Six puzzles, and Maddie took the hardest
Tuesday, 22 September 2026 · Kava Social Club, 540 13th St W, Bradenton
“Six puzzles on the table, scored, and the hardest one fell to Maddie.”
Harold Gonzalez · Club director
Chapter 30 of 40 Lessons for the Club Player, and the subject was evaluation: looking at a position and knowing who actually stands better, before you calculate a single line. 📚
Then we put it to the test. Six puzzles, scored, the whole room working the same positions. Evaluation is the hardest thing to teach and the easiest thing to fake, so a scored set is honest about what you really see. Some great solves came out of it, and the hardest puzzle in the set went to Maddie. Not bad for a rookie. 🏆
Two new faces joined us as well, and both got straight into the games. That is exactly how a Tuesday should go. 🤝
One more bit of club news: our chess.com verification application is finished and submitted. And the training carries on, because the Battle for the Bay against the Tampa Knights is eleven days out. ⚔️♟️
Every Sunday and Tuesday at eight. Say it's your first night.
About the club
Kava Social Chess Club is a chess club in Bradenton, Florida, meeting Sundays and Tuesdays from 8PM to midnight on the back patio at Kava Social Club, 540 13th St W in downtown Bradenton. It is the most active chess club in Manatee County and half an hour from Sarasota, Lakewood Ranch, Palmetto and Ellenton. Every level plays here: beginners, casual players, adults who have not played since school, and US Chess rated tournament players. An in-house chess league every other Sunday, study night on Tuesdays, US Chess rated tournaments a few times a year. 21+, no dues, alcohol-free, in English and Spanish. Established 2021, 587 club nights on record.
If you are looking for where to play chess in Bradenton, or a chess club near you on Florida's Gulf Coast, this is your first night.