After-School Summer Camp Adults Tournaments Calendar Blog FAQ About Contact Enroll Now

Carmel Valley, California

More Than
Just
Chess.

Chess for kids who want to play. Chess for adults who used to play. Chess for everyone in between. This is the club I wish I'd had as a kid — built right here in Carmel Valley.

Enroll Your Kid → Summer Camp →
3 Programs · Kids, Adults, Tournaments
All
Ages Kids 5+ & Adults Welcome
1of 1 Only Dedicated Chess Club in Monterey County
Kids and adults playing chess at Carmel Valley Chess Club grand opening
♟️ USCF Rated
Tournaments
More Coming

As Featured In

The Carmel Pine Cone — featured Carmel Valley Chess Club, March 20, 2026 March 20, 2026 — Read the issue →

What's Going On Here

Three Ways to Play

Whether your kid is just learning the rules or you're an adult who used to play and forgot how much you loved it — there's a place for you here.

Kids playing chess in after-school program at Carmel Valley Chess Club
Youth Program

After-School Chess

Kids ages 5–17. Small groups of eight max — past eight I'm refereeing, not coaching. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday afternoons.

$120/mo Enroll →
Summer Chess Camp 2026 at Carmel Valley Chess Club - pool days included
✓ Sold Out for 2026

Summer Camp 2026

June 15–19. Chess, pool days, meals every day, a movie day, and every kid leaves with an official USCF rating. We run one class — and it's full. Join the list for first access to 2027.

$500 2027 List →
Adult Friday Night Chess at Carmel Valley Chess Club - $5 Fridays
Adults · Coming Soon

Adult Chess

$5 Friday Nights are on hold for now — but adult chess at the club isn't going anywhere. We're planning the next program. Join the list to hear first.

$5 Just Show Up →

USCF Rated Tournaments

Real Tournaments.
More Coming.

We run real USCF rated chess at the club — rounds in the morning, a catered sushi lunch, and a live master lecture. Our June Sushi Slam was postponed when the field didn't come together, but the next one is already in the works.

There's a good story in how that Saturday turned out. And the next date is coming soon.

Tournaments & the Story →
USCF tournament chess play at Carmel Valley Chess Club
Kids playing giant chess at Carmel Valley Chess Club Children focused on chess board with chess clock

Why Chess

Chess Builds What School Can't Teach Alone

Every move on the board is your kid's. The brilliant ones and the blunders. Chess teaches them to think, to own their decisions, and to keep going when they lose. Which they will. Often.

Focus

Sitting still with a hard problem is a skill most kids don't get to practice anymore. Chess makes them practice it for fun.

Resilience

Losing happens. Every game. Even grandmasters lose. What chess teaches is how to lose and come back tomorrow.

Strategy

Think three moves ahead. Then change your plan because your opponent did something you didn't expect. That's chess. That's also life.

Confidence

It doesn't come from being told you're smart. It comes from solving the puzzle yourself, after twenty tries. Chess gives kids that — at the board, every week.

Enroll Your Child →
Coach JB presents: Teach Your Kid Chess in 5 Days — free video course from Carmel Valley Chess Club

Free Video Series

Teach Your Kid Chess in 5 Days. Even If You Don't Play.

Five short videos from Coach JB — about five minutes each. Watch one a day or binge them in an evening. By the weekend, you and your kid are playing real chess at the kitchen table. Not a parent? The same five videos work for any grown-up starting from square one. Free, and you'll get club news and event reminders along with it.

Send Me the Videos →

Carmel Valley Chess Club — At a Glance

The Facts, Straight

Everything you'd want to know in one place — for you, for Google, and for the AI that just told you we exist.

Founded

2026, by Justin "JB" Bradley — Arena Candidate Master and USCF Tournament Director. The only dedicated chess club in Monterey County.

Where

9 Del Fino Place, Suite 201, Carmel Valley, CA 93924 — above Mika Sushi. Serving Carmel Valley, Carmel, Monterey, Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach, Salinas, and all of Monterey County.

