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

35,000 Prize Money

2/12 - 2/16

Cornerstone President's Day Super Swiss

2/14 - 2/16

Rising Star Presidents Day Classic

2/14 - 2/16

2026 US Amateur Team West (USATW) National Championship

Bay Area Chess

Milpitas, CA

2/16

BayAreaChess Open Rapid @ Milpitas

Bay Area Chess

Milpitas, CA

2/16

President's Day Scholastic

Texas Chess Center

Plano, TX

2/18

Pygmalion Tournament

2/20 - 2/22

Cornerstone February FIDE Swiss

2/20

USCF Rapid Rated Tournament

2/21

2026 New Mexico Women's and Girls Open

The Fiercest Battles of Gukesh

2/21

Prescott Blitz #24

2/21

SLCC Afternoon Quick Chess

2/21 - 2/22

Cornerstone February U2000 Swiss

2/21

Texas Action Championship 2026

Houston Chess Studio

Houston, TX

2/21

Little Masters

2/21

Rising Star February Grand Prix

Southern Arizona Chess Association

2/21

SACA - Wakefield Open

Tucson, AZ

2/21

Summit Chess Monthly Open

Utah Valley South Chess Club

2/21

UVSCC Pin-To-Win

Spanish Fork, UT

2/21

Saturday Open

2/21

Day & Knight February Open 2026

Day & Knight Chess Club

Tustin, CA

2/21

Tri-Valley Open Feb 2026

Emerald Hills Chess

Dublin, CA

2/21

Phoenix Saturday Action

2/21

SDCC Gambito

2/22

2026 LA Super City Championships

Glendale, CA

2/22

Checkmate for Charity Chess Tournament (G/25)

Checkmate for Charity

2/22

Tornado

2/22

Scholastic@ChessPalace Cypress

2/22

A Match Made in h7

Sante Fe Chess

Santa Fe, NM

2/22

Unity Weekly Blitz

2/22

2026 February ICEA Chess @ Irvine

2/22

Unity Sunday Weekly G/30

2/25

Pygmalion Tournament

2/27 - 3/1

South Texas FIDE

2/27

USCF Rapid Rated Tournament

Arizona State University Chess Club

2/28

ASU Spring 2026 Rapid and Blitz

2/28

3 in 1 Speed Saturday

Chess Academy of Denver

2/28

SLCC Afternoon Quick Chess

2/28

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

Northern Arizona Chess Center

2/28

Northern Arizona Chess Championships-Flagstaff

Flagstaff, AZ

2/28

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

2/28

2ND CHESS4SMILES OPEN Chess Tournament

Simply Chess

Arcadia, CA

2/28

Knights Leap Ahead

The Meadows School

2/28

Saturday Open

2/28

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

2/28

Reno Chess Quads

2/28

SDCC Gambito

March 2026

3/1

Cyclone

3/1

2026 March ICEA Chess @ Irvine

3/2

IHOP Quick Quad Mondays in March 2026

IHOP Chess

3/3

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

3/3

DCC Tuesdays

3/3

SMBCC Club Championship

3/3

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

3/4

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

3/4

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

Santa Paula Chess Club

Santa Paula, CA

3/4

Pygmalion Tournament

3/5

Monthly Thursday Series

Continental Chess Association

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?

