About

Contact

Downriver Chess Club of New Orleans, 501(c)(3)
PO Box 215, Arabi, LA 70032
info@downriverchess.com

History

Our club began as the Treme Chess Club in 2012, organized by Jeff Vollmer. In 2016, Jeff moved to St. Louis where he now runs a club in Old North St. Louis. Andrew Squitiro took over organizing duties after Jeff and a year later began running  tournaments under the name Downriver Chess Club.  After a bit of wandering, the club made Cafe Envie in the French Quarter our home base.

In 2018, Richard Campbell began directing tournaments alongside Andrew, and the duo directed the 2022 Louisiana State Open together—one of the largest state championships in Louisiana chess history.

Our club continues growing and we have consistently offered larger-scale tournaments with a $1,000+ prize fund every few months. If you are interested in tournament directing or organizing with us, please send an inquiry to info@downriverchess.com.

In 2023, we formed the club into a federally recognized non-profit organization. The current board of the 501(c)(3) is comprised as follows:

President & Director — Andrew Squitiro
Treasurer & Director — Richard Campbell
Secretary & Director — Richard Scheidt

In 2024, we moved our Monday night play to Turtle Bay. Also this year, both Richard and Andrew became National Arbiters with US Chess, enabling them to run FIDE-rated tournaments in the US.