Chess Coaches in Ohio

The Ohio Chess Association, founded in 1945, is the state's USCF affiliate and has run the Ohio Chess Congress without interruption ever since, typically over Labor Day weekend at rotating sites such as Cincinnati and Akron. Before that, from the late 1920s through 1944, the state title was settled by a match between the Northern Ohio Champion, representing Cleveland, and the Southern Ohio Champion, representing Cincinnati — a rivalry that still echoes in how the state's clubs are organized today. Columbus, Cincinnati, and Cleveland each support active adult and scholastic club scenes: the Columbus Chess Club meets weekly with no dues, and Cincinnati Scholastic Chess has built one of the state's largest youth tournament programs since 2007. International Master Calvin Blocker, born in Cleveland, dominated Ohio play through the 1980s and holds the record for Ohio championships won.

• The Columbus Chess Club meets weekly in Central Ohio with no membership fee, welcoming players of any level.
• The Ohio Chess Congress, the state's annual championship, has run every year since 1945, moving between cities like Cincinnati and Akron on Labor Day weekend.
• Cincinnati Scholastic Chess runs some of the state's largest scholastic events, including its Cincinnati Open with a prize pool well into five figures.