Information

ABOUT
THE CLUB

Blundercheck Chess Club meets every Monday night in Hampton, Virginia — all ages, all skill levels, always free to attend. See membership for what the weekly tournament and Club Challenge costs.

MISSION & VISION

Chess is about thinking ahead. Here is where we are headed.

1

GROW & PROMOTE CHESS AS A SPORT FOR EVERYONE

Get more people playing, at every age and every level. Chess belongs everywhere the community.

2

FORM A LOCAL LEAGUE FOR SCHOOL CLUBS AND ADULTS

Real team competition on the Peninsula, season after season — school clubs and adult teams.

3

GET CHESS INTO SCHOOL CURRICULUMS

Not an after-school extra, but part of how kids learn to think — critical thinking, discipline, decision-making, and living with the consequences of your own choices.

This club is the hub for growing the chess community!

♟
Non-Negotiable

EVERYONE IS WELCOME HERE

All humans are welcome at Blundercheck. Every age, every race, all beliefs, every nationality, every gender identity, every sexual orientation, every ability, every income level, and every rating from absolute beginner to titled player.

The board doesn't care who you are, and neither do we. What matters at this club is that you show up, play chess, and treat the person across from you like a person.

Bullying, hate, bigotry, and sexual harrassment or assault will not be tolerated. Not in jokes, not "just kidding," not under your breath. Harassment, slurs, intimidation, and targeting anyone for who they are will get you asked to leave — and in serious cases, asked not to come back. This is the one thing we are completely inflexible about.

If something happens to you or you see it happen to someone else, tell the club director. You will be taken seriously.

👪
For Parents & Guardians

DROPPING OFF KIDS

Kids are a huge part of this club and we love having them. We also want to be clear about what we are and aren't: Blundercheck is a chess club, not a childcare service. Here's how drop-off works.

AGE 14 AND UNDER
A parent or legal guardian must complete and sign a drop-off form before the child can be left at the club. The form collects current contact information for the parent or guardian and releases Blundercheck Chess Club and its volunteers from liability. Forms are available at the sign-in table — it takes about two minutes and only has to be done once.
AGE 15 AND OVER
No form required to attend on their own. We still ask that a parent or guardian's phone number be on file so we can reach someone if we need to.
A FEW PRACTICAL ASKS
Be reachable while your child is with us, and please pick up by the end of club at 9:30 PM — earlier is completely fine. If your child needs supervision beyond "playing chess in a room full of friendly adults," plan to stay. Parents are always welcome to stick around, and plenty do — many end up playing.

Not sure which applies to your family, or have a situation that doesn't fit neatly? Just ask the club director. We'll work it out.

🛡️
Safety

SAFESPORT CERTIFIED

Every coach, tournament director, and formal instructor at Blundercheck is SafeSport certified. That certification is the U.S. Center for SafeSport's training in preventing abuse and misconduct in youth sport, and it's the same standard used across US Chess and Olympic-movement sports nationwide.

It isn't a formality to us. If someone is teaching, directing, or working with kids under the Blundercheck banner, they've done the training — no exceptions.

📅
When We Meet

OPEN EVERY MONDAY

The club runs every Monday, 5:30–9:30 PM, at Ivy Memorial Baptist Church, 2200 Coliseum Drive, Hampton — with the exception of the dates below.

Scheduled Closures
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Third Monday in January
Memorial Day
Last Monday in May
Labor Day
First Monday in September
Christmas & New Year
Closed for two weeks
Unscheduled closures. Three things can close the club on short notice: serious illness, inclement weather, or the space not being available to us that week. We announce any closure on this website and through our usual channels as far ahead as we can. When in doubt on a Monday, check the site before you drive out.

That's the whole rulebook. Everything else is just chess.

Club Home Membership Game Rules
Play Online Too

JOIN US ON CHESS.COM

Anyone who's ever been to the club or a Blundercheck event is welcome to join our Chess.com group and play in our online tournaments.

Request to Join

Go to chess.com/club/blundercheck-chess-club and request to join the club. Please include your real name in the note for the club's private roster..

Once you're in, you'll see our upcoming online tournaments right in the Chess.com club — join them the same way you'd join any other Chess.com tournament. Chess.com handles the pairings automatically at the listed start time. IMPORTANT: Please be signed in and active (no locked phones) at the start time of the round or else you will not be paired!