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Are you a member of the Madison City Chess League?  If so, now is the time to renew your membership.  If you are not a member, this is the time to join for 2016. Follow this link to Join MCCL.

A Little History.

The Madison City Chess League held its first meeting in July 2013 at the Rainbow Landing Clubhouse where 14 kids showed up to play chess over the summer.  MCCL met on Monday evenings across the street from Rainbow Elementary where Chess Coaches Bill Nash and Ranae Bartlett had begun to build a competition chess program.  That program has resulted in two consecutive State Chess Championships in 2014 and 2015, and the first National Elementary chess championship in 2015 in the K-6 Under 1000 section.  Attendance grew on Monday nights, and MCCL moved to the YMCA in Madison to hold its meetings in January 2014.  To this day, Mr. Nash and Ms. Bartlett are present almost every Monday night to give kids across Madison and the surrounding area an opportunity to play chess for free.

In 2014, MCCL focused its efforts on helping provide chess equipment to schools and chess coaches for competition chess teams.  Both middle schools in Madison added chess electives to their course offerings, and MCCL provided the chess sets, demo boards and clocks used in the classroom.  MCCL also provided the chess sets and clocks for the middle and high school chess teams to train at Central Office each week.  To help chess programs develop at Heritage and Madison Elementary in 2014, MCCL used funds from local tournaments to purchase new chess sets for both schools.  It also conducted the 2014 Queen's Quest tournament at Columbia Elementary so Columbia Elementary could purchase chess equipment from the proceeds from that tournament.

Our First Year as a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Organization.

In January 2015, MCCL became recognized as a non-profit organization and formed its first Board with the following members: Bill Nash (Pres), Don Maddox (VP), Noel Newquist (Secretary) and Monica Wilhelm (Treasurer).  The Board appointed Ranae Bartlett as its Executive Director.  After Mr. Maddox resigned, Bradley Wallace assumed the role as VP.

The mission of MCCL is to promote chess education to K-12 students in the Madison, Alabama area.  Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. To help fulfill its mission, MCCL began offering annual memberships for $20 per family.  MCCL members enjoyed the benefits of free chess events and tournaments and early or priority registration for special events.  MCCL members also received coaching services during the National Elementary Chess Championships.  MCCL brought the largest delegation of students from Alabama to compete at Elementary Nationals.

MCCL members at the 2015 Elementary National Chess Championship in Nashville. (Photo by Scott Wilhelm)

MCCL also hosted its first fundraiser—the MCCL Challenge—where kids age 10 or younger challenged local business and community leaders to a chess match.  Funds that are raised by MCCL allow it to bring guest chess instructors to Madison such as International Master Danny Rensch for Summer Knights Chess Camp, and GM Alex Stripunsky for the National Chess Day Camp and Simul during Fall Break.

In 2015 we began a Girls Chess Night program to help increase the number of girls playing chess.  MCCL conducted free events like Learn to Play Chess Night and had an area at the Madison Street Festival where MCCL kids put on demonstrations of blitz chess and taught kids how to play chess.  Later this year, MCCL will conduct the 2015 Queen's Quest tournament at Mill Creek Elementary and share the proceeds of that tournament so that Mill Creek can also grow its chess program.

Looking Ahead to a Bright Future.

MCCL will hold its Annual Meeting on January 13, 2016 at 6:45 p.m. immediately following the 2016 MCCL Challenge where members will elect the 2016 Board of Directors.  MCCL plans to continue to foster the growth of chess education in Madison City Schools and its chess programs.  MCCL also would like to bring in master level instructors to help our students continue to develop. 

In the spring of 2016, MCCL will conduct the first Madison City Scholastic Chess Championship.  MCCL will also host new tournaments in addition to the largest tournament in Madison, the Queen's Quest.  Chess continues to grow in popularity, and it helps develop 21st century skills that all students will need to succeed as adults.  MCCL is proud to foster this development in the Madison community.

By joining the Madison City Chess League, you help to support the growth of chess education in our community.  Please join us on this journey and help us to continue the success we have achieved in our first year as a non-profit organization.

 GM Alex Stripunsky conducting a Simul under the Saturn V Rocket at the US Space & Rocket Center.  (Photo by Scott Wilhelm)