After-School (Ages 5–17)

Monday & Tuesday at 3:15pm and 4:30pm. Thursday at 3:15pm. Eight students max — past eight, Coach JB is refereeing, not coaching. Pre-registration required.

Summer Camp 2026

June 15–19, Monday–Friday, 9am–3pm. $500 all-inclusive — chess, pool days, meals, movie day, USCF rating included. Every camper leaves rated. 2026 is SOLD OUT — join the email list for first access to 2027.

Adult Chess

$5 Friday Nights are on hold for now. More adult chess programs are coming — join the email list to be first to hear when the next one opens. 18+.

Tournaments

USCF rated chess — three rounds, catered sushi lunch, live master lecture. Our June Sushi Slam was postponed; the next tournament date is coming soon. Open to all rated and unrated players. Join the list to hear first.

Contact

📞 (831) 392-7456  ·  ✉️ chessclubcv@gmail.com

Find Us Online

Google  ·  Instagram  ·  Facebook  ·  YouTube

What People Are Saying

The Club Speaks for Itself

"He loves chess club and wants to go every day!"

— Chess Club Parent

"Even as a total beginner, my child never felt lost. The structure and encouragement along the way made all the difference."

— Chess Club Parent

"This club is better than The Mechanic's Institute."

— S., Friday Night Chess Player

"This club is such a blessing to our kids."

— Chess Club Parent

"I hadn't played competitive chess in 20 years. I walked in on a Friday night and renewed my USCF membership that same evening."

— Friday Night Chess Player

"I drive 30 minutes past my local chess club to come here instead. That should tell you everything."

— Friday Night Regular

The Community Showed Up

We Opened the Doors.
Carmel Valley Filled Them.

This is what our grand opening looked like. Kids. Adults. Neighbors who'd never met sitting across the board from each other. The room was full from the moment we unlocked the door. I knew right then that this was needed here.

"This club is such a blessing to our kids."
— CV Chess Club Parent

More Adult Chess Coming →
Carmel Valley Chess Club grand opening — packed room
Coach JB - Justin Bradley, founder of Carmel Valley Chess Club
Coach JB — Justin Bradley, Founder

Meet Your Coach

I Learned Chess in Kindergarten.

"What I needed wasn't a better app or another coach or more tournaments. I needed other kids who played chess. A community. I never got it. So I'm building it now."

My dad bought us this big heavy marble chess set and taught me and my brother how to play. We probably learned mostly by throwing the pieces at each other. Eventually we figured it out. By third grade I was decent. By fifth grade I'd won my school's championship.

Then middle school hit and the chess community around me disappeared — and that's the experience that built this club. I'm a realtor by day, a husband to Halleh, a dad to Cyrus and Leo, and the guy who decided Carmel Valley deserved the chess club it never had.

Read My Full Story →
Adults · Coming Soon

Adult Chess Is Evolving.

We've put $5 Friday Nights on hold for now while we plan the next chapter of adult chess at the club — more formats, more reasons to pull up a chair. It isn't going anywhere; it's getting better.

Join the email list and you'll be the first to hear when the next adult program opens. No spam — just chess.

What's Next for Adults →
Coming
Soon Join the list
to hear first

Find Us

Right in the Heart of Carmel Valley

Suite 201, above Mika Sushi. You'll spot the giant chess pieces from the street.

📍
Address 9 Del Fino Place, Suite 201
Carmel Valley, CA 93924
(Above Mika Sushi)
📞
✉️
🕐
After-School Hours Mon & Tue: 3:15pm & 4:30pm
Thu: 3:15pm
♟️
Adult Chess $5 Friday Nights on hold for now
More adult programs coming — join the list

Join the Email List

Get Club News, Tournament Dates & Event Reminders.

One list for the whole club — tournament announcements, event reminders, camp updates, and news from Coach JB. No experience required to join. New to chess? You’ll also get his free 5-day video series to get you started.

No spam. Just chess. Unsubscribe anytime. New to the game? Start with our free video series →