Chess Tournaments in Indiana

Statewide organized chess in Indiana dates to 1885, making it one of the earliest state chess efforts in the U.S., and the modern Indiana State Chess Association was refounded in 1942; official state championships have been held nearly every year since. Indianapolis is the clear hub: Indy Chess hosts weekly USCF-rated and casual play at the Latvian Community Center on the city's north side, while smaller clubs like the B.C. Chess Club, Books 'n Rooks, Greenwood Chess Club, and Circle City Chess keep games going across the metro on different nights of the week. The Indianapolis Open, held each August at the Hilton Garden Inn near the airport, has grown into a long-running fixture on the region's tournament calendar. Indiana's scholastic scene is unusually well organized too, run through Scholastic Chess of Indiana, and the state's proudest chess story remains Indianapolis Public School 27's "Masters of Disaster," whose 1983 national elementary championship became the subject of an Oscar-nominated documentary.

• Indy Chess meets every Tuesday evening at the Latvian Community Center in Indianapolis, with USCF-rated and casual play for both kids and adults.
• The Indianapolis Open runs every August at the Hilton Garden Inn near the Indianapolis airport, a five-round weekend Swiss that draws players from across the region.
• The state championship, run by the Indiana State Chess Association, has been held nearly every year since the association was refounded in 1942.