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

11/21

USCF Rapid Rated Tournament

11/22

2025 November ICEA Chess Scholastic @ Irvine

11/22

Chess Quad tournaments

Masterpiece Chess Club

Santa Clarita, CA

11/22

Arizona Team Chess Championship

11/22

Prescott Quads #29

Prescott Chess Club

Prescott, AZ

11/22

Santa Paula Chess Club G/45

Utah Valley South Chess Club

11/22

Inaugural UVSCC Swiss Tournament

Spanish Fork, UT

11/22

SDCC Gambito

Quality Chess Scorebook

11/23

Chess Emporium Sunday Swiss - G40

Chess Emporium

Scottsdale, AZ

11/23

Unity Sunday Weekly G/30

Discover Chess Club Academy

11/24

Monday Night RAW Game30

Lancaster, CA

11/25 - 11/30

American Open (Main Tournament)

11/28 - 11/30

Arizona Thanksgiving Classic

11/28

USCF Rapid Rated Tournament

11/29

Arizona Thanksgiving Blitz

11/29

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

11/29

American Open (Blitz)

11/29 - 11/30

American Open (Scholastic Tournaments)

11/29

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

11/29

Game 30 Challenge

Link to Renowned chess writer Andrew Soltis analyzes the strategies of today's blockbuster player Magnus Carlsen.

Magnus Carlsen: 60 Memorable Games

11/29

Arizona Thanksgiving U800

11/29

SDCC Gambito

11/30

American Open (Game 30 Action)

11/30

Unity Sunday Weekly G/30

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

12/3

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

12/3

Pygmalion Tournament

Pygmalion Chess

Tempe, AZ

Link to Best Chess Player For Men Kids Boys Board Game Chess Lover T-Shirt

Chess Shirts

12/4

Monthly Thursday Series

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

5th Holiday Team Championship

Utah Chess Association

Salt Lake City, UT

Link to Chess takes you through more than 5,000 unique instructional situations, many taken from actual matches, including 306 problems for checkmate in one move, 3,412 mates in two moves, 744 mates in three moves, 144 simple endgames, and 128 tournament game combinations.

Chess: 5334 Problems, Combinations and Games

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

Tournament Standard Chess Clock

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

12/20

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

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

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

2/27 - 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

6/6

Rising Star June Grand Prix

6/10 - 6/14

2026 National Open

Vegas Chess Festivals

6/11

Chess Knight Blitz

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

7/31 - 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