NEWS

YOUR INVITATION
for the
CHESS COLLECTORS INTERNATIONAL
WESTERN HEMISPHERE CONFERENCE
New Orleans, USA
September 4-7, 2025
You are hereby cordially invited to attend the Western Hemisphere Conference of Chess
Collectors International, to be held in New Orleans, Louisiana USA, from September 4th through
7th, 2025. In the French Quarter, where else?
We have an exciting program planned for you. New Orleans is an exciting city, home of the
famous 19th century chess prodigy and unofficial world champion, Paul Morphy.
This September, our conference will include:
• Visits to two museum exhibitions - at The Historic New Orleans Collection (to
include a look at Morphy’s own chess set), and the Beauregard-Keyes House, a
historic residence with many Morphy connections of its own.
• Lectures on chess-related topics.
• A simultaneous exhibition with renowned chess master, and arguably the most
famous street player in the world, The Man in the Red Beret, Jude Acers.
• Gala dinner at Brennan’s Restaurant, formerly the home of Paul
Morphy. Opportunity to enjoy a lavish New Orleans dinner, play chess in the
Morphy Room (the upstairs room where he died), and a possible surprise guest.
• A Mississippi riverboat cruise with music and dinner.
• A chess market.
• Priceless opportunities to meet and connect in person with like-minded collectors,
and learn about chess history and heritage in ways you may never have thought of
before!
YOUR ORGANIZERS:
Tom Gallegos: chesscollectorsintl@comcast.net
Luann Woneis: l.woneis@comcast.net
Please feel free to contact either of us at any time with any questions, comments or concerns you
may have about the conference. Conference and hotel registration deadlines are August 1, 2025.
HOTEL INFORMATION: Our conference hotel will be the historic Bourbon Orleans,
centrally located at 717 Orleans Street, New Orleans, Louisiana, 70116. For this meeting, we
have a dedicated reservation link: Click here or you can call 1-855-771-5214 and provide
booking code 2509CCIWest.
Our conference rate (also good for 2 days before and after the conference) is $210 single or
double occupancy including taxes, fees and assessments. Let me emphasize: This rate is
inclusive of taxes and fees. Our members in the US are perhaps more used to seeing hotel rates
quoted without all the taxes, etc. Our base rate before the required additions is $179/night. So,
plan on $210/night.
Some notes on our special hotel arrangement, which we are required to disclose:
• Minimum 2 night length of stay and no Saturday arrivals or departures.
• All rooms subject to an Early Departure Charge equal to one night’s room rate including
applicable fees, taxes, and assessments.
• Overnight parking rate (not included in the room rate) is currently $50 plus tax. This rate
may change by the time we hold our conference.
• Breakfast is also not included in the room rate. The attached restaurant, Roux, does serve
breakfast daily from 7:00 am to 12 noon. Alternatively, the entire (incomparable) French
Quarter is right outside your door.
• All guests will pay for their sleeping rooms directly with the hotel.
• Our rates are good through August 1, after which the hotel can release any non-reserved
rooms in our room block.
• A credit card is required to guarantee your reservation. A non-refundable deposit equal
to one night’s stay (including taxes and fees) will be charged at the time of registration.
If a guest does not cancel at least 72 hours before the guest’s check-in date, the hotel may
charge the credit card one night’s room fee plus applicable taxes.
• At the time of check-in, the hotel may place a hold in accordance with the hotel’s
standard procedure or process a prepayment in the amount of the guest’s estimated
charges if prepayment has not already been made.
• If we get a large turnout our room block number could be reached before the August 1st
date and other reservations will be at the prevailing rate at the time. (If it looks like we
will hit that number, we will try to add to our block, but we cannot be sure that will be
possible.)
Our hotel is located right in the center of the French Quarter, the old historic section of New
Orleans, on Bourbon Street and within easy walking distance of almost all our conference
activities. Pictures available on the hotel website: www.bourbonorleans.com
Our block of rooms is fairly small, so please book your hotel room well in advance of August 1,
2025!
SPECIAL NOTE FOR FOREIGN NATIONALS TRAVELING TO THE USA:
Citizens of Canada and Bermuda traveling to the United States generally do not require a
nonimmigrant visa for tourist travel. For travelers from many other countries, if you do not
already have a valid visa for travel to the USA, you may no longer need one (provided you are
arriving by air or sea, not over land through Canada or Mexico). For most European countries, a
few British Commonwealth countries, and several other nations around the world, there is now
something called the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), for which you can apply through the new
Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Make your ESTA application as soon as
you know your travel plans. Do not wait until the last possible minute to apply for your ESTA
waiver. (The last possible minute is defined as 72 hours before your flight. You could still do it
then, but this would be cutting it close, with little to no time for recovery if something goes
wrong!)
NOTE: This information was correct as of this writing, but the situation may change.
For more information on travel to the US: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel.html
For information specifically about the ESTA program and to apply online, go to the following
US Government link: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov
(Overheard in the French Quarter)
“Excuse me, can you please direct me to the Bourbon Orleans Hotel?”
“No problem, it’s right there at the intersection of BOURBON and ORLEANS Streets!”
