United States

Titled Chess Coaches in Delaware

Delaware's chess scene is small but well organized, anchored by a state association that's been running tournaments since 1975 and a scholastic program that has punched well above its weight nationally. This page keeps the focus on titled coaches while still connecting you to the broader local chess scene.

208
Delaware USCF players
The state scene

The Delaware Chess Association (DCA), the state's US Chess Federation affiliate, has run statewide events since 1975 and organizes the core of the calendar: the Delaware State Open and the Delaware State Championship, both typically held in the New Castle County/Newark area, and the Dewey Beach Open, a beachside Swiss at the Hyatt Place in Dewey Beach that draws players from across the mid-Atlantic. Club play centers on New Castle County, with Delaware Chess Champs hosting free weekly sessions at the Bellevue Community Center in Wilmington, the Newark Chess Club welcoming all skill levels, and the University of Delaware's Blue Hen Chess Club giving students and neighbors a regular place to play in Newark. Scholastic chess is where Delaware punches above its weight: Tower Hill School's ChessNuts, coached by Gregory Rogers, won a K-3 title at the US Chess National Elementary Championship, and Thomas Edison Charter School in Wilmington brought home the state's first national scholastic chess title in 2014. Kent and Sussex County players have fewer in-person options, with the Modern Maturity Center's Thursday-morning chess sessions in Dover helping fill the gap.

  • Free weekly club nights run by Delaware Chess Champs at the Bellevue Community Center in Wilmington, plus the University of Delaware's Blue Hen Chess Club in Newark and Thursday-morning chess at the Modern Maturity Center in Dover
  • The Delaware Chess Association's calendar of USCF-rated Swisses — the Delaware State Open and Delaware State Championship in the Newark/New Castle County area, plus the seaside Dewey Beach Open at the Hyatt Place
  • A genuinely strong scholastic pipeline: Wilmington-area teams — Tower Hill's ChessNuts under coach Gregory Rogers and Thomas Edison Charter School — have brought home national elementary titles
Notable names tied to Delaware chess
D

David Gertler

A FIDE Master since 1985 who lives in Wilmington and has been Delaware state champion 15 times, after earlier working as an assistant editor at Chess Life magazine.

G

Gregory Rogers

Wilmington-based coach whose Chess Masters of Delaware program, including Tower Hill School's ChessNuts, produced a national scholastic championship title for the state.

USCF Chess in Delaware by the Numbers

Official USCF rating list · July 1, 2026

208
USCF-rated players
991
Median rating
2427
Top rating
Top rated players in Delaware
  1. 1Luo, Terry2427
  2. 2Jing, Andrew2395
  3. 3Rizzitano, James A2306
  4. 4Wang, Kevin2277
  5. 5Shen, Emil2273
See full Delaware USCF stats

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Chess Clubs in Delaware

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More Links

A few more useful paths from the same area.