Returning HRSCC students, click HERE to skip to this year’s information!

About HRSCC

Founded in February 2014, HRSCC is a full-service youth competitive chess program that includes ability group-based training from beginner to advanced, and tournament games every week.  HRSCC has trained hundreds of kids in the foundations of chess, given them hands-on tournament experience, and provided all the guidance and support they need to take their game as far as they want to go – from being the best casual player on the block to becoming a National Master.  Many of our HRSCC “graduates” are still playing competitively at an advanced level. This program is a full school-year program, running from September-June. We will accept mid-year enrollments at specific times.

Studies show that the greatest life and academic benefits accrue from systematic study and structured tournament play, and this is an integral part of our program. HRSCC uses a system of FUN incentives to encourage kids to study and practice outside of club, and to participate in tournaments outside of club.  Kids are recognized and rewarded for hard work, regardless of the outcome. 

Our driving philosophy is to ignite a passion and love for the game of chess that will burn brightly and motivate the kids to put in the work and improve.  We never pressure kids to win, and we emphasize that we never “lose” — we only “learn.”  We encourage families to partner with us in this approach to maximize student success.

Getting Started

HRSCC is a tournament club, and students are expected to participate weekly in both class and the tournament portion of the night. Once in HRSCC, students are divided for classes and tournament play by ability group, to provide a nurturing environment at just the right level of challenge each step of the way. We work with families to determine a child’s readiness to move up to higher levels based on chess skill and emotional maturity.  Every child at HRSCC moves at their own pace, and there is never any pressure to move up too quickly. Students are expected to commit to the full season (Sep-June).

If students are not ready for the tournament club, the following options are available:

• Take one of our pre-competitive feeder classes alongside the tournament club on Tuesday nights — Guppy Chess, Seahorse Chess, and Minnow Chess.
  
• Complete an HRCA foundational (Beginner) course through one of our camps, school chess, or other community (e.g. Rec Center) programs.
  
• Attend an HRCA Rookie Training Camp or Tournament Orientation workshops or tournaments to prepare students for their first competition.
  
• Self-study on ChessKid.com. HRCA offers a 20% discount on Gold accounts.

Location

HRSCC meets on Tuesday nights from 5:00-7:00/7:15 PM from September -early June. We have an HRSCC Open House/Assessment night on Aug. 26th, 2025. Club will begin the following week on Sep. 2nd.

We meet on the preschool/Fellowship Hall side of King’s Grant Presbyterian Church – 745 Little Neck Road, Virginia Beach.

Trial Classes/visits – To minimize disruption to classes and ensure we have staff dedicated to sharing our programs with you, trial nights will only be offered on specific dates. To schedule a trial class, please click HERE!

HRSCC Classes/Ability Groups

This year, registration can be done by individual class/ability group!

The HRSCC Ability Groups are:

• HRSCC 1/2 Unrated (Rockfish and Barracudas) – These classes are for students who have completed Minnows and/or are ready to learn to play competitively. These are the only UNRATED groups in HRSCC. Please register under HRSCC-Unrated, and we will manually place your student in the appropriate class. Students in these classes should have a solid foundation in the basics.

The classes below are only open to players with a US Chess Federation rating. (ChessKid ratings don’t count here!) If your student is not US Chess Federation-rated, please register for either Minnows, or HRSCC 1/2 Unrated, based on your student’s ability. If you have questions, please email us! Not sure of your student’s rating? Use the free US Chess player lookup tool!

• HRSCC 3 Swordfish – Novice players rated under 300

• HRSCC 4 Dolphins – Novice players rated between 300-499

• HRSCC 5 Sharks – Experienced players rated between 500-699

• HRSCC 6 Orcas – Experienced players rated between 700-899

• HRSCC 7 Megalodons/Mosasaurs – Advanced Scholastic players rated 900+ These students will train with a National Master.

HRSCC Schedules

Enrolled students will receive a full schedule, and schedules will also available in your Parent Portal under class RESOURCES.

*Please note that our Parent Portal Calendar does not currently support customized class schedules, so this calendar may show as having meetings when we are actually closed or having virtual class. The weekly newsletter, HRCA app, and website are the best places to check for changes.

