When self-proclaimed “chess nerd” Rodolfo Rodriguez heard about the Traveling Chess Club from a Starbucks barista last year, he only had a month’s experience in the game. The 25-year-old software engineer had spent nearly seven years bouncing between group activities like soccer and kickboxing after moving from Houston, but struggled to make lasting connections in these fast-paced environments. So, when he was greeted by the few Traveling Chess Club members huddled around five Starbucks tables with as much undivided attention to learning about him as the game they had come for, Rodriguez knew he had found his people.
“I like this (hobby) because it’s not like paying for a half-hour jiu jitsu lesson where you don’t talk to anyone and go home after,” Rodriguez said. “It’s a community. People love to talk chess.”
The Traveling Chess Club is a “social club and networking hub” that uses chess to bring people of all skill levels together. Much like Rodriguez, yield analysis engineer Isaac Jaramillo, the club’s founder, found himself hunched over a chessboard at a cafe after a long lack of in-person interaction. After COVID-19 lockdowns had kept Jaramillo confined in his home until 2022, he was thrilled to play against a friend, and several cafe patrons took notice. So many asked to join their game that Jaramillo created a group for regular chess meetups, which quickly transitioned to an Instagram page when it grew too large to manage via text.
After pandemic travel restrictions loosened, a busy Jaramillo finally carved out personal time to visit international destinations like Rome and Athens. Even in these places, he met many locals eager for a game when they saw him with a board. To commemorate the global nature of passion for chess, Jaramillo named his new organization Traveling Chess Club.
“My favorite part was you didn’t have to speak the same language,” Jaramillo said. “Chess was a universal language I could take with me no matter what.”
The club hosts three weekly chess socials at bars and cafes around Austin: Jack and Ginger’s Irish Pub on Tuesdays, Stargazer Bar on Wednesdays and its largest event at Mozart’s Coffee Roaster’s on Thursdays. Last year, they also began a series of monthly ticketed events called Knight Club, which are large, themed chess parties with food, refreshments, a DJ and a photo booth.
Rodriguez attends all three weekly events along with Knight Club. He said the people he’s met at Traveling Chess Club have become some of his closest personal friends.
“I used to go to clubs and everyone was 60 plus,” Rodriguez said. “I think this (club) shows our generation wants to do more stuff in real life like this.”
Despite the club’s branding as a social platform, other players like Clay Master enjoy the high-level competition it attracts. Master joined during the club’s earliest iteration in 2022 and watched its membership more than double. Ever since, it has remained his favorite place to find a challenging match.
“It’s more popular than other chess clubs, so it’s easy to get a game, and there are some really good players,” Master said. “At all the other ones, I win too much, but I lose a lot whenever I come here.”
Jaramillo engaged both casual and competitive players in 2024 through daily advertising of their events on Instagram. Promoting an optional paid membership with benefits like Traveling Chess Club merchandise and access to event pictures also appealed to the club’s most loyal supporters. As a result, the page has grown from 400 followers to 5,000 in just a year.
Vanelly Mendoza was one of many new members who found Traveling Chess Club through Instagram. After moving from Laredo, she joined the group for the first time in January to try something new away from home. Although she had never played chess before, it was the people that kept her coming back.
“People here are super nice, super friendly,” Mendoza said. “They’ll play two or three games with me and teach me something. Plus, I’ve still been able to play with people that are also just starting out, so it’s fun because then I get to actually play a game and not just learn.”
The collaborative atmosphere fits Jaramillo’s mission to remove the stigma around chess and inspire people of all backgrounds to play. To do this, he wants to ensure the club lives up to its name by expanding to larger cities like Houston, New York, Toronto and Paris.
“I think the future of chess is huge,” Jaramillo said. “More people are going to start playing, and people online are noticing it more. Even people that have never played are probably getting more curious.”
Though he initially had doubts about interest in a chess group, Jaramillo said he cherishes how far Traveling Chess Club has come.
“Now, I talk to people and they tell me they told all their friends and coworkers to come,” Jaramillo said. “They’re so happy with the club and they’re spreading the word, which is really great.”
