Almost ten years ago, on July 22, 2013, the Madison City Chess League held its first meeting at Rainbow Landing Clubhouse. This was a new organization in Madison dedicated to teaching kids how to play chess and supporting chess programs in all our schools. We did not have chess sets yet, so we asked people to bring their own. Commissioner Steve Haraway later provided us our first grant so we could purchase some chess sets to use during our meetings, and our journey began.

This summer, MCCL will celebrate its 10th Anniversary! We are excited to plan for the celebration, design some 10th Anniversary memorabilia, and invite more people to learn to play chess. There are lot of possibilities, but we need your help. MCCL will be forming a 10th Anniversary Committee to start making plans for our celebration next year. It may seem early, but it takes time and planning to do things right. If you are interested in chairing or serving on the 10th Anniversary Committee, please use this link to let us know. We will start meeting in April at a time that is mutually convenient for the members and will likely do so via Zoom.

A Little History

The first meeting of the Madison City Chess League occurred on Monday, July 22, 2013 at the Rainbow Landing Clubhouse located across the street from Rainbow Elementary. Fourteen students from across Madison attended. Madison County Commissioner Steve Haraway donated funds to allow MCCL to purchase its first chess sets for the kids to play with.

Within six months, we outgrew the space and moved our Monday night meetings to the Hogan Family YMCA. MCCL again moved to Dublin Park, still meeting on Monday nights.  Beginning in January 2018, MCCL moved to its most recent home at the new Madison Library. Monday night chess continues today from 6:30-8:00 p.m. 

So Many Memorable Events

MCCL has sponsored some of the most memorable events in Alabama chess history. Many of these moments were captured by our photographer Scott Wilhelm. Enjoy these photos marking the impact of our organization:

2014 - Elementary School and Club State Championships and An International Chess Match with China

 

 

2015 - National Chess Day at the US Space & Rocket Center and the first MCCL Challenge

2016 - AL State Chess Championship at UAH and National K12 in Nashville

2017 - State Scholastic Chess Championship at BJHS, Summer Chess Camp with IM Danny Rensch, Fall Chess Camp with GM Alex Stripunsky and FM Mike Klein

 

 

2018 - Grade Level City Chess Championship and the first All Girls State Chess Championship

 

2019 National Elementary and Winning the US  Women's Grant

2020-2021 Most Tournaments Move Online During Pandemic; Except the 2020 Halloween Tournament on the New Turf Field

 

2022  - Our first All Girls Nationals Championship