The Pawn Project is a 100% volunteer run, youth-led non-profit chess club where youth can learn, play, and grow their chess skills in a fun and supportive environment. 

Whether you’re brand new to the game or already playing tournaments, our monthly meetups are a great place to improve and connect with other young players.

Our coaches are strong youth chess players who know how to teach and inspire — because they’re kids too! We focus on helping players build a solid foundation and love for the game.

The Pawn Project has recently won the 2026 US Chess Small Club of the Year award! Thank you to all of our members and our amazing community for helping achieve this incredible accomplishment.

FREE Monthly Open Meetings:

• ALL Attendees: Play fun, level-matched games with peers.

• First Time Attendees: Work with a coach to learn your club skill level and recieve your free ChessKid standard account. 

• Returning Players: Work one-on-one with our special guest or a skilled youth chess coach to work through our skill levels becoming more confident competitors both in skilled play and sportsmanship

• Completed all the levels?: Keep coming and playing with peers your level!  Middle and Highschool students who complete all levels of The Pawn Project and competed in at least one tournament have the opportunity to develop their leadership skills by mentoring and coaching fellow youth during in-person meetings.

These experiences not only improve chess ability but also foster focus, perseverance, sportsmanship, leadership skills, and lasting friendships. 

FREE Quad Squad Meetings (on select months): 

• Group Lesson teaching tournament skills such as using a chess clock, tournament etiquette, reading pairings ect.  

• Casual Quad Tournament -  tables of four similarly skilled players make a  mini chess competition. Play everyone at your table, rack up your scores, and see who comes out on top! Every table has a winner—and a certificate to celebrate! 

NOTE: Please attend an Open Meeting before attending a Quad Squad so that we can properly place players at the correct tables per their level. 

FREE standard ChessKid accounts 

• Receive a FREE standard ChessKid account at your first Open Meeting. (Limited scholarships available for Gold features)

• Use your account to practice at home between meetings

• Play in our monthly online club tournaments 

Local Tournaments: 

• The Pawn Project will register at local tournaments as a team so members can enjoy the benefits of team tournament play and practice their skills in the broader community. 

• The Pawn Project hosts an end of year USCF tournament. 

Scholarships: 

• Apply for a scholarship!  We offer limited scholarships for our players to received ChessKid Gold memberships, USCF memberships, and/or community tournament entry fees. 

All in-person meetings are held monthly on a Monday, from 4:30–6:30 PM at Bush Tabernacle in Purcellville, VA. Check our events tab for updates.