Being the only girl in the school chess club is not easy.  Hearing boys and men make thoughtless remarks about expecting an easy win because they are playing a girl is disheartening.  We hear these comments all the time, and sadly, a lot of girls drop out of chess as a result.  Girls can be –and are– serious competitors, but they also just enjoy each other’s company, especially when they are such a minority in the sport!  HRCA is committed to increasing the number of women and girls in our chess programs, and to making chess a better experience for them.

What is the Girls Rock Chess Club?    Girls Club is one of HRCA’s Core Chess Programs. HRCA’s Coach Nina will deliver a mini-lesson each week and then girls will have time to just play chess together, make friends, and have fun.  We meet in a public venue weekly, so that other girls can see how awesome chess is. Because of HRCA’s youth protection protocols and the nature of the public venue, parents are required to stay in the playing area during club (or designate another adult to supervise).

In the event a substitute is needed, HRCA will handpick another qualified coach who is skilled and passionate about girls chess programming to sub. If no subs are available, class may be canceled for that week.

We will be working on bringing in occasional guest speakers and coordinating empowerment activities outside of club.  Our season will culminate in early June with our annual Chess Girls Rock event for the girls in our region and beyond.  Girls are strongly encouraged to also participate in other HRCA programs such as Hampton Roads Scholastic Chess Club, school chess programs, and our monthly tournaments.   Some tournaments will also have designated girls trophies!

Last year’s social events included a winter social, chess movie night with guest speaker WGM Jennifer Shahade, and a KidStrong & Smoothies event!

Girls* from Pre-K through 12th grade who already have a basic knowledge of chess or are enrolled in one of our beginner chess classes. This class is not instructional, so chess knowledge is required to participate.

Looking for a beginner class? Please visit our Learn to Play page at:

This club meets at WEGMANS (in the Food Court / Burger Bar entrance)
4721 Virginia Beach Blvd, Virginia Beach, VA 23462

Thursdays, 6:00-7:00PM starting September 5th and continuing through the school year.  The coach will be onsite during this time, and girls are welcome to stay later (with their own equipment and supervision) to continue casual play if they’d like. Stay tuned for additional activities for women and girls outside of club! 

Girls will pay a non-refundable annual registration fee of $25, which includes HRCA membership and ChessKid Gold (a $70 value!).  Tuition has been reduced to only $15/month! Annual Registration fee is due at time of registration, and is charged only once per academic year across all HRCA programs.   Monthly tuition will be charged via autopay on the 1st of each month Sep-May per our billing policy.  Social events and Girls Rock Weekend have separate fees.

Thanks to a very generous grant from US Chess and the St. Louis Chess Club and Wegmans VB for the use of space, we are able to keep tuition fees low!

HRCA requires autopay for tuition and registration fees.  The non-refundable $25 Annual Registration Fee will be charged to the account on file within 72 hours of sign enrollment, unless already paid via the Parent/Student Portal.  It is a one-time yearly fee across all HRCA programs, so you will not pay it again if you have already paid it through a different class/club.   Monthly tuition will be posted to your Parent/Student Portal approximately one week before payment is due.   To avoid autopay, you may log into your Parent/Student Portal and make your own payment early.  Otherwise, HRCA will process payments on September 1st.   Families with 3 or more siblings in our core chess programs are eligible for multi-sibling discounts and a family cap of $225/month.    Scholarship families will only be charged for their Annual Registration Fee and co-pay amount.    Please refer to HRCA’s Billing and Payment Policy for more info, including refund processes.

The deadline for winter session applications is December 20th. Payment Plans are available year-round.

HRCA works hard to ensure that our tuition and fees are among the lowest of educational and sports offerings while providing quality staff and programming. We have limited financial assistance available, including payment plans, scholarships, and waivers, reserved for students with true financial need.   If this applies to you, or you just need a monthly payment plan for tuition, please complete our  Financial Assistance Application HERE.   Needs-based financial aid is available to ALL individual students through our Joan H. Schlich Memorial Scholarship Fund.  We are subject to limited funding, but we strive to turn no child away for inability to pay.   Your card will not be charged for your class until your scholarship application is processed and a co-pay (if any) determined.

           

*As an Affiliate of US Chess, Hampton Roads Chess Association follows the US Chess Transgender Policy.