K-12 students across South Florida can compete for trophies at a free chess tournament Nov. 15 at the Scott Rakow Youth Center in Miami Beach.

The Commissioner Mark Samuelian Memorial Scholastic Chess Tournament runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the center, located at 2700 Sheridan Ave.

Check-in begins at 9:30 a.m.

The city's Parks and Recreation Department and the National Scholastic Chess Foundation (NSCF) are producing the event. The tournament is open to students in grades K through 12 attending public, charter, private, religious or homeschool programs in South Florida, according to the NSCF's tournament page. Trophies will be awarded across three sections.

The annual tournament honors the late Mark Samuelian, who served as a Miami Beach city commissioner from 2017 to 2022. Samuelian, who lived from 1963 to 2022, earned his National Master title in high school, according to the NSCF. He championed the partnership that brought the foundation's chess programming to the city, including free weekend open-play sessions and instruction for hundreds of summer camp students.

The NSCF and the city held the first memorial tournament in November 2022. Samuelian died before the programs launched, the foundation said on its community chess page. The tournament has been held on a Sunday in November each year since.

The NSCF, a nonprofit founded in 1990, produces twice-yearly scholastic tournaments in Miami Beach as part of its broader South Florida programming. The events follow U.S. Chess Federation (USCF) rules. Players are required to notate their games, and coaches provide free game analysis between rounds.

At a May 17 youth chess tournament at the same venue, 83 players competed despite heavy rain and flooding. Mayor Steven Meiner and Commissioner Laura Dominguez greeted families at that event, according to the NSCF.

Coming up

  • Nov. 15 — Commissioner Mark Samuelian Memorial Scholastic Chess Tournament, Scott Rakow Youth Center, 2700 Sheridan Ave., 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m. Check-in at 9:30 a.m. Free for all K-12 students.