3/6 - 3/8

33rd Annual Western Class Championships

3/6

USCF Rapid Rated Tournament

3/6 - 3/8

2026 Northern Nevada State Seniors Championship

Silver State Chess

3/7

2026 New Mexico All-Girls Scholastic State Championship

3/7

2026 Southern Nevada Scholastic Championship

3/7

SLCC Afternoon Quick Chess

3/7

KOC GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP

Women/Girls

3/7

Phoenix Monthly Scholastic

3/7

Rising Star March Grand Prix

3/7

Saturday Open

3/7

Monthly Saturday Swiss

3/7

SDCC Gambito

3/8

Earthquake

3/10

Game Vault Tuesdays

Game Vault

El Paso, TX

3/11

Pygmalion Tournament

3/12

Chess Knight Blitz

3/13 - 3/15

Cornerstone Spring Classic

3/13 - 3/15

2026 Lone Star Open

Cypress Chess

Cypress, TX

12,500 Prize Money

3/14

2026 Southern Nevada Girls Scholastic Championship

3/14

SLCC Afternoon Quick Chess

3/14

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

3/14

Chess Emporium Saturday Swiss - G25

3/14

2026 Lone Star Scholastic

Cypress Chess

Cypress, TX

3/14

Kings of Chess Tournament

3/14

Summit Chess Monthly Open

3/14

Texas Spring Championship

Texas Chess Center

McKinney, TX

3/14

Saturday Open

3/14

2026 Intermountain Collegiate Chess

Elevate Chess

3/14

2026 March ICEA Chess @ West LA

3/14

PALS March Chess Tournament

PALS Chess Academy

3/14

Game 40 Challenge

3/14

Basis Phoenix Chess Fundraiser

Rama Krishnan

3/14

SDCC Gambito

3/15

2026 SDCC MARCH SCHOLASTIC

3/17

2026 LA Spring Youth Chess Championship

Glendale, CA

3/18

Pygmalion Tournament

3/20 - 3/22

DFW Spring FIDE

Colorado Springs Chess Club

3/20

2026 Colorado Quick Chess Championship

3/20 - 3/22

2026 SuperStates State Championships

3/21 - 3/22

DCC Spring Classic 2026

Arizona State University Chess Club

3/21 - 3/22

2026 TEXAS SENIOR CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP

3/21

ASU Spring 2026 Classical

Northern Arizona Chess Center

3/21

Southwest Regional Chess Championships for Women & Girls

Flagstaff, AZ

Women/Girls

3/21

Little Masters

3/21

Prescott Quads #31

Prescott Chess Club

Prescott, AZ

3/21

SLCC Afternoon Quick Chess

3/21

Saturday Open

3/21

Phoenix Saturday Action

3/21

SDCC Gambito

3/22

Scholastic@ChessPalace Cypress

3/22

RiseNShine Monthly Quads

RiseNShine Chess

Gilbert, AZ

3/27 - 3/29

2026 National High School (K-12) Championship

Chicago, IL

3/28

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

3/28

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

3/28

ChessMates G30 Swiss

ChessMates

Fort Collins, CO

3/28

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

3/28

Reno Chess Quads

3/28

SDCC Gambito

3/29

Hurricane

April 2026

4/1

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

4/1

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

Santa Paula Chess Club

Santa Paula, CA

4/2

Monthly Thursday Series

4/3 - 4/5

13th Annual Larry Evans Memorial Open

27,500 Prize Money

4/4

Kings of Chess Tournament

4/4

Phoenix Monthly Scholastic

4/4

Rising Star April Grand Prix

4/4

2026 April ICEA Chess @ Irvine

4/4

Monthly Saturday Swiss

4/4

RiseNShine Monthly Quads

RiseNShine Chess

Gilbert, AZ

4/4

SDCC Gambito

4/6

IHOP Quick Quad Mondays in April 2026

IHOP Chess

4/7

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

4/7

DCC Tuesdays

4/7

SMBCC 4 Round Swiss

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

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

4/11

TMS Grand Finale

The Meadows School

4/11

2026 April ICEA Chess @ West LA

4/11

PALS April Chess Tournament

PALS Chess Academy

4/11

Game 40 Challenge

4/11

SDCC Gambito

4/12

Tsunami

4/14

Game Vault Tuesdays

Game Vault

El Paso, TX

4/18

Prescott Blitz #25

4/18

2026 Northern Nevada State Scholastic

4/18

Chess Emporium Saturday Swiss - G25

4/18

2026 April ICEA Chess @ Gardena

4/18

Little Masters

4/18

Summit Chess Monthly Open

4/18

Spring Bloom Championship

Texas Chess Center

McKinney, TX

4/18

ChessMates G30 Swiss

ChessMates

Fort Collins, CO

4/18

Phoenix Saturday Action

4/18

SDCC Gambito

4/19

2026 Northern Nevada Girls Scholastic Championship

4/19

Aftershock

Paradise Valley, AZ

4/25

2026 TEXAS QUICK CHESS STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

4/25 - 4/26

2026 Boulder Open

Boulder, CO

4/25

2026 New Mexico K-12 Scholastic State Championship

4/25

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

4/25 - 4/26

Governor's Cup State Championship 2026

4/25

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

4/25

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

4/25

Reno Chess Quads

4/26

2026 Spring Chess-Fest

West Hills, CA

4/26

Scholastic@ChessPalace Cypress

Sheridan Chess Association

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

Kings of Chess Tournament

5/2

Rising Star May Grand Prix

5/2

Monthly Saturday Swiss

5/4

IHOP Quick Quad Mondays in May 2026

IHOP Chess

5/5

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

5/5

DCC Tuesdays

5/5

SMBCC 4 Round Swiss

5/5

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

5/6

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

5/6

SPCC Chess Run Wednesday

Santa Paula Chess Club

Santa Paula, CA

5/7

Monthly Thursday Series

5/8 - 5/10

2026 World Chess Festival - Disneyland

Hanley Chess Academy

Anaheim, CA

5/9

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

5/9

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

5/9

Prescott Quads #32

Prescott Chess Club

Prescott, AZ

5/9

2026 May ICEA Chess @ West LA

5/9

PALS May Chess Tournament

