Passionate about the game of chess and all avid chess players, the Pomeranz brothers, Corbin, Jory and Cody, were leaving a Bengals game in 2001 when they noted that Paul Brown Stadium would make a great venue for a chess tournament. The first Queen City Classic Chess Tournament, held in the spring of 2002, drew 350 students and was a huge success.
The event now draws up to 700 players each year. The growth of the tournament inspired the founders to expand the chess branch of the Cris Collinsworth ProScan Fund and create a program that would provide chess instruction in local schools.
Launched in 2013, the Queen City Classic Chess in Schools Program places chess instructors in Greater Cincinnati schools to teach the game to local students.
