A Chess Academy with 2000+ Students Organizes 4 Tournaments a Week With ChessManager!

"Chess runs in the family!"

"I play it. My kids play it. My wife plays it. In fact, she wanted to start Chess Klub. So I thought I could help her take it to the next level because I come from a very organized background," says Sudev Rajah.

"In 2019, we began it at home, and within a month or so, we had about 30-35 students and the entire community was packed with cars. It was time to move out."

We took a space in our city, Fort Mill, and kept growing.

In a few years, they opened new centers in new regions like Charlotte city and even in Bangalore in India.

As they expanded, they identified one problem many aspiring chess players often face.

Lack of practical experience for players

"We realized that most of the kids play well, but they rarely get opportunities to play in person."

"There were tournaments happening every week in different parts of Charlotte, but they were very expensive. We wanted to find a solution.
So we started the Tournament Klub membership, where a player can play in unlimited tournaments for $75 a month."

You will be amazed to learn about the sheer number of tournaments the Chess Klub team offers under this package today!

At that time, however, even creating pairings for just one event was a significant challenge.

Why Sudev wasn't happy with other pairing softwares

"Our coaches were using a software called WinTD to organize tournaments. Some were using the Swiss system."

"I wasn't very happy with those products because I couldn't do it myself."

Sudev wasn't a chess arbiter, nor were many others on the Chess Klub team.

"You had to be experienced in that software and you couldn't do it remotely."

All of that was about to change.

Why he chose ChessManager?

"I was looking at a lot of options and came across ChessManager, which was very reasonably priced. I said, ‘Okay, let's just try it out'."

"I was able to host a couple of tournaments myself and then asked our academy coaches to do the same."

"Now, we run all our local tournaments on ChessManager, including the USCF-rated tournaments which are administered by the official tournament directors due to the rules."

"For all the unrated tournaments, we train the team to use this pairing software."

As Sudev and his team's experience shows, you don't need to be a professional arbiter to use ChessManager; anyone can use it to create pairings quickly.

At the time of writing, Chess Klub has hosted over 250 tournaments using ChessManager!

Organizing chess events made simple and efficient

"We recently started using the registration feature."

This allows players to register for events on their own, reducing the need to repeatedly email the Chess Klub team.

"Organizing chess tournaments, we've brought it down to a science, thanks to ChessManager. Now, I can arrive at my club 30 minutes before the tournament starts and leave within 30 minutes after the last round finishes; that's how streamlined it is."

With software that enhances their event organizing process, the Chess Klub team has found the support it needs to pursue a bigger vision.

"We're now expanding the scope of our tournaments because we are very confident in our organizational abilities."

"For example, we have an International Women's Day tournament coming up, and we will also host tournaments on Mother's Day, Father's Day, and more."

Everyone's focused during a chess tournament!

How chess players have benefitted from Tournament Klub

"We host nearly four tournaments each week, offering a variety with different time controls and increments."

Therefore, in a month, the Chess Klub team hosts approximately 16-20 chess events! That's a wealth of opportunities to participate in competitions and gain practical experience!

Find upcoming events on The Chess Klub Calendar

"We reward those who score the maximum points."
"In one month, we have seen some players gain 300 points because they are using the Tournament Klub membership and playing in more events."

The best part about organizing tournaments

"Before the tournament, the kids are excited and make a lot of noise.
During the two to three hours of play, they're absolutely silent.
And afterward, they're back to noise and excitement."

"The joy on the faces of the kids is the best thing that I see."

We're proud to support the ambitions of a chess academy that brings so much happiness to so many young kids!

Future plans

"Our vision is to establish about 1,000 centers across the US and India."

"If you're seeing 250 tournaments organized by Chess Klub on ChessManager now, expect to see a thousand very soon 🙂"