Spokane Chess Club
With my current move to northern Idaho, I've discovered a plethora of chess opportunities in the eastern Washington and north Idaho regions. My investigations found chess in Couer D'Alene and Spokane. . . so far.
On Monday evenings, the Coeur D'Alene chess club meets under the tutelage of chess guru Jim Maki. He says: ATTENTION CDA CHESS PLAYERS! Chess Club now meets MONDAY @ 6PM !!! Welcome to the Coeur d'Alene Chess Club website. We are in the process of creating a decent website but for now I will put just the important information. We are located at 1323 E. Sherman Ave. at the corner of 14th St. and Sherman Ave. We meet every Monday from 6PM until 9PM or until we want to leave. All levels of players are welcome. Our players range in rating from Master to complete beginner. Admission is free. We will soon be hosting tournaments but for now just casual play. Contact: Jim Maki 858-243-5110 or Harold Wetmur 208-667-7908. When I visited on Monday, there were 11 people playing sociably.
I also met with Inland Chess Academy director and chess enthusiast, John Dill. Over lunch we discussed all the future possibilities of organizing the Inland Chess Academy of Northern Idaho. He runs a chess pro-shop in Spokane, runs a coaches chess certification program, and organizes over 30 school chess programs. It is clear that kids need more coaches and interest in chess is greater than those willing to organize. Here is Inland Chess Academy website: https://www.inlandchess.org/. You can find upcoming chess camps and coaching clinics.
John Dill, Director of Inland Chess Academy
Last night, I visited the Spokane Chess Club where we engaged in a round robin Blitz. With job searching, moving, trying to sell a home (which is a good deal in the Sun Valley area right now), a recent concussion and broken maxilla (dressers fell off truck and laid me out!), and a torn rotator cuff, needless-to-say, my chess focus has been a bit off. However, I performed well enough to earn 2nd place in the tournament with only two losses among the nine Washington players. The Spokane chess club runs tournaments at their club meetings every week, but free social play is also acceptable. Here is their website: https://www.spokanechessclub.org/ .
Here is the Spokane Chess Club's recent news: "There were 12 players at club on July 19, with 9 of the players taking part in a Blitz tourney. Despite playing with two minutes to his opponent's five minutes, Michael Cambareri scored 7-1 to win the event. Second place (6-2) was shared by Kevin Korsmo, David Peoples, and newcomer Adam Porth, a Sun Valley resident recently relocated to Rathdrum. The July 45 dual-rated tournament, played July 5 and 12, was won by Michael Cambareri with a 4.0 score. The Midsummer's Quads (g/90) saw 16 players turn out for an event that ran June 14 through July 5. Newcomer Tyler Britton and Michael Cambareri (2.0) shared the prize in the top quad, while John Frostad (2.5) took Quad B by 1/2 point. That same score led Ted Baker and Louis Blair to share Quad C, while Max McGougan was a perfect 3.0 in winning Quad D. In addition, many of the Contender's match games have been taking place at club on Thursday evenings. The five qualifiers seeking to take on City Champion Michael Cambareri are Louis Blair, Braxton Casey, Jason Cross, Dave Rowles, and Tito Tinajero. Match games must be completed by August 5. A six person round robin g/15 quick tourney was played at club on June 7. Michael Cambareri (4-1) took first place, while Tito Tinajero (3-2) finished second. "
As you can see, there is lot's of activity and I am excited to engage this area and integrate it into the Idaho Chess Association to keep expanding chess opportunities in the state.