US Chess Center

The US Chess Center is a non-profit educational charity based in Washington, D.C. Established in 1991, the Center opened its doors in July 1992 and housed the U.S. Chess Hall of Fame and Museum from 1993 - 2001. In 1995 it published Macon Shibut’s The U.S. Chess Hall of Fame. The President of the U.S. Chess Center since its inception has been David Mehler, an attorney.

Created to teach at-risk youth to play chess as a means of improving their academic and social skills, the Center has run chess competitions for players of all ages, led discussions of top-level competitions, and hosted events featuring chess notables such as World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, Maurice Ashley, the first African-American grandmaster, and Rochelle Ballantyne from the champion Brooklyn Castles.

The Center has created chess programs in more than 130 locations, mainly public schools, in Washington, D.C., and its surrounding suburbs. These programs included before- and after-school chess clubs as well as classes for students during the academic day. More than 30,000 students have been in the Center’s classes, completing at least one 15-week program.

The U.S. Chess Center has hosted 11 national championship tournaments: It co-sponsored the U.S. Cadet Chess Championship (the official national championship for players under age 16) from 1993 through 1996 and sponsored the United States Armed Forces Chess Championship from 1994 through 2000.

The Center received the 1996 Committee on Chess in Education Award and the 2012 United States Chess Federation Scholastic Service Award.