The Waukesha Chess Club is open to all!

Novice or Expert - Come on out on Wednesdays and join us.

We're a locally run group of chess enthusiasts working to make chess more accessible for all. We have a variety of backgrounds and abilities, from kids just learning, to adults playing socially, all the way to very competitive master level players - we even have several coaches in our ranks, if you need a little help. No matter how well you play, or if you're just starting, we will make you feel right at home!

We run our regular Wednesday night meetings at 7 PM at the Eagle's club in Waukesha. We directly sponsor tournaments that run during our Wednesday meetings (usually 1 game per week for 4 weeks), a number of weekend tournaments, and work with other clubs to promote chess in southeast Wisconsin. Check out the Schedule and Links pages for more detail.

Kids are always welcome. Chess is a wonderful way to learn "how to learn" - research shows many cognitive benefits to children associated with chess - logical thinking, pattern recognition and general self-confidence. Plus, it's always fun for kids to learn to beat their dad at chess... We have a thriving Reserve section for our events that highlights a number of younger players. We do appreciate kids being accompanied by an adult - it makes everyone's experience a little more comfortable. Like golf, there's some etiquette to be learned, and we're more than happy to help with that.

We welcome newcomers - stop in and we'll show you around, and let you know how to get involved - either for skittles play (that's chess lingo for a causal game or two) or for more serious tournament play.

Current Events at the WCC

We are currently in the middle of the 2025 Early Spring Swiss that started on 4/9 - It's (probably) not too late to join. Email a TD (or see the About Us page or the WCC Blog...) to enter or for more information

We recently completed our 2025 Club Blitz Event on 4/2 - Congratulations to ??? (have to get the details from Jim and Kevin...)!

We recently completed our 2025 Club Championship on 3/26 - Congratulations to Evan Seghers!

Take a look at the Schedule and Links pages to see about events coming up at the WCC and around Southeast WI.

How to get started in Chess

There are many sites devoted to teaching the rules or playing online. To start playing a little more seriously, or just to see if this is a game you want to learn more about, you can:
- Come by a Wed meeting, maybe a couple of times. Talk to members, play a quick game or two and see what tournament chess looks like.
- Ask about casual meetups - club members know about several less formal get-togethers at coffee shops (or pubs) around the area. That can be a good way to get more information and play a little more without committing to a "real" tournament.
- When you're ready, enter an event - we usually have two sections based on experience, so you can learn while playing.

Most events are USCF-rated

For newcomers to rated chess:
- You will need to be a US Chess Federation (USCF) member.
- You will almost certainly need to know how to use a clock and keep score.

Typically, our only unrated events are our twice-yearly blitz event and our Chess in the Park club summer outing, but we can almost always get you an unrated casual game on Wed, especially if we know you're coming!!

Any Questions??

If any of this is confusing, we can get you sorted properly, just ask!!
Stop by the WCC Blog. It has information on events, rules questions, and book/library information that might be helpful.
You can always feel free to send an email to one of the TDs and we'll get you set up.