Upcoming Events
Early Bird Friday May – Jun 2026
Start your Friday mornings with chess and coffee! Six rounds, one round per week, every Friday (May 22 – June 26). Can’t make it to all six weeks? You can register for an individual week if you can only play one game. All ages and skill levels are welcome!
Tournament Details
Format: Swiss System, 6 rounds (1 round per week)
When: Every Friday (May 22 – June 26) • 7:00 – 8:30am
Entry fee: Free
Prizes: 1st place gets a card worth 5 free drinks at Chess Club Coffee
Time control: G/25;+10 (25 minutes with 10 second increment)
Schedule:
Check-in • 7:00 – 7:10am (The registration/check-in deadline is 7:10am)
Rounds start promptly at 7:15am
Byes: Two half-point byes (pre-requested absences) are allowed per player. Requests must be made before the check-in deadline.
This event is limited to 16 participants
Tiebreaks: To determine rankings for prizes when players finish with the same score, the order of tiebreak methods used is Solkoff, Cumulative Opposition, Cumulative, Modified Median.
Please let us know if you’ll miss a round!
To ensure an enjoyable experience for all participants, please notify us if you're unable to attend a round. No-shows impact the tournament and disrupt the game for your paired opponent. Thank you for your cooperation!
Questions? Contact Sam Dannug at samdannug@gmail.com
Registration
Book Club - The trial
Our book club continues every Monday morning at 11 AM! Join us to read The Trial by Franz Kafka:
Thursday, June 4th - Ch. 1- 2
Monday, June 8th - Ch. 3 -7
Monday, June 15th - Ch. 6 -7
Monday, June 22nd - Ch. 8 - End
Swiss Sunday June 2026
Four rounds, one round per week, every Sunday (Jun 7 – 28). All ages and skill levels are welcome! Can’t make it all four weeks? You can take up to two half-point byes. Also, feel free to register part-way through the month. You may use your half-point byes for rounds missed.
Event description
When: Weekly on Sunday (June 7 – 28, 2026)
Location: Chess Club Coffee, 3144 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60618
Format: 4 round Swiss (1 round per week), one Open section
Time control: G/25;+10 (25 minutes with a 10-second increment)
Check-in period: Every Sunday, 1:00 – 1:10pm (late check-ins may not be paired)
Round times: Every Sunday, 1:15pm
Cash prizes:
First place: $40
Second place: $20
Tiebreaks: To determine rankings for prizes when players finish with the same score, the order of tiebreak methods used is Solkoff, Cumulative Opposition, Cumulative, Modified Median.
Registration details:
Entry fee: $10
Registration stays open throughout the month
Limited entry onsite–please register online if possible
Space is limited to 16 participants
Byes: Two half-point byes available if requested before the check-in period.
Parking: Street parking is available around the building.
Please let us know if you’ll miss a round!
To ensure an enjoyable experience for all participants, please notify us if you're unable to attend a round. No-shows impact the tournament and disrupt the game for your paired opponent. Thank you for your cooperation!
Any questions? Reach out to Sam Dannug at sam@chessclubcoffeeco.com or call Chess Club Coffee at (773) 654-3162 (phone available during our business hours).
Scholastic (K-8) Summer Kickoff 2026
Event Description
Dates: June 20 – 21, 2026
Location: Chess Club Coffee, 3144 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago, IL 60618
Format: 5 round Swiss, one K-8 Open section
Time control: G/25;+10 (25 minutes with a 10-second increment)
Check-in period: Saturday, June 20 • 9:00 – 9:45am (late check-ins will not be paired for round one)
Round times:
Saturday, June 20
10:00am • Round 1
11:30am • Round 2
1:00 – 1:30pm • Lunch break
1:30pm • Round 3
Sunday, June 21
10:00am • Round 4
11:30am • Round 5
Awards to follow shortly after the final round
Individual prize trophies:
First
Second
Third
Top Female
Registration details:
Entry fee: $10
Registration closes Friday, June 19 at 11:59pm
Limited entry onsite–please register online if possible
Space is limited to 16 participants
Rating & Membership: This event is unrated and no membership is required to participate.
Byes: One half-point bye available if requested before round 1
Parking: Street parking is available around the building.
Any questions? Reach out to Sam Dannug at sam@chessclubcoffeeco.com or call Chess Club Coffee at (773) 654-3162 (phone available during our business hours).
Swiss Sunday May 2026
Five rounds, one round per week, every Sunday (May 3 – 31). All ages and skill levels are welcome! Can’t make it to all five weeks? You can take up to two half-point byes (pre-requested absences). Also, feel free to register part-way through the month. You may use your half-point byes for rounds missed.
Tournament Details
Format: Swiss, 5 rounds (1 round per week)
When: Every Sunday (May 3 – 31) • 1:00 – 2:30pm
Entry fee: $10 paid online or on-site (card only)
Prizes:
1st place: 75% of the prize fund; 2nd place: 25% of the prize fund
The prize fund = half of the total entry fees. The other half goes to support Chess Club Coffee and helps us sustain our chess programming.
