Finding a room in 1936
The club's archived minutes place its first meeting on January 21, 1936, in the hearing room of the State Library Building. A Reno Evening Gazette notice that October reported the club electing officers, and a 1961 retrospective dated its organization to 1936.
The first minutes already revolve around a practical problem that still defines in-person chess: securing a regular room. They record an offer from the Trowell Club for weekly use, putting shared physical space at the center of Reno Chess Club's story from its first meeting.
One full game, then analysis
Reno Chess Club describes its regular format as one US Chess-sanctioned rated tournament game. Teaching happens mainly in post-game analysis rather than through a separate formal class program, making the played game both competition and curriculum.
Northern Nevada's competitive room
The club's meeting space also serves state-level competition. The Silver State Chess Association held the 2024 Northern Nevada Championship there, giving Reno Chess Club a role beyond its own internal tournaments.
A shared tournament infrastructure
Reno Chess Club and the Western States Open are closely linked without being the same organization. US Chess identifies Jerome V.
Weikel and Weikel Chess as the event's organizer, while Reno Chess Club maintains its public information and results archive.
The 2025 Western States Open was its 42nd edition and carried US Chess's American Classic and Heritage Event designations. Club records show fields above 175 in five editions between 2018 and 2023, with team honors going to Reno Chess Club, Seattle Chess Club, Sacramento Bishops of Honor, Mechanics' Institute, and Oregon Chess.
Larry Evans in Reno
The same organizational overlap appears in the Larry Evans Memorial. The club archive identifies it as the successor to the Far West Open, while US Chess directs event information through Weikel Chess.
Evans, a five-time United States champion who moved to Reno in later life, gives the tournament a local connection to national chess history.
The memorial reached its 13th annual edition in 2026. Club archives list fields of 196 in 2014, 206 in 2018, and 199 in 2022, making it a substantial recurring competition rather than a ceremonial one-off.
Interrupted and resumed
The 2020 Larry Evans Memorial was canceled during the COVID-19 shutdown. The Western States Open then drew 203 players in 2021, a concrete marker of Reno's tournament community restarting after interruption.
Sources
- 1.Reno Chess Club, Reno Chess Club
- 2.Reno Chess Club - FAQ, Reno Chess Club
- 3.Reno Chess Club - New Visitors, Reno Chess Club
- 4.Reno Evening Gazette Archives, Oct 21, 1936, p. 12, Reno Evening Gazette
- 5.Reno Evening Gazette Archives, Jan 26, 1961, p. 27, Reno Evening Gazette
Show 10 more sources
- 6.Reno Chess Club - News Archive, Reno Chess Club
- 7.42nd Annual Reno Western States Open, US Chess
- 8.42nd Annual Reno Western States Open, FIDE
- 9.2024 Northern Nevada Championship results, Silver State Chess Association
- 10.Larry Evans obituary, The Guardian
- 11.Reno Chess Club - Larry Evans Memorial, Reno Chess Club
- 12.13th Annual Reno - Larry Evans Memorial Open, US Chess
- 13.13th Annual Reno Larry Evans Memorial Open May 2026, FIDE
- 14.Reno Chess Club | Reno NV, Reno Chess Club
- 15.Reno Chess Club - Western States Open, Reno Chess Club
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