Memphis Chess Club

Not only the 2nd oldest chess club in the US, but a full cafe with great coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, local beer, and cocktails. Come play chess or other board games!

Memphis Chess Club is the 2nd oldest chess club in the US, founded in 1877. There's tons of history in the Toof Building, part of the National Register of Historic Places, where the Memphis Chess Club is currently located.

We're big on chess:
Chess-wise, weekly tournaments, classes, and many other events are hosted. The MCC won United States Chess Federation's 2022 Chess Club of the Year, an award given each year to only one of hundreds of chess clubs throughout the US. It hosted the 2022 Tennessee Chess Association's TN State Chess Championship, the first time in Memphis in over two decades.

In addition to the chess, the MCC is also a full service cafe, with great coffee, breakfast, lunch, dinner, local beer, & cocktails. As a cafe, the MCC has also won February 2022 Top 10 new restaurants award from Memphis Magazine, and attends and vends for the Memphis Restaurant Association's annual Food Festival.

We're big on fresh:
All pizza and sandwich dough is made in-house, and all sauces are also mixed in-house. All food gets cooked to order, with all fresh vegetables.

We're big on sourcing and supporting local:
Coffee is selected and shipped green in bulk, blended green by hand, and locally roasted by Rigby Roastery. Ice cream is locally sourced from MemPops. Cakes are locally sourced from Buttermilk Babes. Almost all beer is local, including Soul & Spirits, Hampline, Meddlesome, Wiseacre, Memphis Made, Grind City, and High Cotton.

Make the right move and come on down!