. [5] In 2024, the club hosted 136 tournaments. [4]

One of the club's premier events is the Fall Festival. In 2024, the three-day event had a $4,000 first prize. The club frequently hosts weekly tournaments on Tuesday and Thursday. It also hosts smaller one-day tournaments on the weekends. [6]

In 2024, the Massachusetts Chess Association received a grant from the US Chess Women's Program, [7] which it used to partner with the club to host the Queens Blitz Series. The all-girls Series featured blitz tournaments, simultaneous exhibitions, lectures, and lessons. The Series featured special guests such as GM Nadezhda Kosintseva, WGM Jennifer Yu, WIM Prathiba Y Gounder, and WIM Kateryna Odnorozhenko. [8]

The club hosts the events of the Massachusetts High School Chess League, a chess league open to high schools across Massachusetts. [9]

Notable players

The following is a list of notable players who have participated in events affiliated with the club:

References

  1. ↑ Helms, Hermann. "American chess bulletin v.16 (1919)". p. 235. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "History". boylstonchess.org. Boylston Chess Foundation. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  3. ↑ Reynolds, Charles (June 16, 2004). "Chess club moves to Davis Square, embraces the Somerville community". The Somerville Times. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "A5000408: BOYLSTON CHESS CLUB". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  5. ↑ "History". beta.boylstonchess.org. Boylston Chess Foundation. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  6. ↑ Cooper, McKenzie (November 20, 2024). "The Boylston Chess Club: A testament to the world of chess". The Berkeley Beacon. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  7. ↑ "US Chess Women's Program Awards 17 Grants". US Chess. October 22, 2024. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 "2024-25 US Chess Women Grant Recipients Share Experiences". US Chess. July 16, 2025. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  9. ↑ "About Us". Massachusetts High School Chess League. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 "BIG MONEY BLITZ". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  11. ↑ Zuppa, Tom (March 8, 1988). "Chess champ wows local crowd" (PDF). Metrowest Chess Club. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  12. ↑ Clauss, Kyle (May 12, 2015). "The Chess Grandmaster of South Station". Boston Magazine. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  13. ↑ Oresick, Robert (March 31, 2019). "Boylston Chess: Centennial Lecture -- Christiansen on Pillsbury". Boylston Chess Club. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  14. ↑ Chudnovsky, Jacob (April 2019). "Cambridge IM Norm Invitational - Deviating from the Norm". Massachusetts Chess Association. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  15. ↑ "CAMBRIDGE SUMMER IM NORM INVITATIONAL". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  16. ↑ "BIG MONEY BLITZ". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  17. ↑ "FRIDAY NIGHT BLITZ". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  18. ↑ "CIRCUS & SPECTACLE". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  19. ↑ "BIG MONEY BLITZ". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  20. ↑ "BCF Simul and Lecture with GM Leonid Kritz". Massachusetts Chess Association. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  21. ↑ Yip, Carissa (December 26, 2016). "An Amazing Year For Carissa Yip". ChessKid. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  22. ↑ Stepak, Steve (November 27, 2016). "BCC CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP: NM CARISSA YIP FIRST FEMALE IN BCC HISTORY: 7/10 // 1ST PLACE BY ONE POINT // OVER 2300 RATING, AGAIN //". Boylston Chess Club. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  23. ↑ "BIG MONEY BLITZ". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  24. ↑ "FATHER'S DAY QUADS 2022". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  25. ↑ "BCF FALL FESTIVAL". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
  26. ↑ "FALL FOLIAGE OPEN". US Chess. Retrieved November 16, 2025.
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