Welcome to the official website of the Yale College Chess Club!

Yale can boast the oldest college chess club in the country, having sent a delegate to the First National Chess Congress in the 1850s, and as a part of the original CHYP league formed in 1892. We've also had some great results in recent years, including winning the 1987 Pan-American tournament two years after Joel Benjamin (yes, that Joel Benjamin) graduated from Yale. In 2007, Yale won the Columbia-Harvard-Yale-Cornell Ivy Tournament.

But competition is only one part of what we do. Yale has a long history of community involvement and even the chess club joins the act through America On Board. Through America On Board, we're currently teaching after-school programs in three New Haven public schools.

One more thing: we don't care how good you are. We still want to hear from you. All we care about is promoting chess as the great game it is. So enough about us. Tell us about you! Or, if you want to hear more about us (in case you couldn't guess, we love talking about ourselves), sign up for updates from the club, which will include information on Bulldog Days events.

Come whether you're a new player or an alum.

The Yale College Chess Club meets Saturdays in the Saybrook Fellows Lounge (turn left from where you swipe in) during dinner time, 5 to 7. Other clubs in the New Haven area can be found from the CT State Chess Association, but we are the only downtown area club to our knowledge.