McMinnville Chess Club

Chess for all ages and skill levels

McMinnville Chess Club is for all ages and skill levels, and our members and guests enjoy free, open play events, rated and unrated tournaments, resources and opportunities for chess study and lessons, and the nicest chess club members you’ll ever meet in town.

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Family Membership Sale

Club Events

We meet regularly at a variety of venues around town:

View Calendar

Make a donation

Support McMinnville Chess Club by making a donation!

We’re currently raising funds to get additional chess sets, certify more tournament directors, and rent larger spaces for our tournaments. You can help.

We also have an Amazon wishlist with items that would make a direct, meaningful impact on our club and help us with our programs and events.

Make a donation

Become a member

Attending chess club is and has always been free to non-members (guests). Monthly, annual, lifetime, and family members enjoy a number of benefits including:

  • Access to our tournaments (rated and unrated) without additional entry fees
  • A dedicated members-only newsletter
  • The ability to check books and equipment out of our Chess Library
  • Our heartfelt thanks for helping keep this club running!
Register

Play Online

We have an online Chess.com hangout with dozens of active members. To join us, come to a club meeting and ask to be added by an organizer.

Play Online

Founded in 2023

Our first ever meeting was in March, 2023, and we began meeting regularly in May, 2023.

2023

Meetings per month

McMinnville Chess Club meets 8 to 10 times a month. Check out our Calendar of Events.

8

Blacklight Chess

Events to date

223 meetings and special events, including Blacklight Chess, World Chess Day, and more.

223

Pizzas demolished

Our Wednesday meetings are at Mac Market, home of Honey Pie Pizza. A winning combination!

3,141,592

The Famous Opera House Game

Mike Terrill, a founding member of McMinnville Chess Club and the chess club director at Duniway Middle School, recently taught us about the famous Opera House Game.

“It was the best game ever!” — Mike Terrill

This game is one of the most famous in chess history and is often used to teach key concepts like piece development and the value of making clever sacrifices. It was played in an opera house in Paris in 1858 while an opera was performed on stage!

Read more

Principles of Club Etiquette

Enjoy the contest and promote chess activities for learning, creativity, and youth participation.

Fair play among friends is ensured by practicing the following principles of club etiquette.

Touch move

Use touch-move, so this practice becomes second nature with your play.

Good sportsmanship

Always display good sportsmanship. Congratulate your opponent when your game is over.

Spectating

Refrain from commenting on games in progress.

Asking for help

Disputes can be cordially resolved with assistance from experienced club members.

Cleanliness

Keep your pieces and board clean while eating during play.

Hygiene

Cover your face if you sneeze or cough, and don’t attend club events if you are sick.

Last but not least…

Make friends!

Latest Articles

Member-written articles and blog posts, event announcements, and occasional club updates. Subscribe to our newsletter in our News section to get these via email or SMS, or subscribe via RSS.

  • Community Spotlight: Santiago Tenesaca

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    Christefano Reyes

    Get to know McMinnville Chess Club and our regulars with our Community Spotlight series. In this spotlight focus, we’re joined by long-time attendee and club co-organizer, Santiago Tenesaca. What brought you to chess? I always say that I learned to play it by mistake. My mom signed me up for the elementary after-school chess…

  • How chess teaches the skills for a successful life

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    Christefano Reyes

    This article is part 1 of a series of posts by our members. How chess teaches the skills for a successful lifeby Christefano Reyes, Chess Zendō I believe in the values of learning, playing, and improving in chess — and in the power that chess has to develop the skills for a successful life.…

  • A Knight to Remember: May, 2025 tournament results

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    Christefano Reyes

    Editor’s note: This article appeared in the July, 2025 issue of NW Chess magazine. It has been since been updated with our current club meeting schedule, a mention of Memorial Elementary School’s new chess club, and the names and links to several of our attendees’ USCF profiles. At the Evergreen Museum this month, our…

  • McMinnville Chess is fit to print!

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    Christefano Reyes

    Many thanks to the News-Register for featuring our club and the McMinnville Chess Tournament at Evergreen Museum in this week’s print edition! “One of the perks of McMinnville Chess Club membership is the weekly meetup location. ‘It’s the best-smelling chess club ever,’ said Christefano Reyes, one of the local club’s founders, about their Wednesday…

  • Closed Sicilian and an unorthodox move

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    Christefano Reyes

    Today at chess club one of our members shared a recent game they played that shows how a seemingly unorthodox move led to a decisive win. It’s with great pleasure to be able to share it here. This game was a short game — just 14 moves! — and yet it demonstrates how an…