Chess Club of Chile
A hundred years cultivating passion, strategy and deep thought. A century as the country's chess epicentre.
Get to know us
A hundred years cultivating passion, strategy and deep thought. A century as the country's chess epicentre.
Get to know usA landmark institution at the service of Chilean chess
The Chess Club of Chile is a non-profit organisation founded on 27 September 1924, open to the whole community and with a deep social vocation that endures to this day.
From our historic venue at Serrano N°14, just steps from the Alameda, we are the epicentre of national chess: a cradle of masters, a stage for championships and a meeting point for those who make the board a way of life.
We promote chess as a sport, science, art and educational tool, fostering values such as fairness, inclusion and mutual respect, alongside competitive excellence and intergenerational integration through the game.
A century of memorable games
Let us go back a century, to 27 September 1924. On that day, a distinguished chess enthusiast, Mr Arturo Alessandri Palma, President of the Republic, cut the ribbon of the Chess Club of Chile, giving rise to a landmark institution that from that very moment became the country's chess epicentre.
To raise the necessary funds, a share subscription was held, granting its shareholders the title of founding members. The first board of the Chess Club of Chile was formed by its two honorary presidents, Arturo Alessandri Palma and Eliodoro Yáñez; its president Jorge Walton and its secretary Carlos Herrera Lira.
President Arturo Alessandri Palma cuts the inaugural ribbon of the Chess Club of Chile, alongside Eliodoro Yáñez, Jorge Walton and Carlos Herrera Lira.
The halls of the Chess Club of Chile welcome world champions such as Anatoly Karpov, Viswanathan Anand, Bobby Fischer, Nigel Short and Judit Polgar.
The International Olympic Committee officially recognises chess as a sport, consolidating decades of institutional work.
UNESCO designates 20 July as World Chess Day, commemorating the founding of FIDE in Paris in 1924, the same year the Chess Club of Chile was born.
We celebrate 100 years of uninterrupted history with classes, workshops, championships and festivals that extend our legacy to the whole community.
We promote chess in the district's educational establishments and are preparing an international tournament in the near future.
Four levels of training for all ages
Our Academy is a learning space where children and young people develop strategic thinking, patience and creativity through chess. We work with small groups and active club instructors, following a progressive method that goes from the first contact with the board all the way to federated competition.
Classes take place at our venue on Serrano N°14, in the heart of downtown Santiago, in a warm, safe setting accompanied by the hundred-year history of the Chess Club of Chile.
Getting to know the board, the pieces and their moves. Basic rules, the first checkmate and discovering the game through playful activities.
Opening principles, the value of the pieces, elementary tactics (pins, forks, discovered attacks) and first complete games with notation.
Game plans, pawn structure, typical endgames, tactical combinations and preparation for club and federation tournaments.
Opening repertoire, in-depth game analysis, theoretical endgames and competitive training aimed at FIDE and national tournaments.
The Club's online Practice Zone
Play chess online against bots that represent real club players —including Iván—, with their strength tuned to your level and powered by the Stockfish engine. A board to train, test yourself and improve whenever you like.
Play nowWorld champions and masters who have made history at Serrano 14
One of the great world champions of the 20th century, a living legend of classical chess.
“The Tiger of Madras”, the Indian world champion renowned for his intuitive, lightning-fast style.
American genius and inspiration for the acclaimed Netflix series “The Queen's Gambit”.
British world championship runner-up, an emblematic figure of late-century European chess.
Considered the best female player in the history of chess. She made history by defeating world champions.
Tenth world champion (1969—1972), remembered for his famous match against Bobby Fischer in Reykjavik during the Cold War.
What happens every week at Serrano 14
Children, young people and adults at every level, with certified instructors and a method proven over decades.
Clinics on openings, endgames, tactics and strategy, delivered by active masters of the club.
Rapid, blitz and classical tournaments with FIDE and National Chess Federation of Chile validation.
Family gatherings, simultaneous exhibitions with guest masters and centenary celebrations open to the community.
Together with the Municipality of Santiago, we promote chess in the district's educational establishments.
Coming soon: we are organising an international tournament to crown the celebrations of our first centenary.
A date established by UNESCO to commemorate the creation of FIDE (International Chess Federation) in Paris in 1924, coinciding with the birth of the Chess Club of Chile in September of that same year.
More than 600 million people play chess worldwide, and among them are over 400 thousand federated players: a figure surpassed only by the football, athletics and basketball federations.
Chess is science, culture, art and education. It strengthens cognitive and social skills, and that is why, since the year 2000, it has been officially recognised as a sport by the IOC and as a fundamental educational tool.
Moments lived at our venue and in tournaments
The doors of the Chess Club of Chile are open to you
Serrano N°14
Office 102 (Mezzanine)
Santiago, Chile
(steps from the Alameda)
+56 2 26641216
Monday to Saturday
16:00 — 22:00