Mechanics' Institute Chess Club

[citation needed] The first world-class player to visit San Francisco was Johann Zukertort, who spent nearly a month in the city in July 1884.

[1][2][3] Many other leading players have given exhibitions or played at the Institute, including Harry Pillsbury, Géza Maróczy, Frank Marshall (1913 and 1915), Borislav Kostić (1915), Samuel Reshevsky (1921 and 1956), Arthur Dake (1937 among many others), Georges Koltanowski (1939), Svetozar Gligorić, and Tony Miles.

The Institute has also been visited by many world champions, including Emanuel Lasker (1902 and 1926), José Capablanca (1916), Alexander Alekhine (1924 and 1929), Max Euwe (1947 or 1949?

), Bobby Fischer (1964), Vasily Smyslov (1976), Tigran Petrosian (1978), Anatoly Karpov (1999), and Boris Spassky (1980 and 2006).

[4] The Chess Room holds regular USCF and FIDE rated tournaments, including blitz and rapid events.