When our facility is unavailable or there is inclement weather, we will have club virtually on ChessKid.com. 

Parents MUST notify HRCA of any absences in advance via our Parent Portal to help us plan accordingly.

Curriculum & Coaching

Coaches have the discretion to teach whatever material is appropriate for the ability group they are teaching based on an initial assessment of their students.  HRCA coaches have a variety of experience teaching different chess curriculums and use a combination of different resources.

All HRSCC students receive ChessKid Gold accounts included in their tuition. ChessKid is the premier online chess resource for kids, and we strongly incentivize our students to use their accounts at home for study and practice.

Our coaches are all certified by US Chess and have passed a background check through HRCA.  They are experienced, knowledgable, and are all seasoned chess players. We take great care in assigning the right coach to the right group at HRSCC! We also have volunteer Assistant Coaches, who are usually teenagers or parents with chess knowledge that have also met our background check requirements. They do not lead the class, but are there to offer extra support to our students! Learn more about our coaching staff at: https://www.hrchessclub.org/about-hrca/

Family Volunteer Commitment

 
NEW for 2025-2026 – Each family must commit to 1 night of volunteer duties at the club each semester.

Click HERE to see our HRSCC Volunteer Policy and available roles.

If you are interested in volunteering at HRSCC or other HRCA programs, please visit our Volunteer page to complete our volunteer application.

Registration

Non-Refundable Registration Fee: $20 per student, per class.

Tuition: HRSCC tuition is $95/month per student. ChessKid Gold and HRCA Youth membership are included!

Tuition is due on the 1st of each month from Sep-May and will be processed via autopay to payment method on file.

Tuition is all-inclusive of club curriculum, awards, Tuesday night tournaments, etc. and represents a total program cost evenly spread across nine months from September to May. Because of this, we generally do not pro-rate tuition. Exceptions will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Register EARLY! Standard Registration closes 8/30 for Fall session. Late registrations may be accepted up to the 2nd week of the session if space is available, with a $40 registration fee.

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Mid-year admissions: Due to the complexity of coaching groups of children by ability and the variety in our weekly tournament schedule, there are only certain dates we can roll new members into HRSCC.  For 2025-2026, new students may join during fall registration period but no later than September 16th. New students may join again beginning January 6th and not later than January 20th.

Please note that weekend tournaments, optional workshops, camps, and club apparel/merchandise, etc. are not required and do have a separate cost and registration.

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Payments: HRCA requires autopay for tuition and registration fees. Tuition will be processed on the 1st of each month, Sep-May. Tuition is 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. 

*Please ensure your payment method on file is valid, and has enough funds to cover your tuition + 1.25% technology fee. Payments that are declined, late, or bounced will incur additional fees, and your student will be unable to attend class until payment is made. Students receiving scholarship may have their scholarship award revoked for continual payment issues without communication. Please see our Financial Policies and Scholarship Policy for more information.

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Withdrawals: It is important that you notify us as soon as possible if you need to withdraw. You MUST contact us via email at hrca@hrchessclub.org or via Drop Request in your Parent Portal. Verbal withdrawal notices will NOT be accepted. Withdrawal notification is required no later than the 15th of the month for the month ahead. We are no longer “pausing” accounts. If you need to take a break, you must continue paying tuition to hold your spot, or withdraw and re-register based on available space.

Failing to notify HRCA after the 15th will result in your account being charged if you are on a monthly billing or payment plan.  There are no refunds once payments are processed. There are no refunds for missed sessions or failure to notify HRCA. 

Enrollment in all classes are subject to HRCA’s Policies, including Code of Conduct, Financial Policies, and Youth Protection Protocols.

Financial Aid

We have limited needs-based financial assistance available, including partial scholarships reserved for students with demonstrated financial need.  If this applies to you, please complete our Financial Assistance Application HERE, then register for your class. Your account will not be charged for your class until your scholarship application is processed and your family portion is determined. The $20 non-refundable registration fee is required for all students.

Needs-based Financial Aid requests are due 2 weeks prior to class start date. Please see our Financial Aid page for more information. 

Registration is OPEN when the Register box below says “Register.” If it is blank, registration is NOT open for this class.