A room where women were not the exception
Founder Sharlene Morris has described the club as a response to repeatedly being the only adult woman in local rated tournaments and casual chess nights. After arranging to use the Saint Petersburg Chess Club, she convened the first Women's Chess Club of St Pete meetup on January 15, 2025.
WCCSP developed as its own organization rather than as a renamed program of the host club. The Florida Chess Association lists the two organizations separately in St.
Petersburg, and by August 2026 WCCSP was continuing to organize in-person activity under its own name.
Safety first, then play
The founding account places safety before every other program choice: safety to ask questions, lose a game, be vulnerable, and return. Fun is the second principle.
The club's public description welcomes women and people of marginalized genders at different stages, from brand-new players to serious competitors.
Learning without a classroom divide
Recurring casual meetups let players arrive, find a board, and play at their own pace. Learning labs narrow the focus to a concept, tactic, or strategy, then give participants time to practice, sometimes finishing with blitz.
The combination keeps instruction connected to play instead of isolating beginners in a separate permanent track.
Two kinds of invitation
WCCSP distinguishes between gatherings centered on women and marginalized genders and community events open to everyone. In May 2026, one such open event took chess to a climbing gym, placing the game inside a familiar social setting rather than requiring every newcomer to begin in a tournament room.
The wider social design has also included trivia, karaoke, and happy hour. That variety gives the club an identity built not only around who is invited to play, but around the conditions that can make people comfortable returning.
Sources
- 1.Home | Women's Chess Club St Pete, Women's Chess Club of St Pete
- 2.About | Women's Chess Club St Pete, Women's Chess Club of St Pete
- 3.Why Women's Club | Women's Chess Club of St Pete, Women's Chess Club of St Pete
- 4.Calendar | Women's Chess Club St Pete, Women's Chess Club of St Pete
- 5.Chess Learning Lab, Women's Chess Club of St Pete
- 6.Casual Chess at Vertical Ventures!, Women's Chess Club of St Pete
- 7.Florida Chess Clubs, Florida Chess Association
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