Chess Coaches in North Carolina

North Carolina's modern chess scene centers heavily on Charlotte, where the Charlotte Chess Center (CCC) has grown since 2014 under founder FM Peter Giannatos into one of the most active club-and-tournament operations in the country, drawing grandmaster instructors and hosting the US Masters, a national championship held over Thanksgiving weekend alongside the NC Open. The NC Open itself is the state's oldest tournament, run by the North Carolina Chess Association (the state's USCF affiliate) since 1948. Outside Charlotte, the Raleigh-Durham Triangle has its own steady club culture, anchored by Triangle Chess and the weekly Durham Chess Club. From 2020 until his death in 2025, grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky served as the Charlotte Chess Center's Grandmaster-in-Residence, and the club now hosts an annual memorial tournament in his name.

• Charlotte Chess Center runs open club nights Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sunday afternoons, plus regular scholastic lessons for beginners through advanced players.
• The NC Open, held every Thanksgiving weekend since 1948, is the state's oldest tournament and now runs alongside the US Masters, a national championship with GM/IM norm opportunities.
• Triangle Chess in the Raleigh-Durham area and the Durham Chess Club (Wednesdays at Bull McCabe's) give the Triangle its own steady, welcoming club scene alongside Charlotte's.