Chess Collectors International
WESTERN HEMISPHERE CONFERENCE
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA, September 4-7, 2025
REGISTRATION FORM
Please complete the form below and mail it along with your check for US $350 per person for
members and their guests. Register by no later than August 1, 2025. (Please print clearly and
legibly):
________________________________________________________________________
Your Name
________________________________________________________________________
Name(s) of your guests or additional attendees
Circle here if you are a vegetarian or vegan. (Circle one)
Will you play in the simul?
Yes________ No_________
Your email address for confirmation and subsequent notifications: __________________
Please make your check payable to Chess Collectors International. Mail the check and your
completed form to:
Chess Collectors International
6352 Utica Street
Arvada, Colorado 80003-1470
USA
We can also accept payment via PayPal using our account: chesscollectorsintl@comcast.net
Our non-USA members have the option of paying the registration fee in cash during check-in at
the meeting, if they choose. (Our CCI conference check-in desk will be open in the lobby of the
Bourbon Orleans from 1:00 – 4:45 pm on Thursday, September 4th.)
PLEASE REGISTER EARLY!
Chess Collectors International
Chess Collectors International
WESTERN HEMISPHERE CONFERENCE
New Orleans Louisiana, USA, September 4-7, 2025
PROVISIONAL PROGRAM as of July 1, 2025
All meals and events listed are included in the conference fee unless otherwise noted
Thursday, September 4th:
1:00 to 4:45 Registration in the Bourbon Orleans Hotel lobby (our conference hotel)
If you arrive early enough, this would also be a great time to visit Jude Acers at
his famous World Chess Table down on Decatur Street near the Gazebo Café (just
a short walk from Café du Monde). Jude’s table is literally the center of the world
for New Orleans chess. While you’re visiting with Jude, perhaps losing a couple
of $5 games to him (if you’re lucky!) don’t forget to visit the nearby Chess Cave,
the non-profit educational chess club founded by Jude’s good friend Baylee
Badawy. Jude and Baylee will be expecting you!
5:00 to 7:30 Reception, drinks and buffet dinner at Bourbon Orleans Hotel, St. Ann Cottage
8:00 to 10:00 Private screening of the Derek Bridges documentary, The Man in the Red Beret
(Derek Bridges will be with us this evening for an after-talk.)
Friday, September 5th:
9:30 to 12:00 Lectures at The Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC). Report to the
Williams Research Center, 410 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA 70130. Lectures
will take place in the Cruise Room. Doors open at 9:15.
12:00 to 1:30 Lunch at the Napoleon House, 500 Chartres Street
1:30 to 4:00 Cruise Room. Show & Tell of Morphy/Chess artifacts, tour of museum to see
Morphy’s chess set and board, general CCI business meeting
5:15 Walk to Riverboat, at Steamboat Natchez Port
5:45 to 9:00 Mississippi River cruise aboard either the Steamboat Natchez or the Riverboat
City of New Orleans, with dinner and music
Saturday, September 6th:
9:00 to 12:00 Chess Market and Exhibition at Beauregard-Keyes House, 1113 Chartres Street
12:00 to 1:00 Lunch reception at the BK House (included with conference fee)
1:00 to 1:30 Jude Acers and Baylee Badawy
1:30 to 3:00 Panel discussion on Paul Morphy with historians John McCrary of US Chess and
Kendric Perkins of HNOC. Moderator: Jon Crumiller
3:15 to 4:30 Simultaneous Exhibition with Jude Acers at the BK House, clocks at 30 minutes
5:00 The Morphy Room opens, upstairs at Brennan’s, 417 Royal St. – Casual chess
games, drinks, conversation. With respect, the room Morphy died in!
7:00 to 9:00 Gala Dinner at Brennan’s Restaurant, upstairs in the Havana Room
DO NOT SKIP THE GALA! DO NOT LEAVE EARLY! You have been warned!
Sunday, September 7th:
9:00 Informal farewell breakfast at hotel, in Roux restaurant (not included)
Opportunity to visit (on your own, before or after the conference) local attractions such as The
Confederate Memorial Hall Museum, National WWII Museum, Café du Monde, St. Louis
Cemetery No. 1 (Paul Morphy’s gravesite, as well as the final resting place of many famous and
historic persons – tickets required), Broussard’s Restaurant (in Paul Morphy’s old schoolhouse),
the Garden District, St. Charles Streetcar (oldest operating streetcar in the world), Sazerac House
(museum, distillery & bar), jazz performances at Preservation Hall, and many more.
ADDITIONAL CHANGES POSSIBLE!
“You know I never thought I should like to play chess, but for lack of anything
else to do, I let Paul teach me the moves. Then we played several games for
study, while he explained the reasons for these moves. After these sittings, I
changed my mind and my opinion and now I do not see how a man who did not
play chess could be happy. As soon as I get out of the infirmary, I am going to
get a chessboard of my own and ransack the bookstores in Mobile for chess
books. I wish you would have similar stores ransacked for me in New Orleans.”
Charles de Maurian, Sr.
as quoted in The Chess Players (1960)
by Frances Parkinson Keyes (pg. 114)
Paul Morphy’s Home, 417 (formerly 89) Royal Street