Southwest Chess - Chess Tournaments, Events, and Meetups around the U.S. Southwest

11/29 - 11/30

American Open (Scholastic Tournaments)

11/30

American Open (Main Tournament)

11/30

American Open (Game 30 Action)

December 2025

12/1

IHOP Quick Quad Mondays in December 2025

12/2

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

Chess Emporium

Scottsdale, AZ

12/2

DCC Tuesdays

Santa Monica Bay Chess Club

12/2

SMBCC ROUND ROBIN BLITZ

West Los Angeles, CA

12/3

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

12/3

SDCC Wednesday Nights

Link to This book, published just a few months before his amazing world title victory, covers his 70 most exciting games up to and including the 2024 Candidates Tournament.

The Fiercest Battles of Gukesh

12/3

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

12/3

Pygmalion Tournament

Pygmalion Chess

Tempe, AZ

12/4

Monthly Thursday Series

12/5 - 12/7

Winter DFW FIDE

12/5 - 12/7

$1,500 DECEMBER CHAMPIONSHIP

Poison Pawns

1,500 Prize Money

12/6

Albuquerque Chess Club December 2025 G/60

Albuquerque Chess Club

Albuquerque, NM

12/6

OC Mess Hall by Elements of Chess

Elements of Chess

Tustin, CA

12/6

Empire Chess Club Dec 2025 Scholastic g/30

Empire Chess

Albuquerque, NM

Mad Hatter's House of Games

12/6

West Texas '25 December Open

Lubbock, TX

12/6

Phoenix Monthly Scholastic

12/6

1ST CHESS4SMILES OPEN Chess Tournament (Support Children’s Hospital Los Angeles)

Simply Chess

Arcadia, CA

12/6

ChessMates G30 Swiss

12/6

Monthly Saturday Swiss

12/6

SDCC Gambito

12/6

1st Inaugural AZChessGurus Charity Chess Tournament

12/6

5th Holiday Team Championship

Utah Chess Association

Salt Lake City, UT

12/7

Unity Sunday Weekly G/30

12/9

Game Vault Tuesdays

Santa Monica Bay Chess Club

12/9

SMBCC ROUND ROBIN BLITZ

West Los Angeles, CA

12/11

Chess Knight Blitz

12/12 - 12/14

2025 National K-12 Grades Championship

Spokane, WA

12/13

Prescott Blitz #23

12/13

Game-in-30 Chess Tournament (Advance registration required)

12/13

2025 ICEA Scholastic Annual Championship

12/13

Little Masters Championship

12/13

Summit Chess Monthly Open

12/13

TMS Chess Winter Classic

Northern Arizona Chess Center

12/13

Flagstaff: Kinsey Chess Tournament

Flagstaff, AZ

12/13

PALS December Chess Tournament

12/13

Phoenix Saturday Action

12/13

SDCC Gambito

12/14

2025 LA Holiday Youth Championship

American Chess Academy

Glendale, CA

12/14

Chess Emporium Sunday Swiss - G25

Chess Emporium

Scottsdale, AZ

12/14

Unity Sunday Weekly G/30

12/19 - 12/21

FIDE Master – Irvine December 2025

Judgement Day Chess Club

12/19 - 12/21

Road to FIDE Master

Judgement Day Chess Club

Professional Tournament TapNset-Pro Chess Clock

12/20

Scholastic@SteelCraft

12/20

OC Mess Hall by Elements of Chess

Elements of Chess

Tustin, CA

12/20

Kings of Chess Tournament

Kings of Chess

Aurora, CO

12/20

Game 40 Challenge

12/20

SDCC Gambito

12/21

Unity Sunday Weekly G/30

12/26 - 12/30

North American Open

130,000 Prize Money

12/27

Game-in-30 Chess Tournament (Advance registration required)

12/27

Chess Quad tournaments

Masterpiece Chess Club

Santa Clarita, CA

12/27

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

12/27

Game 30 Challenge

12/27

SDCC Gambito

Link to Safety first! Success in chess begins with asking yourself the basic question, “Is the move that I’m considering a safe one?”

Is Your Move Safe?