Time control: G/25;+10 (25 minutes with 10-second increment)
Schedule:
Check-in • 1:00 – 1:10pm (The registration/check-in deadline is 1:10pm. Any players not checked in before then may not be paired with an opponent for that round.)
Rounds start promptly at 1:15pm
Byes: Two half-point byes are allowed per player. Requests must be made before the check-in deadline.
This event is limited to 16 participants
Tiebreaks: To determine rankings for prizes when players finish with the same score, the order of tiebreak methods used is Solkoff, Cumulative Opposition, Cumulative, Modified Median.
Please let us know if you’ll miss a round!
To ensure an enjoyable experience for all participants, please notify us if you're unable to attend a round. No-shows impact the tournament and disrupt the game for your paired opponent. Thank you for your cooperation!
Questions? Contact Sam Dannug at samdannug@gmail.com
Pop-up Vendor - Little Rabbit Press
Little Rabbit Press will be popping up at Chess Club Coffee on May 2nd from 8:00–1:00 ☕️
Operating through mostly online drops, this is your chance to grab a shirt in person! There will also be prints available for the first time a brand new design too.
Little Rabbit Press began in January 2026 with a single shirt. Since then, it has grown through support from the Chicago community. Each piece starts with film or digital photographs taken around the city. These images are translated into lino-block prints and printed by hand onto shirts and paper, turning moments from Chicago into small batch, physical pieces.
Can’t make it? Check things out here:
https://sites.google.com/view/littlerabbitpress/home
Early Bird Friday Apr – May 2026
Start your Friday mornings with chess and coffee! Four rounds, one round per week, every Friday (April 24 – May 15). Can’t make it for all four weeks? You can register for an individual week, if you can only play one game. All ages and skill levels are welcome!
Tournament Details
Format: Swiss, 4 rounds (1 round per week)
When: Every Friday (April 24 – May 15) • 7:00 – 8:30am
Entry fee: Free
Prizes: 1st place gets a card worth 5 free drinks at Chess Club Coffee
Time control: G/25;+10 (25 minutes with 10 second increment)
Schedule:
Check-in • 7:00 – 7:10am (The registration/check-in deadline is 7:10am)
Rounds start promptly at 7:15am
Byes: Two half-point byes (pre-requested absences) are allowed per player. Requests must be made before the check-in deadline.
This event is limited to 16 participants
Tiebreaks: To determine rankings for prizes when players finish with the same score, the order of tiebreak methods used is Solkoff, Cumulative Opposition, Cumulative, Modified Median.
Please let us know if you’ll miss a round!
To ensure an enjoyable experience for all participants, please notify us if you're unable to attend a round. No-shows impact the tournament and disrupt the game for your paired opponent. Thank you for your cooperation!
Questions? Contact Sam Dannug at samdannug@gmail.com
Registration
Book Club - Frankenstein
Our book club continues every Monday morning at 10 AM! Join us to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley:
April 20th - Letter 1- Ch. 2
April 27th - Ch. 3-8
May 4th - Ch. 9-14
May 11th - Ch. 15-20
May 18th - Ch. 21-24
Swiss Sunday April 2026
Format: Swiss System, 4 rounds
Dates: Every Sunday (April 5 – 26)
Time: Rounds start at 1pm (Please arrive by 12:45pm to check in)
Entry fee: $10 paid online or on-site (card only)
Prizes:
1st place: 75% of the prize fund
2nd place: 25% of the prize fund
(The prize fund = 50% of the total entry fees. The remainder goes to the shop and helps us sustain more tournaments in the future.)
Time control: G/25 min + 10 sec increment
Schedule:
Check-in • 12:30 – 12:45pm
Rounds • 1 – 2:15pm
Byes: Up to two 1/2 point byes (pre-requested absences) are available for any round if requested before round 1. After round 1, please contact Sam at samdannug@gmail.com.
Tiebreaks: To determine rankings for prizes when players finish with the same score, the order of tiebreaks is Solkoff, Cumulative Opposition, Cumulative, Modified Median.
This event is limited to 16 participants.
IMPORTANT: Please let us know if you'll miss a round!
To ensure an enjoyable experience for all participants, please notify us if you're unable to attend a round. No-shows impact the tournament and disrupt the game for your paired opponent. Thank you for your cooperation!
Questions? Contact Sam Dannug at samdannug@gmail.com
March Swiss 2026
Format: Swiss System, 5 rounds
Dates: Every Sunday (March 1 – 29)
Time: 1 – 2:15pm
Entry fee: $10 paid on-site
Prizes:
1st place: 75% of the prize fund
2nd place: 25% of the prize fund
Time control: 25 min + 10 sec increment
Schedule:
1 – 1:10pm • Check-in
1:15pm • Round start
Byes: Up to two 0.5-point byes (pre-requested absences) are allowed per player. Requests must be made before pairings are announced.