Category: Upcoming Events

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AGCA Summer Camp 1 – 2025

Description: A full day, week long chess camp, hosted by the Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy from June 2-6, 2025.  All scholastic players are invited to register. Day passes available!

Location:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy
12466 Los Indios Trail, Ste 100
Austin, TX 78729

Coaches: GM Kamil Dragun, CM Jeffrey Serna, Shahin Masoumi

Groups:
Each camp features five  days of instruction. Students will be separated into 5 groups:
Beginner Group: Under 400 USCF (including unrated)
Novice Group: 400-800 USCF
Intermediate Group: 800-1200 USCF
Advanced Group: 1200 – 1600 USCF
Expert Group: 1500+ USCF
**NOTE: It is, however, required for the kids to know all the rules of chess and how each pieces move!
For more information, link to the the camp website.

Date and Time: 1st camp session: June 2-6, 2025, 9am – 4pm

Daily Schedule
Drop-off: 8:30 – 9:00 am
Camp start: 9:00 am
Lunch break: 12:00 -1:00 pm
Camp resumes: 1:00 pm
Pick up: 4:00 – 4:30 pm

Food:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy staff will provide light snacks and beverages during scheduled snack times. Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch. 

**NOTE: Please email us at info@austin-chess.com with any food allergies and/or restrictions your child may have! 

Registration:
Please register and pay online. 
Full week attendance is preferred; however, Day Passes are available – just send us an email (info@austin-chess.com).
Weekly Fee is $500.
Day Pass Fee is $115

Cancellation Policy
A full refund, minus a $50 service fee, will be provided for all cancellation requests received 7 days prior to camp start date. No refunds are provided if the cancellation is not received a week prior to camp start date.

Questions:
Contact  the Austin Grandmaster staff (info@austin-chess.com) if you have questions about registering for this event. 

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2025 St Andrews Summer Chess Camp

Description: A full-day, week-long chess camp, hosted by St. Andrew’s Episcopal School at their Shoal Creek Campus from June 23-27, 2025.  The camp will be run by Gary Gaiffe and a team of local chess instructors. All scholastic players are invited to register!

The Summer Catalog is now available!
Registration is available at the link above.

Camp dates: Camp week #4, June 23 – June 27, 2024.
Time: 9:00am-4:00pm
Price: $560
Location: 31st St. Campus
Teacher: St. Andrew’s Summer Camp Specialist, Gary Gaiffe
Target audience: kids grades 1 – 8

Chess Camp includes formal instruction and play, plus a camp-wide tournament at the end of the week! Beginners learn basic chess theory, game objectives, piece movement, game and tournament rules. Intermediates study chess analysis and decision-making, tactics, checkmate patterns and tournament strategies. Advanced students are taught more sophisticated chess techniques and decision-making, complex tactics, calculated and intuitive sacrifices, opening and endgame analysis.

Contact instructor Gary Gaiffe, ggaiffe@att.net, 512-426-7841 with questions as to camp content and appropriateness for your students.

For all other questions, including those regarding registration procedures, please contact the Summer Camp office, summercamp@sasaustin.org..

Please visit the camp website before making inquiries. The website covers the topics of early arrival and aftercare, drop-off and pick-up, lunch and supervision, student conduct, class sizes, and cancellation policy.

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2025 Paragon Summer Camp: Chess for Enjoyment and Improvement

Description: Save the date!!! A full-day, week-long chess camp, hosted by Paragon Prep on June 9-13, 2025.  Featuring Gary Gaiffe and local area instructors. All scholastic players are invited to register!

Grades K – 8th.  Chess Camp includes formal instruction and play, plus a camp-wide tournament at the end of the week! Beginners learn basic chess theory, game objectives, piece movement, game and tournament rules. Intermediates study chess analysis and decision-making, tactics, checkmate patterns and tournament strategies. Advanced students are taught more sophisticated chess techniques and decision-making, complex tactics, calculated and intuitive sacrifices, opening and endgame analysis.

Date and Time: 3rd camp session: June 9-13, 2024, 9am –4pm

Registration: To register, please register on Paragon Prep’s Summer Camp website (more details and registration coming soon). 

Location:
Paragon Prep Elementary
7938 Great Northern Blvd
Austin, TX 78757

Questions:
Contact Paragon Prep Summer Programs (summer@paragonprep.com, 512-459-5040) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Gary gaiffe (ggaiffe@att.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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2025 NYOS Summer Chess Camp

Registration is open!

Description: A full day, week-long chess camp hosted by NYOS Charter School.  Located on the north side of Austin, the camp is open to all scholastic chess players, and is run by Mr. Gary Gaiffe. Great price for a full week of learning and fun!

Campers will be broken into skill level groups.  Different topics will be covered depending on which group the camper is in.  From tactics to positional play, game analysis to variant play, the camp will be both instructional and entertaining.  The final day will include a camp-wide tournament.

Dates and Times:  July 14-18; 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Location:           
NYOS Charter School
12301 N. Lamar Blvd.
Austin, TX 78753

Registration and Payment information:  View or download the  camp registration (pdf) or (docx) form!

