lecture Archives - Menlo Park Chess Club

September 16, 2026September 16, 2026

After another of Frisco’s excellent lectures last week we played the first round of our Copa del Menlo dual-rated Swiss tournament, one which includes three sections of eight players each and an additional teams component. Attached are the first round results, second round pairings and team standings and we’ll play the second round tomorrow evening beginning promptly at 7pm. Note that we should have a skittles room open so those of you not playing in the tournament should feel free to visit and perhaps play some casual chess–several people did so last week.

On the scheduling front, we’ll play the third and final round of our Copa del Menlo September 24th and then on October 1st from 7-8pm Lauren Goodkind has offered to give a free lecture covering one or two of her recent tournament games, a lecture aimed at encouraging more women and girls to play chess and one suitable for beginners as well as more advanced players. Please plan to attend Lauren’s lecture in October and help spread the word, especially among your female friends who are or may be interested in getting more involved in the game we all share. More information may be found here.

Regards,

Mark Drury

Lauren Goodkind Chess Lecture

Lauren Goodkind, a well-regarded chess coach and author in the Bay Area, will give a FREE chess lecture at the Menlo Park Chess Club to inspire more women and girls to play chess. Lauren will review one or two of her recent tournament games and the lecture is suitable for beginners and experienced players. Please let others know about this event so we can help grow the game among women and girls who are or may be interested in the game we all love.

After the lecture there will be free casual play for anyone wanting a game and chess boards, chess sets and chess clocks will be provided by the club. We hope to see many of you there and please help spread the word!

Lecture & Casual Chess Evening

This week we will have a lecture beginning at 6:30pm followed by casual play for the remainder of the evening, given Mark is out of town and cannot host a blitz tournament or the like. Please bring your own clocks if you would like to play timed games — boards and sets will be provided, as always.

Lecture, Bughouse Tournament & Casual Play

After Frisco’s lecture from 6:30-7:00pm we’ll hold a free 4- or 5-round bughouse tournament for those who are interested, though the chess room will be open and available for casual play for those who do not wish to participate. We’ll follow the rules documented here and will use the G/5+0 time control for this event. If you arrive after the tournament has started you may not be able to join in the event we are unable to maintain an even number of teams with your entry.

Queen’s Gambit Thematic Tournament

After Frisco’s lecture from 6:30-7:00pm we’ll hold a free 6- or 7-round Queen’s Gambit thematic tournament beginning with the moves 1. d4 d5 2. c4, using the shorter G/3+2 time control of our impromptu blitz series. Brush up on your favorite lines as both white and black in this dynamic opening and join us for some fighting chess in August! (Please try to arrive before 7pm to complete sign-up given we’re now maxing out our available space and equipment for these free tournaments and late arrivals are not guaranteed registration).

King’s Gambit Thematic Tournament

After Frisco’s lecture from 6:30-7:00pm we’ll hold a free 5- or 6-round King’s Gambit thematic tournament beginning with the moves 1. e4 e5 2. f4, using a slightly longer time control than the G/3+2 of our impromptu blitz series. Brush up on your favorite lines as both white and black in this dynamic opening and join us for some fighting chess in August! (Please try to arrive before 7pm to complete sign-up given we’re now maxing out our available space and equipment for these free tournaments and late arrivals are not guaranteed registration).

Casual, Blitz, Lecture, Ladder Chess Evening

Our regular weekly club meeting occurs Thursday evenings from 6:00-9:00pm in the Oak Room of the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center. Casual, blitz, bughouse and ladder chess games as well as a lecture are in the offing and we will also play another free, unrated blitz tournament beginning round 7pm, given there appears to be a continuing appetite for same. Note that our free weekly lecture begins at 6:30pm and it remains one of the highlights of club attendance.

Casual, Blitz, Lecture, Ladder Chess Evening

May 21, 2026

Casual Night Tonight, “Copa del Menlo” in July

Sharing a quick note to let people know we’ll hold another casual evening at the club tonight, with a 6:30pm lecture followed by a free, unrated blitz tournament beginning round 7pm, with book prizes awarded based upon standing in our ongoing blitz series. I have also updated the club Events page to include our next rated offering, the “Copa del Menlo” tentatively scheduled for July 2nd, 9th and 16th (a gratuitous nod to this summer’s World Cup):

https://menloparkchess.club/event/copa-del-menlo-round-one/

This event is quick-rated (G/20;d3) with two rounds per evening but I may switch it to a single nightly game of G/45;d5 over three weeks, given our club appears to prefer the longer time controls. Take a look at the details and let me know if you have a preference (and feel free to register if you plan to play).

There remains a small chance that we’ll hold another rated event before July, given a number of members wish to do so, but I will miss the evenings of May 28th, June 11th and June 25th so I don’t know if we’ll be able to make that happen. More to come on that front soon and, as always, please let me know if you have any questions or comments in the interim. Regards,

Mark Drury