Five upsets and a deck of cards
Sunday, 25 October 2026 · Kava Social Club, 540 13th St W, Bradenton
“Nineteen players, five upsets, two perfect nights, and trading cards for the top three.”
Harold Gonzalez · Club director
Full house again: nineteen players, five rounds, forty-three games, and league night four of Season 10. 🔥
Two perfect nights. Benji and Gabe both went 5 from 5 in Over 1400, and Gabe's sweep came with a personal-best rating of 1504 and the biggest climb of the night, +151. 🧹
Then the upsets, all five of them. ⚡ Vinny over Jenny at 5%, a 536-point gap and the upset of the night. Diego over Toska at 7%. Joe over Josh at 8%. Anton over Omar Cruz at 26%. And Vinny again, over Maddie at 35%. Under 1000 came to fight.
Joe (+135) and Anton both climbed past 1000 on the night. Welcome to Brett and Dustin on their first night, with Brett going 3-0-2 straight into Over 1400. 🌱
New tonight: official Chess Trading Cards, from @chesstradingcards (instagram.com/chesstradingcards). 🃏 The top three in each section took cards home, and there are more to earn at study nights, bracket nights and for attendance. Collect them all, trade them, or play for keeps.
Next Sunday is Costume Chess Night, then Battle for the Bay 2 on 15 November. 🎃⚔️
Got a take? The conversation is on the club Discord.
The night's standings
- 1Benji55-0-0
- 1Gabe55-0-0
- 3Harold44-0-1
- 4Brett33-0-2
- 5Mathew (left early)22-0-1
- 5Josh22-0-3
- 5Toska22-0-3
- 1Brian O33-0-2
- 1Jenny33-0-2
- 3Omar Cruz22-0-3
- 3Sam (left early)22-0-1
- 5Sonny11-0-4
- 1Anton22-0-3
- 1Joe22-0-3
- 1Vinny22-0-3
- 4Diego (left early)11-0-2
- 4Dustin11-0-1
- 4Maddie11-0-4
- 7Cody00-0-5
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, 601 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.