Questions:  Contact Gary Gaiffe at ggaiffe@att.net or 512-426-7841

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Mathnasium Summer Chess Camp #5 – Fantastic Finales!

Summer Chess Camps at Mathnasium feature five exciting days of an immersive, interactive chess environment.  Each camp includes a unique fun-filled theme and is taught by National Master Paul Chaplin. Chess Camps hosted by Mathnasium are engaging and fun! Sign up early for lowest fees! Limited attendance… first come first served! For more information visit https://www.summerchess.com

Description:
Camp 5:  Fantastic Finales! – Game ending crescendos and on-point techniques are investigated.  Middlegames and endgames are served up with clarity. To recall a famous Lasker quote, “The hardest game to win is a won game.”

Date and Time: 5th camp session: August 4-8,  2025, 8am – 3pm
+Drop-off: 7:30 – 8am
+Camp begins: 8am.
+Lunchtime: approx 11:30am
+Pick-up: 3pm

Registration: To register, please fill out the registration form and submit online.

Location:
Cedar Park Mathnasium
13010 W. Parmer Lane, Ste #100
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Questions:
Answers to many questions (rules, refunds, policies) are available online.
Contact Cedar Park Mathnasium (greg.pratt@mathnasium.com, 512-869-6284) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Paul Chaplin (pschaplin@sbcglobal.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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Mathnasium Summer Chess Camp #4 – Turbochess!

Summer Chess Camps at Mathnasium feature five exciting days of an immersive, interactive chess environment.  Each camp includes a unique fun-filled theme and is taught by National Master Paul Chaplin. Chess Camps hosted by Mathnasium are engaging and fun! Sign up early for lowest fees! Limited attendance… first come first served! For more information visit https://www.summerchess.com

Description:
Camp 4 : Turbochess! – Phenomenal games of historic titans and current digital-era maestros will be hi-lighted to enlighten and inspire the student. Game selections from 150+ years of world class players like Anderssen, Morphy (1800s), Lasker, Alekhine, Tal, Fischer , Kasparov (1900s) to current-century players like Anand, Carlsen, Ding and Gukesh.

Date and Time: 4th camp session: July 21-25,  2025, 8am – 3pm
+Drop-off: 7:30 – 8am
+Camp begins: 8am.
+Lunchtime: approx 11:30am
+Pick-up: 3pm

Registration: To register, please fill out the registration form and submit online.

Location:
Cedar Park Mathnasium
13010 W. Parmer Lane, Ste #100
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Questions:
Answers to many questions (rules, refunds, policies) are available online.
Contact Cedar Park Mathnasium (greg.pratt@mathnasium.com, 512-869-6284) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Paul Chaplin (pschaplin@sbcglobal.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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Mathnasium Summer Chess Camp #3 – Brilliancies & Howlers!

Summer Chess Camps at Mathnasium feature five exciting days of an immersive, interactive chess environment.  Each camp includes a unique fun-filled theme and is taught by National Master Paul Chaplin. Chess Camps hosted by Mathnasium are engaging and fun! Sign up early for lowest fees! Limited attendance… first come first served! For more information visit https://www.summerchess.com

Description:
Camp 3:  Brilliancies and Howlers! – Chess to excite! This digital era dazzles and entertains us… as well as leaves us confounded and shaking our heads! Students experience the best and worst from today’s speed-demon favorites like Carlsen, Nakamura, Firouza, Nepo, Pragg — and the list goes on…!

Date and Time: 3rd camp session: July 7-11,  2025, 8am – 3pm
+Drop-off: 7:30 – 8am
+Camp begins: 8am.
+Lunchtime: approx 11:30am
+Pick-up: 3pm

Registration: To register, please fill out the registration form and submit online.

Location:
Cedar Park Mathnasium
13010 W. Parmer Lane, Ste #100
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Questions:
Answers to many questions (rules, refunds, policies) are available online.
Contact Cedar Park Mathnasium (greg.pratt@mathnasium.com, 512-869-6284) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Paul Chaplin (pschaplin@sbcglobal.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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Mathnasium Summer Chess Camp #2 – Check & Mate

Summer Chess Camps at Mathnasium feature five exciting days of an immersive, interactive chess environment.  Each camp includes a unique fun-filled theme and is taught by National Master Paul Chaplin. Chess Camps hosted by Mathnasium are engaging and fun! Sign up early for lowest fees! Limited attendance… first come first served! For more information visit https://www.summerchess.com

Description:
Camp 2:  Check and Mate! – The ultimate goal pursued with mesmerizing attacks conjured up and calculated by today’s greatest masters — and historical greats of the past. Students can expect to add crushing mating nets, king hunts and other game-ending attacks to their skills.

Date and Time:  2nd camp session: June 16-20  2025, 8am – 3pm
+Drop-off: 7:30 – 8am
+Camp begins: 8am.
+Lunchtime: approx 11:30am
+Pick-up: 3pm

Registration: To register, please fill out the registration form and submit online.

