love this ChessPalace! Tim is very good instructor and care about the kid improvement. every Thruday has open play 6-9pm. Overhaul love this place read more

I have been a member at chess palace for many years. Chess palace is a top notch chess club and store. They offer lessons, tournaments, and all the chess equipment you could ever need (blocks, chess sets, books, etc). If you've ever wanted to get into chess, or have been playing for many years, Chess Palace is THE place to play and learn chess in Southern California. read more

My 11 year old has been coming to ChessPalace for over a year now, both for weekly lessons and to participate in the tournaments they put on twice a month. It's a 40 minute drive for us (without traffic) and even though there is a closer chess school, we prefer to come to ChessPalace because the owners (it's family-owned!) are just the best and we love the community they've built around adults and kids who love chess. Grateful for this place and the support they give to anyone who wants to learn and improve their game. read more

This was the first time we came to Chess Palace. Our 11 year old has been interested in chess. We live an hour away so decided to do the class from 4:30pm-5:30pm on Fridays and then free play is from 6:00pm-10:00pm. It's 7:00pm and he still doesn't want to leave. Everyone is super nice. The staff, the students/players. I love how it's a place for anyone and everyone. Genuinely here to teach and learn the game of chess. I wish this was closer but we'll make the trek every Friday because it's worth not having my son glued to a screen or PS3. Love watching the wheels turn. Also don't underestimate the little ones. A little guy(maybe 7 years old just beat 3 adults). My husband just lost to a 12 year old. But he enjoyed himself and it's all part of the game. Great place for improving socialization, conversational skills, sportsmanship and attention span. Gem of a place. read more

ChessPalace - Free play on Fridays from 6:00pm-10:00pm. - Tabletop Games Near Me - Garden Grove, California

I use the word "love" very infrequently.. however I genuinely love Chess Palace with the highest sincerity. It's such a great community of children, adults, and seniors who are all connected for a love of the game of chess . The owners are to credit for making it a place that is welcoming for beginners to GMs - especially with the busy tournament schedule they offer. I cannot recommend any higher visiting Chess Palace when you're nearby. read more

ChessPalace - Tabletop Games Near Me - Garden Grove, California

ChessPalace has so many offerings for kids and adult chess. Off-site, at the steelcraft in garden grove, they host amateur tournaments once a month (on a Sunday) for rated and non rated players and Scholastic tournaments once a month (on a different Sunday) for the kids. They also have one big tournament (American Open) at the end of November every year. On site, they have blitz tournaments on Tuesday, tournaments on Wednesday knights, and Saturday tournaments every Saturday. They also have open/casual play on Thursday and Friday nights. They offer group lessons for kids, as well as private lessons. They're also starting to offer more classes on Wednesday workshops and Thursdays tips and tricks. ChessPalace is our gateway into the Chess World. Charlene is also super awesome! read more

I have two school aged children that absolutely love chess. We have been looking for a place to help them increase their skill and to be able to play others. We found chess palace and they love it here. We started with Friday night open play. At first there was only abut 4 payers but by 8pm there was about 12. There are players of all ages. The owner is very nice and tested my kids skill level to make sure they would play well in the open play and ended up playing several games with them. We are excited to find a place for them to play and look forward to attending more of their events. read more

My two sons are learning to the class. The teacher is so kind and teaches them well. I like it so much that I want to recommend it to everybody. read more

ChessPalace - Tabletop Games Near Me - Garden Grove, California

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We love Chess Palace. This is a place for people that are serious about learning to play chess well. The open play nights are amazing. Players from six to eighty gather for the opportunity to play a lot of games with a lot of different skill levels and learn while having fun. We love this space they've created for chess players. read more

Chess Palace is an amazing Place to not only better your skills as a chess player, but to also learn the game! It is family own business, which is a plus, but you find that the family is in the benefit of all there consumers! Thursday and Fridays are game play where you will find a variety of players from players that play chess.com to players that have played in competitions! But they are all eager to teach, learn , and play! You have Saturday tournaments as well that always has a great amount of people! This is the place to come to to not only learn, but to gain knowledge in the game of chess!!!! If you are looking to learn or to enhance in the game of chess, THIS IS THE PLACE! read more

I've been coming here on and off for about 15 years now. It is family owned and operated. They are very organized and their calendar of events is easy to follow. That have chess tournaments and lessons on a regular basis. It's a great place for chess enthusiasts! read more

I'm a better chess player than Alfredo. Careful when coming here I just renewed my USCF chess membership through CP and it's still listed online as expired. read more

super friendly. kind people. always welcoming! Gives me a down to earth atmosphere to play the game I love!

