We believe in nurturing our students' passion for chess and providing them with opportunities to showcase their skills in competitive tournaments. Here is a list of chess tournaments happening in New Jersey every year that we recommend our students participate in:
New Jersey State Chess Federation (NJSCF)
The New Jersey State Chess Federation (NJSCF) promotes chess in New Jersey and hosts various tournaments throughout the year. They organize both scholastic and non-rated tournaments, offering opportunities for players of all ages and skill levels.
Some of the notable tournaments organized by NJSCF include:
1. New Jersey State Scholastic Chess Championships
- Held annually in the spring, this tournament is open to students in grades K-12.
- Divided into sections based on grade levels to ensure fair competition.
- Visit the NJSCF tournament page for more information.
2. New Jersey Open Chess Championship
- A prestigious tournament attracting strong players from around the state.
- Open to players of all ages and skill levels.
- Provides an excellent opportunity to test your abilities against formidable opponents.
- Visit the NJSCF tournament page for more information.
3. New Jersey Senior Open Chess Championship
- A tournament exclusively for players aged 50 and above.
- Offers a competitive platform for senior chess enthusiasts.
- A chance to meet and play against fellow experienced players.
4. New Jersey Amateur Team Championship
- An exciting team-based tournament where players compete as part of a team.
- Open to players of all ratings and ages.
- Players form teams and engage in intense battles on the chessboard.
5. New Jersey Grand Prix Chess Series
- A series of tournaments held throughout the year, contributing to the overall Grand Prix standings.
- Players earn points based on their performance in each tournament.
- The series encourages consistent participation and rewards top performers at the end of the season.
- Visit the NJSCF tournament page for more information.
For more details on upcoming tournaments, registration procedures, and additional events organized by the New Jersey State Chess Federation, please visit their official website.
International Chess Academy (ICA)
For over 20 years, ICA has been a leading provider of chess lessons, tournaments, scholastic camps, and math enrichment programs. Located just outside New York City, with schools in Glen Rock and Teaneck and New Jersey, they offer professional chess instruction to students of all levels. They host a wide range of tournaments weekly! Many of them are open and non-rated, so feel free to reach out to them and ask about future events.
Have a look at their tournaments page.
These are the events they organize weekly:
Glen Rock Quads - They run every Saturday (with only holidays as exceptions) at their Glen Rock Location.
ICA Open Championships - A monthly in-person tournament exclusively for players rated 1600+
Livingston Quads - Sunday in-person monthly tournaments divided into quads.
Livingston Scholastics - a 3-round Swiss system tournament, meaning that all players will play three rounds regardless of their results. Divided into sections from Beginner to Advanced.
Wizards of the Mind
With a focus on children, they offer several activities that are mind-empowering, one of them of course, is scholastic chess tournaments that happen around 3 tournaments each year: 1 in the Fall, 1 in the Winter, and 1 in the Spring.
They’re located in Springfield and they’re been hosting scholastic tournaments for over 20 years with a reputation for being well-run in terms of comfort, fun, and most importantly punctuality.
Have a look at their event calendar by clicking here
Some of the biggest events they offer are:
Wizards of the Mind Scholastic Championship - Held three times a year, made for young children and players up to 18 years old. This is a US Chess Federation (USCF) Rated tournament and it’s sectioned in 3 categories (U400, U700 and U1600)
Chess in Millburn
A great place to be if you’re in the area and would like to attend monthly tournaments! They use the Swiss system which allows you to play all rounds even if you don’t win.
They have a comfortable facility where you can interact with the community and meet new chess partners.
Chess in Millburn partners with many other academies and clubs to offer wonderful events that everybody can enjoy. Make sure you check their tournaments page here.
If you’re looking for more:
Princeton Area:
PDS (scholastic, monthly): Similar to the next one. Visit https://www.onthechessboard.com/6 for more information.
Central Jersey at Princeton Academy (scholastic, monthly): This event typically attracts 60-90 students.
Princeton Charter School (scholastic, monthly): Primarily for Charter School students. Both the above two events are not returning yet.
Princeton Chess Academy Anual Open: It started in 2022 and it’s planned to be annually but hasn’t been confirmed yet for 2023.
State-wise:
Westfield Chess Club: Offers Quads, Octos, or Swiss tournaments (occasional scholastic events) and includes lower sections for beginners. Find more details at https://www.westfieldchessclub.org/.
Hamilton Chess Club: Hosts a monthly, one-day, long-game tournament. The lowest section is around 1000. It's affordable and not too far to travel.
South Jersey Innovation Center (SJIC): Weekly chess events for all skill levels and ages
State Tournaments:
Visit New Jersey | State Chess Federation for more information.
K-12 Grade Level Tournament in November.
Elementary, Junior High, High School Tournaments in the Spring.
NJ Junior: A two-day tournament held in May, known as the most important scholastic tournament in NJ each year. It can be challenging, but the K-8 section should be playable.
NJ All Girls: A one-day tournament in May exclusively for girls.
Others
FCA (scholastic): You can visit http://www.frankschess.com/ for more information.
You can also explore West Orange Chess Club, Hadoop, Diplomat Chess, Bergen Chess Mates, and King's Chess Club.
You can always search for upcoming tournaments at https://new.uschess.org/upcoming-tournaments Check this AMAZING resource we found! It contains tons of tournaments and quick info you can access easily
We'd love to hear your ideas on how to make this better! Share them with us and we'll update this post ASAP! And remember to subscribe to our Newsletter so that you will get all of our awesome online monthly tournaments!
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many opportunities to test your skills over the board! You just have to look in the right places.
Talking about the right places. Are you looking for the right place to improve your skills? Learn from our Masters online either in private lessons or group lessons.
We'd love to hear your ideas on how to make this better! Share them with us and we'll update this post ASAP! And remember to subscribe to our Newsletter so that you will get all of our awesome online monthly tournaments!