Bay Area Chess
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Reviews
Top customer testimonials
Ibrahim Rahimi
"They cancelled an event and never refunded the money. Don’t respond to request for refund. They’re unique and one of a kind in being the worst. Edit: This seems to be the only way to respond to the owner's question below. The event was u1400 Signature Quads Sept. 6, 2025 from 9 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. North Milpitas (Sonesta San Jose)."
Subramanian Iyer
"There is a shortage of space for tournaments so parents pretty much have to wait in their car in the parking lot. The people running the activity seem to be sticklers for rules, which might explain some of the bad reviews. My son has participated in simultaneous games, drop in lessons, rated and unrated tournaments, summer camps organized by Bay area chess over the years in San Jose, Palo Alto, Santa Clara, Milpitas locations. We have experienced no issues. As for the chess lessons, the instructors lead discussions for the most part or play group games, so it will be less useful for a child who is shy or sitting passively or not showing initiative."
Natalia Grigoryeva
"I’m really grateful to Bay Area Chess for offering chess tournaments almost every week. It gives kids lots of chances to meet others who love chess and grow in the game. My son also also enjoyed the camps run by Bay Area Chess. They really try to keep tournament fees at a reasonable level. Please remember—the Bay Area is super expensive, and they have to deal with high hotel rental costs. So yes, sometimes the tournaments get very crowded. But I’ve seen the same thing at tournaments in Vegas. It’s probably to be expected, since kids’ tournaments usually bring not just the player, but also parents or guardians for supervision 🤷♀️ Over the years, through my experience with BAC, I’ve seen how kind and caring the people who work there are. They also have a WhatsApp group where they respond to questions almost 24/7, even on weekends!"
Ligia Melody Cornejo
"HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! We had a horrible experience and unfortunately experience racism with one of the instructors. He singled out my child and then attempted to speak Spanish to me in a very condescending way and as if I didn't speak English. When we reached out to their office to inform them of the incident with the specifications of what had occurred, they responded the same way the instructor did. Horrible experience and no accountability for their actions. Instructor was very rude and didn't seem to want to be teaching. The other staff members seemed distracted and not paying attention to the kids. Horrible all around DO NOT hire them for your schools or as private teaching!"
Tina Akers-Porter
"Tournaments are poorly planned and executed. The QR codes linked to tournaments from months ago instead of results/pairings of the current tournament. The venues are entirely too small with no seating for parents of young children. People are sitting on the floors for hours and arguing over chairs. The staff are condescending and rude when you give feedback. They only have the business they do because of the lack of competition."
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