Club Affiliate Of The Month: Miramar Chess Club
June’s Club Affiliate of the Month is the Miramar Chess Club in Florida. Club President and Founder, Roberto Montanez, started the club shortly after the restrictions from Covid were lifted in 2021. With Roberto and his wife playing on a tiny magnetic board at a Starbucks sparked this young club. From humble begins the MCC has grown quickly due to Roberto's efforts in branding, digital marketing, and an openness to have EVERYONE play Chess. The Miramar Chess Club is for anyone interested in casual chess games. The group was started to meet other chess enthusiasts and connect to a local community of chess players. Open to all. This is a stress and judgment free chess club. All skill set and levels are truly welcomed with the motto of Play. Learn. Grow.
What inspired you to take more of a leadership role in the club?
I was looking for a location close to the Miramar area however my search results were slim. I continued to play online but I wanted to experience the real deal. Playing OTB requires a different skill set. It’s different from playing online. My goal was also to participate in tournaments, but in order to do that, OTB practice is necessary.
As a result, I decided to move forward with setting a Meetup page for the Miramar Chess Club (MCC). The initial interest in the club was lukewarm. I purchased two tournament size boards and a digital clock for the club. I was all in.
Can you share a little more about the history of the Miramar Chess Club?
Back in November 2021, I made the decision to start playing chess on a consistent basis. Like many of you, I got bitten by the chess bug thanks to the Netflix hit show, “The Queen’s Gambit”. The show sparked some fond memories of playing as a child. My father taught me and I enjoyed all of the strategy that’s involved in the game. However, like many young chess players, I stopped playing after a while.
For most of 2021, I began playing online chess on and off. Then as the year was coming to an end, I made a resolution to not only start playing, but also to work on improving.
As 2022 began, I wanted to start playing over-the-board (OTB), but I could not find any places to play.
I was looking for a location close to the Miramar area however my search results were slim. I continued to play online but I wanted to experience the real deal. Playing OTB requires a different skill set. It’s different from playing online. My goal was also to participate in tournaments, but in order to do that, OTB practice is necessary.
As a result, I decided to move forward with setting a Meetup page for the Miramar Chess Club (MCC). The initial interest in the club was lukewarm. I purchased two tournament size boards and a digital clock for the club. I was all in.
I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical and wondered if it was going to work out. I enlisted my wife to tag along with me for the first session. I figured that at least, I wouldn’t be the only person in front of a chess board. Lucky for me, we had one person who showed up. That first session consisted of two players which included me.
As each week progressed, more and more players began to consistently show up. Since then, we continue to grow and connect with new people with different skill levels.
I has become exactly what I envisioned for the chess club. My desire was to create a place where the community can connect; A place where we can all learn and grow as chess players. This is the reason why we welcome anyone who plays, used to play or just wants to learn. Our club is free because we want to serve everyone.
The Miramar Chess Club held a recent tournament in partnership with the city, can you share more about this?
The MCC Summer Rapid ‘23 was hosted by the city of Miramar and Mayor Messam. It was a Swiss-style 5-round tournament. The time control was 20 minutes with a 5-second delay (G/20;d5) for each player. The tournament was held in the Sunset Lake Community Center in Miramar, Florida. This tournament was a great opportunity for all players to showcase their skills in the Miramar Chess Community.
The tournament also provided an opportunity for new players to attend their 1st tournament. Some traveled from Florida’s west coast to attend, however, most were from the South Florida area. A total of fifty players attended. This was a family friendly event with players between the ages of 10 to 60+ years old. The event was also open to the community to spectate. Many visitors showed up to see what a chess tournament looked like, learn about the club and obtain information about the next tournament.
The sold-out event was buzzing from the start. The tournament began with the opening ceremony which covered the majority of the key topics such as reminders of the rules and facility logistics. The cash prizes were announced for each section. The Miramar Chess Club and with the generosity of Chessable.com raffled five $50 vouchers towards a chess course. MCC-branded merchandise was also raffled.
Would you recommend other clubs to join the Chess.com Club Affiliate Program?
Absolutely. The program allows clubs to grow and learn from other clubs. Additionally, it provides a sense of validation to any club.
How has being a part of the Chess.com Club Affiliate Program helped your club?
The support the program provides allows all club players to connect from Chess.com to OTB and vice versa. That transition helps install a sense of community that keeps everyone connected. The amount of support provided by the program and the ability to interact with other clubs really helps me provide my members a better experience.
As an OTB club, why do you think it's important to have an online presence?
It's a must. It's an extension of the community. We discuss our games from Chess.com. We use all the features of the platform to help reduce the level of anxiety when playing online. We also show other features that chess.com provides to complement our club's mission.
Learn more about all the amazing things that the Miramar Chess Club is doing to serve their members, grow the game, and be a great example for chess clubs in the whole interview here.
Interested in checking out the Miramar Chess Club?
Miramar Chess Club Website
Miramar Chess Club on Chess.com
Miramar Chess Club on Meetup.com
Miramar Chess Club on Facebook
Enjoyed the blog? Read about previous Club Affiliate of the Months below:
Interested in your Club joining the Club Affiliate Program, learn all the details of this FREE Program here.
