Many of our students at MM Chess are from Texas. A struggle that keeps popping up is the quest for tournaments. Probably once a month, I send a student a list of tournaments in their city.
But hey, no worries, because there's actually a treasure trove of tournaments for adults and kids out there! Let’s get our hands dirty and uncover those chess clubs and academies that are doing some seriously awesome stuff for the chess community. There's a little something for everyone. There are tournaments specifically tailored for younger students, opportunities for fantastic female players, play for college teams, and even events that cater to players of all ages. So, let's dive right in and discover the exciting world of chess tournaments in the Lone Star State!
Let's go straight to the list of chess tournaments happening this year, organized by some of the major Chess Clubs. And of course, if you’d like to improve before you play these tournaments, you can begin with a trial lesson with a master at MM Chess Academy.
Chess tournaments and events in Texas:
Founded with a vision to foster and advance the game of chess in the Lone Star State, the Texas Chess Association (TCA) hosts a vibrant community of players, organizing regular tournaments and offering a wide range of events and resources for chess enthusiasts of all ages and skill levels. Here is the TCA’s tournament page. And here are some of the biggest tournaments they organize:
Texas Scholastic Championships - the spring tournament open to students in grades K-12, and has 3 sections: Elementary, Middle, and High School. Here is the 2023 link.
Texas Women's Chess Championship - A summer tournament open to female players of all ages. Here is the 2023 event link.
Texas Collegiate Super Finals- organized by the Texas Chess Association in the spring of each year, open to college chess teams in Texas.
Texas Grade Championship - typically a Winter tournament each year, students get to play others in their grade.
In joint efforts with the Texas Chess Association, DCC provides a wide variety of tournaments that you can join and enjoy, many of them are the same as you find on the TCA’s tournament page.
Some of the major events they organize are:
Texas Senior Chess Championship - organized by the Dallas Chess Club in the fall each year, open to players aged 50+
North Texas Open - Open to anyone in grades K-12, USCF Membership is required
2023 Texas (Super) State Scholastic - the spring tournament is open to students in grades K-12, and has 3 sections: Elementary, Middle, and High School.
Find out about more tournaments and events organized by the Dallas Chess Club by visiting their website.
They provide a great place for youth and adults to play and learn about chess with multiple meet-ups around Arlington. Some are focused on adult players; some are focused on children; and some are focused on both. They host tournaments twice a month! Adults and youth play in the Arlington Chess Club Open and their Speedy Quads tournaments. They are by far the most active chess club in the area. Take a look at their tournaments by clicking here.
These are the major events they organize each year:
Arlington Chess Club Open - This tournament is divided into 3 sections: Open, Reserve (U1500), and Novice (U900), here’s the link to this year’s Open.
Arlington Scholastics - All players will play four or five games; no eliminations. K-12 students only. Know more about it here.
Arlington Library Tournament (Scholastic) - Happens twice a year, usually December and May, and you can learn more about it by clicking here.
Based in and around Plano, the Texas Chess Center is a great place to frequent! They have weekly and annual tournaments for all ages and levels. You can play in person, and enjoy the friendly atmosphere. They use the Swiss system, which means you can play every round and never get eliminated. You just need a US Chess ID to join. Don't worry if you're not a club member, you're still welcome to play!
Make sure you check their tournaments page here. There’s a WIDE variety of tournaments happening all year long in each of their locations (Carrolton, Plano, and Irving).
These are the major events they organize each year:
Summer Blitz - Organized each summer, in a G/3; +2 5 Round Double Swiss format. They offer prizes for the winners!
Independence Day Scholastic - Organized in July of every year and divided into 5 sections: Championship (Open), U1200, U800, U600 & U400
Texas Summer Championship - The August of every year they host a big tournament divided into 4 sections Championship (Open), U1600, U1200, & U800
They organize a plethora of tournaments for all ages and skill levels, and the best thing is that they do it twice a month! They also offer prizes and a great location to spend the day engaging with other chess fanatics. They partner with Poison Pawn Chess Club for some events, so we will display both institutions’ events here. Know more about their partnership here. Here you will find their event calendar which I recommend diving into.
Some of the most significant events they organize each year are:
Houston Chess Congress - Happening in November each year, open to players of all ages.
Houston Chess Studio May Championship - With different prizes, it’s divided into three sections: Championship (1800 and up), Challengers (1799-1300), Moving Up (U1300)
Houston Chess Studio June Championship - Divided into 3 sections with prizes ranging from $475 to $1200
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 don't forget to subscribe to our Newsletter, so you won't miss any of our awesome online tournaments! I also recommend visiting austinchesstournaments.com If you want to dive a lot deeper into the Texas Chess Community and have a great source for Chess News in the Lone Star State!
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!