Great tournament atmosphere, very organized and highly professional. Also very educational instructors and these guys host the American Open every year. Best chess club in Orange County! read more

So this is beyond a doubt the best place to play chess in Orange County. It's a family run business, and they've taken over a Southern California tradition, as the original chess palace opened well over two decades ago. They have a very friendly USCF blitz tournament every friday night, with a twist since lower rated players get extra time to level the playing field. They have a variety of tournaments each month so you can play at the time control that's best for you, I prefer 30 minutes to a side, so if you play a terrible game at least it's only an hour and you get to play 3 or 4 more games that day. They also offer chess instruction, I've taken several hours of tutoring there and my game has improved substantially. They now have a new location that's visible from the street and easy to find, so drop in and play a game. read more

I was looking for a good relaxing place to play chess, meet people that likes the game and also play some official tournaments, that's when I found Chess Palace! - They are a family run chess club and are friendly, nice people that loves chess although none of them are Expert/Master level players. - They have an annual membership of $170 which I think is quite affordable! If you become a member you get an Id and a free T-shirt! - A nice collection of chess books, chess sets and other inventory. You get a 10% off if you are a regular member! - You will find a variety of players of different playing strengths from 1000 ish beginner to upper master 2400 level and also players of different age groups from 7 year old kids to 70 year old retirees. - Tournaments are held frequently and they usually have rapid tournaments on friday nights and a month long classical tournament held every wednesday night, which is my favorite! They provide you with the chess set and the clock for tournament games but often players bring their own. - You also get to play casual games especially on the weekends. They have a couple of outdoor tables which are excellent for playing blitz and doing post-mortem analysis and gives a Washington Square Park ish feel especially if you are playing on a warm sunny afternoon! - They also have training and coaching classes for kids which is excellent. - Members get invite (often with discounted entry fee) to outside USCF and FIDE tournaments including the national open! - They have a sandwich place next door which is handy if you want a quick bite in the middle of a game! Overall this is a great place to play and learn chess and have fun meeting people that loves the game and if you are a chess player or a chess fan or an enthusiast that lives in Orange County, you ought to become a member of this club! read more

My son comes here once a week for chess lessons and he LOVES it! He is only 6, and the classes are tailored for his age group. He gets to play kids his own age, and the chess coach also plays with them, gives them tips, and sets time aside for instruction. His game has improved a lot since he started coming here. We are happy that we found Chess Palace. read more

Great staff and enthusiastic guests with a nice atmosphere and location for chess club.

Great place to find a game or tournament. Used books and Chess supplies available.

I came here to get my kids some chess sets and clock and WOW, this place is a full on chess store. They have tons of books, dozens of different kinds of sets (I had to call my kids down to see which ones they liked, there was so much options). When I came here, they were having a tournament. The owner was outside playing some casual games. When he saw us walking out, he started a couple of games with my kids and gave them a lot of tips and advise. Before I know it, it's been 45 minutes and my kids were still enjoying themselves. We got home and they wanted to use the new chess sets right away (they're 5 and 7). I am already planning to sign my kids up for their youth chess program and pretty soon, tournaments. My kids enjoyed it, and so did I! They're starting to kick my butt now! read more

For adults and children, Chess Palace is a great place to play and learn chess. Lessons are always available. A daily tournament is held every Saturday and there is usually a tournament held Sunday as well. Other chess events are held Wed/Friday nights, grandmaster exhibitions are frequently hosted, and great players are likely to drop in unannounced, as did Magnus Carlsen, at the time the highest rated chess player in the world, who recently played in the club's Saturday tournament. First prize was $70, and - one assumes - Carlsen was $65 short for a new set of tires. He did win the tournament, although perhaps that goes without saying. Chess Palace is a wonderful place to hang out and make friends while enjoying the great game of chess. It is owned and operated by the Ong family. The first name of the male members of the Ong family always begins with the letter A: Alfredo, Anthony, Alfred, Aaron... There are others as well. So when you see that you have been paired against A. Ong in the next round of the tournament, you will still have no idea who that might be, which appears to be the intent, like the Aikido master who wears a skirt so that his opponent will not be able to see how his legs are set. The Ongs are the nicest people you will ever meet and I highly recommend Chess Palace to one and all. Anyone who knows Chess Palace will surely do the same. read more

What a special place! Family owned and it shows with the care and passion that they share with their customers. My son absolutely loved it. I highly recommend it. read more

My 5 and 7 year old have been going here since summer. The store itself is very basic with just a bunch of tables and chess sets set up, but the owner Alfredo and his sons are very good with the kids. My kids have really had fun learning the game of chess. They offer free kids classes on Mondays, to get the kids to love the game. It seems to also have a good reputation with the more advanced players. They offer tournaments and it always seems to be busy in the evenings. read more

This is a family run operation, and you could see the pride and care in the way they do business. We were there for a multi-hour tournament and met many new families and immediately felt welcomed by this chess community. The owner has great people skills and from talking with the other families there, great teaching skills as well--especially in mentoring children and getting them excited about the challenges abundant in chess. If there is one weakness here, it would be that the management is so busy working with his students that one needs to be persistent in contacting them. Otherwise, they are professional and obviously have garnered the respect of the local players, children and adults. read more