United States

Titled Chess Coaches in Maine

Maine chess runs on a small, dedicated network of community clubs rather than big-city scenes, anchored by the Maine Chess Association and an annual state championship that draws players from across the state. This page keeps the focus on titled coaches while still connecting you to the broader local chess scene.

407
Maine USCF players
The state scene

The Maine Chess Association (MECA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit headquartered in Bangor, is the state's USCF affiliate and runs the Maine State Championship along with scholastic events. Club chess in Maine is spread across a handful of towns: Portland has the Baxter Academy Community Chess Club, the Bangor area has the long-running Queen City Chess Club, and Augusta hosts informal chess nights at Barnes & Noble as well as a chess club at the Lithgow Public Library. The state championship has moved around over the decades, with recent editions held at the Waterville Grand Hotel, and MECA's tournament archive project has worked to document every USCF-rated Maine result back to 1992. Scholastic chess has real momentum too: Baxter Academy's team won the 2024 Maine State Championship in its first year and has traveled to national scholastic events out of Portland.

  • The Maine State Championship, MECA's flagship weekend event, held in recent years at the Waterville Grand Hotel
  • Queen City Chess Club in the Bangor area for regular Wednesday-night club play
  • Baxter Academy Community Chess Club in Portland, a hub for scholastic players whose team has competed at the national level
Further reading
Maine Chess Association (official state affiliate)Maine — Wikipedia
Notable names tied to Maine chess
H

Harlow B. Daly

Won the Maine State Championship nine times between 1959 and 1970 (seven of them consecutive), including a title at age 86 as the oldest person ever crowned state champion, and played simuls against Alekhine, Lasker, and Marshall during a 75-year playing career.

M

Majur Juac

National Master based in Portland who teaches the chess program at Baxter Academy and shared the 2024 Maine State Championship title.

T

Ted Belanoff

National Master and co-champion of the 2024 Maine State Championship.

USCF Chess in Maine by the Numbers

Official USCF rating list · July 1, 2026

407
USCF-rated players
783
Median rating
2281
Top rating
Top rated players in Maine
  1. 1Fishbein, Matthew E2281
  2. 2Belanoff, Ted2209
  3. 3Juac, Majur2203
  4. 4Hansen, Johan A2131
  5. 5Creswell, Charlie2078
See full Maine USCF stats

Map

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Chess Clubs in Maine

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More Links

A few more useful paths from the same area.