When Is The Club Open?

ACC is open every Monday evening except for holidays. Our doors open for kids' classes at 5:00 (and our Youth Tournament) at 5:00, casual play at 6:30, and our regular tournament round starts at 7:30 p.m. The club usually closes at 11:30 p.m.

We occasionally hold special events that alter our regular schedule.

How Do Memberships Work?

Every ACC member gets the following benefits:

• discounts on tickets to our special tournaments and events (such as the Toronto Open.)
• access to ACC's excellent chess library
• 50% discounts on our classes.

ACC has four annual memberships (good for a year from the time of purchase), which are:

• Casual Membership ($97): a year's worth of casual play;
• TWCC Membership ($97): a year of casual play and admission to the Toronto Women's Chess Club;
• Youth Tournament Membership ($97): a year of casual play and a year's worth of play in our new Youth Tournaments (16 and younger, CFC membership is required.)
• Tournament Membership ($230): for a year's worth of regular tournament play, as well as everything listed above. (A CFC membership is also required for tournament play.)

We offer discounts for junior players, seniors and students for all memberships.

A $29 admin fee is charged for new memberships and renewal of memberships that have been lapsed for more than a year.

All prices include HST.

Our memberships are priced so that they pay for themselves in just ten visits to the club, so memberships are well worth it, even if you can't make it every week.  Add to that the discounts we offer to members for our special events, and you'll agree that it pays to be a member!

You can learn more here.

Does ACC run classes?

Yes! We run a variety of classes for players of any age and any skill level. Most are in-person on Monday evenings, but our advanced classes are online on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

What is the Toronto Women's Chess Club?

The Toronto Women's Chess Club usually meets on the second Monday of the month, starting at 6:30 p.m. The club is specifically for women and girls, and is hosted by WGM Anna Burtasova. Each month she delivers an instructive and inspiring lecture, followed by casual games. TWCC members also enjoy a year of casual play at the club.

I’m pretty new to chess. Can I play in tournaments?

Yes! Our tournaments are open to everyone, even beginners. And we now have a separate tournament exclusively for younger players.

My Child Is Interested In Chess. Is ACC for Kids?

In a word, yes! We offer a Youth tournament, and quite a few of our regular tournament players are young people, some as young as seven or eight.

ACC also runs regular classes for young people at different skill levels, from beginner to advanced.

How Do Tournaments Work?

ACC runs a continuing series of five-round classical tournaments, with one round per week. The time control is 90+30, and our tournaments typically have three sections: Crown, Under 1800 and Under 1400.

(We also sometimes have special events and tournaments that interrupt our regular tournament schedule.)

Our tournaments are CFC-rated, and the Crown section is FIDE-rated. Players may play in a single round, or entire tournaments. A tournament membership is $230 per year, with discounts for juniors, seniors and students, or you can drop in for one evening of play for about $20.

You can learn everything you need to know about our regular tournaments here.

Our Youth Tournaments mirror our regular tournaments exactly, with one round per week. The difference is that the youth tournaments start earlier (5:00 p.m.) and have a shorter time control (30+30) meaning that most games will be finished by 6:30 p.m.

How Does Casual Play Work?

Our casual area, or skittles room, opens at 6:30 every club night. There, you can play anyone you like, with or without a clock. This is a fun, relaxed environment where quiet conversation is welcome. Tournament players often use the casual room for game analysis. 

Anyone can pay for a single night ($12) or an annual Casual Membership of $97. Tournament players and students at ACC classes can play in the casual area at no charge.

Do I need to bring my own equipment?

No. ACC provides everything: boards, sets, clocks, pens and scoresheets. 

ACC also has a water cooler, as well as coffee and tea. Water is free (you're encouraged to bring a water bottle). Coffee and tea are a very reasonable 50¢.

Does ACC sell chess sets?

Yes! We sell tournament sets (board and set of pieces with extra queens) for $25.

We also sell clocks for $50.