Location:
Cedar Park Mathnasium
13010 W. Parmer Lane, Ste #100
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Questions:
Answers to many questions (rules, refunds, policies) are available online.
Contact Cedar Park Mathnasium (greg.pratt@mathnasium.com, 512-869-6284) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Paul Chaplin (pschaplin@sbcglobal.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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Mathnasium Summer Chess Camp #1 – Wild Openings

Summer Chess Camps at Mathnasium feature five exciting days of an immersive, interactive chess environment.  Each camp includes a unique fun-filled theme and is taught by National Master Paul Chaplin. Chess Camps hosted by Mathnasium are engaging and fun! Sign up early for lowest fees! Limited attendance… first come first served! For more information visit https://www.summerchess.com

Description:
Camp 1: Wild Openings – Traps, Plots and Pitfalls! Expect the unexpected! Learn how to set up (and avoid falling for!) quick tactical zingers — especially prevalent in today’s faster time controls!  Learn to play knockout moves like the greats — from Morphy and Steinitz to Carlsen and Gukesh!

Date and Time: 1st camp session: June 2-6,  2025, 8am – 3pm
+Drop-off: 7:30 – 8am
+Camp begins: 8am.
+Lunchtime: approx 11:30am
+Pick-up: 3pm

Registration: To register, please fill out the registration form and submit online.

Location:
Cedar Park Mathnasium
13010 W. Parmer Lane, Ste #100
Cedar Park, TX 78613

Questions:
Answers to many questions (rules, refunds, policies) are available online.
Contact Cedar Park Mathnasium (greg.pratt@mathnasium.com, 512-869-6284) if you have questions about registering for this event. Contact Paul Chaplin (pschaplin@sbcglobal.net) if you have questions about chess content.

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Austin Chess Tour 2: Open Qualifier #5

The Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy is hosting an Open USCF Rated Tournament on May 17, 2025 from 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM.  USCF Membership required.   Capacity: 80 players!

LOCATION:
Austin Grandmaster Chess Academy
12466 Los Indios Trail, Ste 100
Austin, TX 78729
Free parking provided!

TOURNAMENT STYLE:
4SS, time controls determined by section
SECTION A:  1800 +  USCF rated
SECTION B:  1400 – 1799  USCF rated
SECTION C:  1000-1399 USCF rated
SECTION D:  U1000 USCF rated

*USCF MEMBERSHIP IS REQUIRED*
**Players are not allowed to play up or down**

RATING INFORMATION:
● May 2025 official USCF ratings will be used.
● Unofficial USCF ratings will be used if unrated or to play in a
higher section.
● Players must reveal foreign, FIDE, and other over-the-board
ratings. These ratings will be adjusted, if necessary, and may be
used if they are higher than USCF ratings.

Sections A & B (all rounds G/60, d5)
●  1st round: 10:00 AM
●  2nd round: 12:15 AM
●  Lunch break: 2:30 PM
●  3rd round: 3:30 PM
●  4th round: 5:45 PM

Sections C & D (all rounds G/45, d5)
●  1st round: 10:00 AM
●  2nd round: 11:45 AM
●  Lunch break: 1:30 PM
●  3rd round: 2:30 PM
●  4th round: 4:15 PM

●  Closing ceremony for any section takes place after the last game finishes for that section.
NOTE: Half-point byes are acceptable for all rounds, limit 1. Must commit before the 1st round.

PLAYERS MAY NOT POSSESS CELL PHONES DURING THE TOURNAMENT. Any violators may be subject to disqualification and forfeiture.

ENTRY FEES:
●  Early Bird: $50  by May 11th at 11:59 pm.
●  $60 on or after May 12th (if space is available)
For additional questions, please contact us at info@austin-chess.com
Link for registration:  https://austin-chess.com/tournaments/act-2-open-qualifier-5/

PRIZES:
●  Section A : $400, $200, $100
●  Section B: $200, $100, $50
●  Section C: $100, $75, $50
●  Section D: Chess books
Medals will be awarded to the top 3 finishers in each section.

OPEN QUALIFIER POINTS:
The top 10 places in Section A will earn points according to the following table
1st Place: 25 OQ Points
2nd Place: 18 OQ Points
3rd Place: 15 OQ Points
4th Place: 12 OQ Points
5th Place: 10 OQ Points
6th Place: 8 OQ Points
7th Place: 6 OQ Points
8th Place: 4 OQ Points
9th Place: 2 OQ Points
10th Place: 1 OQ Points

For more information about the point system, visit https://austin-chess.com/tournaments/

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you do not wish to participate in our tournament after paying the entry fee, please email us at info@austin-chess.com no later than 24 hours in advance.  We reserve the right to charge a $15 service fee for cancellations.  NO refunds will be issued if we are notified of cancellation within 24 hours of the start of the event.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY: If you would like to withdraw from the tournament after it begins, please alert the tournament director. 
NO refunds will be issued after the tournament begins. 

NO-SHOW POLICY: There are NO refunds or credit for players who do not show up for their scheduled tournament matches.

Please contact us at info@austin-chess.com for any additional questions or concerns.