12/28 - 12/31

2025 World Chess Festival - Hawaii

Hanley Chess Academy

Honolulu, HI

12/28

Unity Sunday Weekly G/30

January 2026

1/1

Annual Blitz Championship

1/1

Monthly Thursday Series

Cornerstone Chess Academy

1/2 - 1/4

2026 Cornerstone Chess Academy Launch

Sunnyvale, CA

1/2 - 1/4

New Years FIDE 2026

1/2

La Palma Chess Club Three Groups (1 Round Per Week)

La Palma Chess Club

La Palma, CA

1/2 - 1/4

$1,500 JANUARY CHAMPIONSHIP 2026

Poison Pawns

1/3

Rising Star January Grand Prix

1/3

SDCC Gambito

1/4

2026 Winter Chess-Fest

Chess Fest

West Hills, CA

1/4

Unity Sunday Weekly G/30

1/5

IHOP Quick Quad Mondays in January 2026

1/5

Winter Scholastic G/25

Frisco, TX

1/6

DCC Tuesdays

1/6

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

1/7

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

1/7

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

1/8

Chess Knight Blitz

1/10

Game-in-30 Chess Tournament (Advance registration required)

1/10

Cedar Park January 2026 Scholastic Tournament

Leander Chess Club

Cedar Park, TX

1/10

2026 January ICEA Chess @ West LA

1/10

Kings of Chess Tournament

Kings of Chess

Aurora, CO

1/10

PALS January Chess Tournament

1/10

SDCC Gambito

1/11

SAN DIEGO HIGH SCHOOL TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

1/13

Game Vault Tuesdays

1/16 - 1/19

17th Annual GOLDEN STATE OPEN

Concord, CA

25,000 Prize Money

1/16 - 1/18

2026 World Chess Festival - Disneyland

Atlantic Chess Association

1/16 - 1/18

2nd Annual MLK Day Open

Southern California Chess Federation

1/17 - 1/19

Dreaming King Open

1/17

Arizona Scholastic Chess Festival

1/17

SDCC Gambito

1/23 - 1/25

Dallas Frost FIDE

Mad Hatter's House of Games

1/24

2026 TCA Region I Open and Scholastic Championships

Lubbock, TX

1/24

Summit Chess Monthly Open

1/24

New Year's Extravaganza

1/24

ChessMates G30 Swiss

1/24

SDCC Gambito

1/31

2026 Utah State Elementary Championship (K-6)

Utah Chess Association

Provo, UT

1/31

Game-in-30 Chess Tournament (Advance registration required)

1/31

SDCC Gambito

February 2026

2/2

IHOP Quick Quad Mondays in February 2026

2/3

DCC Tuesdays

2/3

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

2/4

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

2/4

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

2/5

Monthly Thursday Series

2/7

Rising Star February Grand Prix

2/7

ChessMates G30 Swiss

2/7

PALS February Chess Tournament

2/7

SDCC Gambito

2/8

2026 Spring ICEA Free Chess @ The Wende

2/10

Game Vault Tuesdays

2/12 - 2/16

17th Annual SOUTHWEST CLASS CHAMPIONSHIPS (Presidents Day Weekend)

Irving, TX

35,000 Prize Money

2/12

Chess Knight Blitz

Colorado State Chess Association

2/13

2026 Colorado State Scholastic Blitz Chess Championship

Highlands Ranch, CO

Colorado State Chess Association

2/14 - 2/15

2026 Colorado State Scholastic Chess Championship

Highlands Ranch, CO

2/14 - 2/16

Rising Star Presidents Day Classic

2/14

2026 February ICEA Chess @ West LA

2/14

SDCC Gambito

2/16

President's Day Scholastic

Plano, TX

2/21

Texas Action Championship 2026

Houston Chess Studio

2/21

Summit Chess Monthly Open

2/21

SDCC Gambito

2/22

2025 LA Super City Championships

American Chess Academy

Glendale, CA

2/22

Checkmate for Charity Chess Tournament (G/25)

