Rated and unrated chess tournaments, quads and club nights in greater Los Angeles — and what to expect if it is your first one.
Southern California has a long-established club circuit and a heavy scholastic calendar through the school year.
| Event | Format | Who it is for | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region Scholastic OpenUnrated section available for first-timers. | Swiss | K–12, sections by rating | Several times a year |
Always check the organiser’s own page before you travel. Dates, venues and sections change, and no directory is a substitute for the source.
Start with a quad if you can find one. Four players, three games, everybody near your child’s strength, finished in an afternoon. A Swiss is fine too — nobody is eliminated and pairings follow your score — but it is a longer day and the first round can be a mismatch.
Plan for the whole day even when the chess is only three hours. There are gaps between rounds, and the awards ceremony always runs late. Bring a book and food.
The full version is here: Is my child ready for their first tournament?
We do not run a coach directory, and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What helps more is knowing what to ask before you hire anyone — a coach’s own rating predicts very little about whether your child will improve.
How to choose a chess coach · Club or private coach?
There is no fee, no account and no catch. Send the details and it goes into this page and the national directory. We link straight to your own entry page, so the traffic is yours.
Running a club rather than a one-off? Say so and we will list the recurring schedule once rather than every date.