Kava Social Chess Club
Kava Social
Chess Club
Club nights · Night 604 · Theme night

Trick or checkmate

Sunday, 1 November 2026 · Kava Social Club, 540 13th St W, Bradenton

The whole crew in costume against the patio wall: a knight in armour, a ghost, a masked slasher, prisoners in stripes, a cop and a pizza delivery
21
players
5
rounds
3
brackets
10
season

“Twenty-one players in costume, a sweep from Scott, and a 2% upset from Vinny.”

Harold Gonzalez · Club director

The Halloween bracket was a hit. 🎃 Twenty-one players, fifty games, and a patio full of knights, ghosts, prisoners and one very suspicious pizza delivery. Thank you to everyone who dressed up.

Costume contest: congratulations to Arabella and Joey, our winners, with a cop and robber routine nobody could top. 🚓 And welcome back, Arabella, one of the OGs.

The bracket: Scott swept Over 1400, 5 from 5, with a personal-best 1932. Gabe took Under 1400 on 4 with a new high of 1549, and Joe won Under 1000 on 3. The winners took home Chess Trading Cards from @chesstradingcards. 🃏

Upset of the night: Vinny over Bob at 2%, a 723-point gap. ⚡ Harold over Benji and Diego over Anton both came in at 36%, and Bob held Benji to a draw at 25%.

New on the ladder: Charlie, Bella, Shawn A and Joey G. Milestones: Benji passed 200 games, Bob 50 and Gabe 25. 🌱

Next up: Battle for the Bay 2, Sunday 15 November at 7 PM, on our patio. Tampa Knights come to us. Register at chess67.com/club/kava-social-chess-club ⚔️

Costume contest winners Arabella and Joey acting out a robbery: a robber in stripes with a money bag, a cop aiming finger guns
Costume contest winners: Arabella and Joey, caught in the act.
Arabella and Joey in their cop and robber costumes against the patio wall
Arabella and Joey.
The bracket winners in costume on the patio, holding up their Chess Trading Cards
The bracket winners and their Chess Trading Cards.
The long table on Halloween bracket night, with a ghost in a sheet and players in costume at their boards
Even the ghost had a board.

Got a take? The conversation is on the club Discord.

The night's standings

Over 1400
  1. 1Scott55-0-0
  2. 2Harold44-0-1
  3. 2Josh44-0-1
  4. 4Brett33-0-2
  5. 4Charlie33-0-2
  6. 4Toska33-0-2
  7. 7Benji2.52-1-2
  8. 7Bob2.52-1-2
Under 1400
  1. 1Gabe44-0-1
  2. 2Brian O33-0-2
  3. 3Jenny22-0-3
Under 1000
  1. 1Joe33-0-2
  2. 2Diego22-0-3
  3. 2Maddie22-0-3
  4. 2Sam22-0-3
  5. 5Vinny21-0-3
  6. 6Anton11-0-4
  7. 6Bella11-0-4
  8. 6Joey G11-0-4
  9. 6Shawn A11-0-4
  10. 10Thomas (left early)00-0-1

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.

Your first nightSee the calendarLeague standings
← 28 Oct 2026

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, 604 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.