Checkmate for Charity

2/27 - 3/1

South Texas FIDE

Arizona State University Chess Club

2/28

ASU Spring 2026 Rapid and Blitz

2/28

Knights Leap Ahead

2/28

SDCC Gambito

March 2026

3/2

IHOP Quick Quad Mondays in March 2026

3/3

DCC Tuesdays

3/3

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

3/4

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

3/4

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

3/5

Monthly Thursday Series

3/6 - 3/8

33rd Annual Western Class Championships

3/7

Rising Star March Grand Prix

3/7

SDCC Gambito

3/10

Game Vault Tuesdays

3/12

Chess Knight Blitz

3/14

Summit Chess Monthly Open

3/14

Texas Spring Championship

McKinney, TX

3/14

2026 March ICEA Chess @ West LA

3/14

PALS March Chess Tournament

3/20 - 3/22

DFW Spring FIDE

3/20 - 3/22

2026 SuperStates State Championships

Arizona State University Chess Club

3/21 - 3/22

2026 TEXAS SENIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

3/21

ASU Spring 2026 Classical

Tempe, AZ

3/27 - 3/29

2026 National High School (K-12) Championship

Chicago, IL

3/28

ChessMates G30 Swiss

April 2026

4/1

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

4/1

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

4/2

Monthly Thursday Series

4/4

Rising Star April Grand Prix

4/6

IHOP Quick Quad Mondays in April 2026

4/7

DCC Tuesdays

4/7

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

4/9

Chess Knight Blitz

4/10 - 4/12

2026 All-Girls National Championships

Chicago, IL

Women/Girls

4/11

TMS Grand Finale

4/11

2026 April ICEA Chess @ West LA

4/11

PALS April Chess Tournament

4/14

Game Vault Tuesdays

4/18

2026 April ICEA Chess @ Gardena

4/18

Summit Chess Monthly Open

4/18

Spring Bloom Championship

McKinney, TX

4/18

ChessMates G30 Swiss

Sheridan Chess Association

4/25

2026 TEXAS QUICK CHESS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

May 2026

5/1 - 5/3

2026 WYOMING COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OPEN

Sheridan, WY

9,000 Prize Money

5/1 - 5/3

Houston FIDE

5/1 - 5/3

2026 National Elementary (K-6) Championship

Baltimore, MD

5/2

Rising Star May Grand Prix

5/4

IHOP Quick Quad Mondays in May 2026

5/5

DCC Tuesdays

5/5

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

5/6

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

5/6

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

5/7

Monthly Thursday Series

5/9

2026 May ICEA Chess @ West LA

5/9

PALS May Chess Tournament

5/12

Game Vault Tuesdays

5/14

Chess Knight Blitz

5/15 - 5/17

2026 National Middle School (K-8) Championship

Round Rock, TX

5/16

Summit Chess Monthly Open

5/23 - 5/25

Rising Star Memorial Day Classic

June 2026

6/2

DCC Tuesdays

6/2

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

6/3

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

6/4

Monthly Thursday Series

6/5 - 6/7

North Texas FIDE

6/6

Rising Star June Grand Prix

6/10 - 6/14

2026 National Open

Vegas Chess Festivals

6/11

Chess Knight Blitz

6/12 - 6/14

Summer FIDE 2026

Seryozha Gasparyan (GC CLUB)

6/18 - 6/21

1st Annual Grant Chess Open

6/20

2026 June ICEA Chess @ West LA

6/28

2026 Summer ICEA Free Chess @ The Wende

July 2026

7/1

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

7/3 - 7/5

Rising Star Independence Day Classic

7/7

DCC Tuesdays

7/7

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

7/9

Chess Knight Blitz

7/11

2026 July ICEA Chess @ West LA

7/24 - 7/26

Gulf Coast FIDE 2026

7/31 - 8/2

2026 World Chess Festival - Las Vegas

Hanley Chess Academy

August 2026

8/1

Rising Star August Grand Prix

8/4

DCC Tuesdays

8/4

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

8/5

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

8/8

2026 August ICEA Chess @ West LA

8/13

Chess Knight Blitz

September 2026

9/2

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

9/10

Chess Knight Blitz

9/12

2026 September ICEA Chess @ West LA

9/27

2026 Fall ICEA Free Chess @ The Wende

October 2026

10/3

Rising Star October Grand Prix

10/7

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

10/8

Chess Knight Blitz

10/10

2026 October ICEA Chess @ West LA

November 2026

11/4

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

11/7

Rising Star November Grand Prix

11/12

Chess Knight Blitz

11/14

2026 November ICEA Chess @ West LA

11/22

2026 Winter ICEA Free Chess @ The Wende

December 2026

12/2

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

12/10

Chess Knight Blitz

12/11 - 12/13

2026 National K-12 Grade Championships

Orlando, FL