Twenty-two on the patio
Sunday, 4 October 2026 · Kava Social Club, 540 13th St W, Bradenton
“Less than a day after Tampa, 22 players packed the patio. Our biggest Sunday in months.”
Harold Gonzalez · Club director
Less than 24 hours after Battle for the Bay, the back patio at Kava Social filled up and kept filling. Twenty-two players, boards end to end, every table taken. Our biggest social night in months. 🔥
Sunday is free play: no brackets, no ratings on the line. Pull up a chair, find a game, then find another. One long table under the lights, games at every other table too, and at least one player with a chess book open between rounds. ♟️
This is the part of the club no scoreboard shows. Saturday told us we have work to do. Sunday showed us who we get to do it with. A chess board is still the easiest way to meet a stranger, and twenty-two people choosing to spend a Sunday night across from each other is the whole point. 🤝
Tuesday is study night at 8. Next Sunday the club goes to the movies for Grandmasters at 6, then a late bracket at 9:15. Vote below and tell us if you're in. 🎬
Grandmasters at 6, then the bracket at 9:15. Are you in?
Tap your pick. One vote each.
Got a take? The conversation is on the club Discord.
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.