About Us

The Sacramento Math Club: This was the original name for the Golden State Chess Club, a group of paintball players spread across northern and southern California, with one goal in mind: Have more fun than the people on the opposing start gate. 

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           The Golden State Chess Club started out as a throw together team at the 2021 NXL Sacramento event.  After getting knocked out of the x-ball tournament in the preliminary rounds, a group of friends decided to sign up last minute for the 5-man division being held the next day.  The team signed up under the name Winston Garcia’s, took home a 2nd place finish and shared a memory that would soon lead to an event that no one expected.  The team name for this event is a story in itself. 

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           Alejandro Garcia, the player who organized this group, was a part of another team at the time: The Washington Winstons.  When this team put an order in for jerseys at the beginning of the year, many of us purchased jerseys to support Alejandro and the team.  Even though the order took place early in 2021, we did not receive the jerseys from Alejandro until the NXL Sacramento event.  We decided to play the 5-man event on Sunday wearing these jerseys.  Each one with the same last name on the back: Garcia.

After that 5-man event a group chat was started online and talks of keeping this core together for fun events only became our focus.  Though most of our players were preparing to finish out their x-ball seasons, we kept a conversation going on our phones.  This forum is where the idea of a new team name came from.

After all, Winston Garcias seemed like more of a one-off team name. 

A joke started going around about having a team name that didn’t have anything to do with paintball.  One of the ideas that got brought up was a math club.  We thought it was pretty good but then someone suggested chess club and we were sold.  Further, we decided to call the team Golden State Chess Club rather than Sacramento because even though our first event together was played in Sacramento, our team base was located across California. 

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We had a name, we had a group, and we had some inexpensive practice jerseys from Todd Martinez and Los at WEPNZ. The next thing we needed was an event to play.  It didn’t look like we had many options but before we knew it we had 2 events that we were signed up for: a 10-man WCPPL event hosted by Mike Hinman and a 7-man semi uncapped event hosted by Bobby Aviles and DEFY Sports.  Both events were a blast.  They were filled with great energy, big laughs, and intense games that would serve as a solid foundation of memories to pull from as the team began its journey as an organization. 

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Fast forward to ICPL Sacramento.  Chess Club signs up to compete in the amateur division.  After an incredible weekend and only our third true tournament together, we took home the gold medal.  What we did not know at the time was that this would be the moment that led to us earning a professional spot in the ICPL.  After three events together we had created a professional team.  And the best part?  We were enjoying the game again.  Paintball felt like what paintball was supposed to be about.  We were learning, we were competing and we were enjoying ourselves. 

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The Golden State Chess Club gives thanks to all family, friends and businesses who have supported us in our new, yet eventful, adventure.  We look forward to adding many more adventures and meeting new friends, players and explorers along the way. We hope to have more fun than you at every event we attend but if you manage to figure out a way to enjoy yourselves more than we are, then good on you, and CHECKMATE!