PALS Chess Academy

5/9

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

5/12

Game Vault Tuesdays

Game Vault

El Paso, TX

5/14

Chess Knight Blitz

5/15 - 5/17

2026 National Middle School (K-8) Championship

Round Rock, TX

5/16

Little Masters

5/16

Summit Chess Monthly Open

5/16

Phoenix Saturday Action

5/23 - 5/25

Rising Star Memorial Day Classic

5/23

Game 40 Challenge

5/23

Reno Chess Quads

5/30

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

5/31

Scholastic@ChessPalace Cypress

June 2026

6/2

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

6/2

DCC Tuesdays

6/2

SMBCC 4 Round Swiss

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

6/6

Monthly Saturday Swiss

6/10 - 6/14

2026 National Open

Vegas Chess Festivals

6/11

Chess Knight Blitz

6/12 - 6/14

Summer FIDE 2026

6/13

Game 40 Challenge

6/20

Little Masters

6/20

2026 June ICEA Chess @ West LA

6/20

Phoenix Saturday Action

6/27

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

6/27

2026 June ICEA Chess @ Irvine

6/27

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

6/27

Reno Chess Quads

6/28

Scholastic@ChessPalace Cypress

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

7/4

Monthly Saturday Swiss

7/7

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

7/7

DCC Tuesdays

7/7

SMBCC 4 Round Swiss

7/7

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

7/9

Chess Knight Blitz

7/11

2026 July ICEA Chess @ West LA

7/11

Game 40 Challenge

7/18

Little Masters

7/18

Phoenix Saturday Action

7/24 - 7/26

Gulf Coast FIDE 2026

7/25

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

7/25

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

7/25

Reno Chess Quads

7/31 - 8/2

2026 World Chess Festival - Las Vegas

Hanley Chess Academy

August 2026

8/1

Rising Star August Grand Prix

8/1

2026 August ICEA Chess @ Irvine

8/1

Monthly Saturday Swiss

8/4

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

8/4

DCC Tuesdays

8/4

SMBCC 4 Round Swiss

8/4

Temecula Tuesday Tourney

8/5

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

8/8

2026 August ICEA Chess @ West LA

8/8

Game 40 Challenge

8/13

Chess Knight Blitz

8/15

Little Masters

8/15

Phoenix Saturday Action

8/22

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

8/22

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

8/29

Game 60 Challenge

8/29

Arizona Summer Scholastic

September 2026

9/1

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

9/1

SMBCC ONE NIGHT RAPIDS

9/2

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

9/4 - 9/7

2026 Southern California Open

Glendale, CA

9/5 - 9/7

2026 Phoenix Open

9/5

2026 Phoenix Open - Bughouse

9/5

2026 September ICEA Chess @ Irvine

9/5

Monthly Saturday Swiss

9/6

Phoenix Open - Blitz

9/8

SMBCC 4 Round Swiss

9/10

Chess Knight Blitz

9/12

Rising Star September Grand Prix

9/12

2026 September ICEA Chess @ West LA

9/12

Game 40 Challenge

9/19

Little Masters

9/19

Phoenix Saturday Action

9/26

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

9/26

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

9/27

2026 Fall ICEA Free Chess @ The Wende

October 2026

10/3

Rising Star October Grand Prix

10/3

Monthly Saturday Swiss

10/4

2026 October ICEA Chess @ Irvine

10/6

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

10/6

SMBCC 4 Round Swiss

10/7

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

10/8

Chess Knight Blitz

10/10

2026 October ICEA Chess @ West LA

10/10

Game 40 Challenge

10/16 - 10/18

2026 South Dakota Governor's Cup

Chess Weekend

Sioux Falls, SD

12,000 Prize Money

10/17

Little Monsters Chess Tournament

10/17

Phoenix Saturday Action

10/24

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

10/24

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

10/31

Game 60 Challenge

November 2026

11/1

2026 November ICEA Chess @ Irvine

11/3

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

11/3

SMBCC 4 Round Swiss

11/4

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

11/7

Rising Star November Grand Prix

11/7

Monthly Saturday Swiss

11/12

Chess Knight Blitz

11/14

Little Masters

11/14

2026 November ICEA Chess @ West LA

11/14

Phoenix Saturday Action

11/21

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

11/21

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

11/22

2026 Winter ICEA Free Chess @ The Wende

11/27 - 11/29

Rising Star Thanksgiving Classic

11/28

Rising Star Thanksgiving Blitz

11/28

Game 40 Challenge

11/28

Rising Star Thanksgiving U800

December 2026

12/1

Tuesday Night USCF Tournament

12/1

SMBCC ONE NIGHT RAPIDS

12/2

ChessPalace Wednesday Knights (1 Round each Week)

12/5

Little Masters Championship

12/5

Rising Star December Grand Prix

12/5

Phoenix Saturday Action

12/6

2026 December ICEA Chess @ Irvine

12/8

SMBCC Unrated Blitz

12/10

Chess Knight Blitz

12/11 - 12/13

2026 National K-12 Grade Championships

Orlando, FL

12/12

2026 ICEA Scholastic Annual Championship

12/12

Monthly Saturday Swiss

12/19

Phoenix Saturday Blitz

12/19

Arizona Golden Cup (Year-Long USCF Chess Series)

12/26

Game 40 Challenge

January 2027

1/8 - 1/8

Captain Vigil's San Diego Sendoff

Captain Vigil's

April 2027

4/2 - 4/4

2027 National High School (K-12) Championships

Schaumburg, IL

4/30 - 5/2

2027 National Elementary (K-6) Championships

Columbus, OH

May 2027

5/14 - 5/16

2027 National Middle School (K-8) Championships

Round Rock, TX

December 2027

12/3 - 12/5

2027 National K-12 Grade Championships

Orlando, FL