Eighteen players, one perfect score
Sunday, 27 September 2026 · Kava Social Club, 540 13th St W, Bradenton
“A cool night, full tables, and four underdogs walked off with a result.”
Harold Gonzalez · Club director
Night two of Season 10, and the patio filled up: eighteen players, five rounds, three brackets, and for once the weather did us a favour. Cool, clear, a breeze through the tiki. The kind of night the boards stay out until midnight and nobody notices the time. 🌙
Scott is a problem. Five rounds, five wins, and the list of who he beat reads like the top of the table: Harold, Mathew, Benji. Two nights into the season he is ten from ten. Behind him Harold and Mathew sit on four apiece, and Harold took a 37% shot at Benji in the last round and landed it. 🔥
Then the upsets. Steve opened the night by beating Toska as a 35% underdog. Stevo closed it by beating Brian O at 32%. Jenny held Toska to a draw at 27%. And Maddie, four days after solving the hardest puzzle on Tuesday, turned it into a round-five win over Diego. All of which leaves Under 1400 in a three-way tie at the top: Zack, Steve and Stevo on three points each. 🧨
Under 1000, Anton and Maddie share the lead on two. Eighteen players, two nights in. Season 10 is going to be a fight, and the Battle for the Bay is Saturday. ⚔️♟️
Got a take? The conversation is on the club Discord.
The night's standings
- 1Scott55-0-0
- 2Harold44-0-1
- 2Mathew44-0-1
- 4Benji33-0-2
- 5Toska2.52-1-2
- 1Zack33-0-2
- 1Steve33-0-2
- 1Stevo33-0-2
- 4Jenny2.52-1-2
- 5Brian O22-0-3
- 5Omar Cruz22-0-3
- 1Anton22-0-3
- 1Maddie21-0-3
- 3Diego10-0-4
- 3Cody10-0-3
- 3Ron11-0-2
- 3Drake11-0-3
In-house club league ratings; they only count here. W-D-L = wins-draws-losses.
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, 600 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.