Greater Spokane Chess League

Event by Blitz and Blunders
♟️ NM Jesse James is coming to Spokane!♟️

Learn how a National Master thinks in an exclusive lesson, then test your skills in a simul. Win and take home a free chess board (and bragging rights) 🏆

Finish the night with social chess at Genus, good vibes, and plenty of laughs (and blunders) 🍻✨

Limited spots available. All levels welcome! Link in bio to register.

♟️ Tacoma Chess Tournament Opportunity – April 25, 2026 ♟️

For any of our 6th–12th grade chess players interested in traveling for a tournament, here’s a great event happening in Tacoma, WA this April!

No qualifiers required.

All USCF-rated sections require an active US Chess membership at the beginning of the competition. Those who do not have an active membership may not be paired for Round 1

📅 Date: Saturday, April 25, 2026
⏰ Start Time: 8:00 AM

💲 Registration Fees
• $60 if you register early
• $75 starting March 14
• $90 starting April 14

📝 Registration cutoff:
Thursday, April 23 at 11:00 PM
(After that you can join the waitlist.)

💵 Refund cutoff:
Thursday, April 23 at 11:00 PM
($5 processing fee per player)

♟️ Sections Available

Middle School (Grades 6–8)
• 6th Grade Championship
• Rapid Chess Championship U1100
• Rapid Chess Championship U1500
• Open Chess Championship (2-Day Event)

High School (Grades 9–12)
• Rapid Chess Championship U1100
• Rapid Chess Championship Open

If you’re interested in traveling and competing in a bigger tournament environment, this could be a great experience!

📧 Questions about registration:
Ben Radin – [email protected]

📧 Tournament questions:
Tournament Director Jacob Mayer – [email protected]

♟️ End of Chess Season Update ♟️

As our chess season comes to a close, we want to say a huge thank you to everyone who participated this year , players, parents, volunteers, and supporters. It’s been a great season watching students grow, learn, compete, and develop their love for chess.

We’ve had some exciting games, great tournaments, and many new players join the chess community. Seeing players improve their skills, sportsmanship, and confidence has been the best part of the season.

A quick update for everyone:
• Our March 20th chess tournament has been cancelled.
• We will not be hosting any more events this spring.

But don’t worry — we’re already planning ahead!

♟️ We’ll be announcing our Summer Chess Camps and Events in late May, with programs beginning in June. We’re excited to keep the momentum going and give players more opportunities to learn and compete this summer.

Thank you again to everyone who made this season special. We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Stay sharp!

This Tuesday at Shaw middle school !

Chess with a Cop - 4pm-6pm. Free !

Don’t forget to scan the QR code to register!

First-Ever GSL Viking Gambit Ends in Blitz Showdown

On Friday, March 6, the first-ever GSL Viking Gambit Chess Tournament was held at Shaw Middle School, bringing together 15 players for a four-round Swiss event filled with surprises and intense competition.

The tournament saw early changes, as two players withdrew during the first two rounds, while two players who had originally registered arrived late and joined the event starting in round two.

One of the most memorable moments of the tournament came in Round 1, when Giovanni Wences scored the biggest upset of the event, defeating Riot Hessel despite a 700-point rating difference between the two players.

During round 3, a player withdrew and gave us an odd number so the last round a player got a bye the same thing happened in round 1, we had an odd number of players.

After four rounds of play, the standings ended in a four-way tie for first place, with Riot Hessel, Spencer Worrell, Elizabeth Severynko, and John B. McIntyre all finishing with 3.0 points.

To determine the final standings, the tournament moved to a four-player blitz knockout playoff. After the semifinal matches, Riot Hessel and John B. McIntyre advanced to the final round.

In the final blitz match, Riot Hessel defeated John B. McIntyre, securing 1st place, while John B. McIntyre finished in 2nd place.

Despite his early upset loss in Round 1, Riot Hessel fought back through the remaining rounds and the blitz playoff to claim the championship, capping off a dramatic finish to the inaugural GSL Viking Gambit.

Congratulations 🎉 ♟️❤️

Congratulations to freshmen Kasen Chang who got a trophy for placing 6th in the All Comers Reserve Tournament while competing at State! Ridgeline’s Chess Team earned 20th place out of 52 teams at State! They were the top school in Eastern Washington!

This Friday the Viking Gambit at Shaw Middle School ♟️

6th-12th grade students can participate .

Don’t forget to register and the tournament is free!

Link below to register⬇️

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmnO9-cH_CP_8-miVs9uBx4yEHr_mXhcLbIqXlSyLXcfheBQ/viewform

This summer will be hosting chess camps and tournaments in Cheney, As well as weekly chess socials !

We’ll have chess socials in the summer in Spokane as well , stay tuned .

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Congratulations to Linus Wannamaker, a high school sophomore from Moscow, ID, won the Inland Classic for the second consecutive year!

USCF event by Spokane Chess Club .

Linus and International Master John Donaldson, who trailed by one half point due to a third round bye, agreed to a draw in their final round game to leave Linus with 4.5 .

The Viking Gambit at Shaw Middle School in 2 weeks on Friday ♟️

6th-12th grade students can participate .

Don’t forget to register and the tournament is free!

Link below to register⬇️

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfmnO9-cH_CP_8-miVs9uBx4yEHr_mXhcLbIqXlSyLXcfheBQ/viewform

This Tuesday at Shaw middle school !

Chess with a Cop - 4pm-6pm. Free !