Chess Tournaments in Phoenix
Rated and unrated chess tournaments, quads and club nights in the Phoenix valley — and what to expect if it is your first one.
What is on
Arizona’s scholastic program is well organised and the calendar is concentrated in the cooler months.
| Event | Format | Who it is for | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unity Sunday Weekly✓ Verified 14 Aug 2026Unity Chess Club's weekly tournament, run alongside its monthly and annual event series. (Chandler) | Swiss | All ages and levels | Every week (Sundays) |
| Arizona Golden Cup✓ Verified 14 Aug 2026Billed as Arizona's premier year-long USCF chess series, co-listed under Phoenix Chess Academy and Unity Chess Club. (Phoenix / Chandler) | Swiss | Open, sections by rating (U1200/U1500/U1800 brackets listed) | Every month (year-long series; 2026 dates include 8/22, 9/26, 10/24, 11/21, 12/19) |
| Little Masters✓ Verified 14 Aug 2026Phoenix Chess Academy's recurring scholastic tournament series ending in a December championship. (Phoenix) | Scholastic | Scholastic players | Monthly Saturdays (2026 dates: 8/15, 9/19, 11/14, with a 12/5 Championship) |
| Monthly Saturday Swiss✓ Verified 14 Aug 2026Phoenix Chess Academy's open monthly Swiss, listed alongside its Saturday Action and Blitz events. (Phoenix) | Swiss | Open | Monthly Saturdays (2026 dates: 9/5, 10/3, 11/7, 12/12) |
| Chess Emporium Friday Night Tournament (Phoenix-Carefree)✓ Verified 14 Aug 2026ASCF-rated round-robin in groups of four; entry $25.50-$31.50 depending on registration timing, group winners earn trophies. (North Phoenix (Carefree Highway area)) | Scholastic | K-12 students who know how the pieces move and understand check/checkmate | Every Friday, 6:30-8:30 PM |
| Phoenix Saturday Action✓ Verified 14 Aug 2026Phoenix Chess Academy's recurring rapid-format open Saturday event, paired on the calendar with a Saturday Blitz series. (Phoenix) | Open | Open | Recurring Saturdays (2026 dates: 8/15, 9/19, 10/17, 11/14, 12/5) |
| 2026 Phoenix Open✓ Verified 14 Aug 2026Unity Chess Club's annual multi-day open, listed on the Southwest Chess calendar for Labor Day weekend 2026. (Mesa) | Open | Open | Once a year (Sep 5-7, 2026) |
Always check the organiser’s own page before you travel. Dates, venues and sections change, and no directory is a substitute for the source.
Who runs chess here
The organisations behind the listings above — their own calendars are the authoritative source for dates and entry details.
- Arizona Chess Federation, Inc. — Arizona's state chess affiliate, sanctioned by the US Chess Federation; state championships (Grades, Scholastic State) appear on the US Chess calendar. — their calendar
- Unity Chess Club — Chandler club running weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual tournaments including the Arizona Golden Cup USCF series, Arizona Open, and Phoenix Open. — their calendar
- Phoenix Chess Academy — Phoenix organizer of recurring scholastic (Little Masters, Phoenix Monthly Scholastic) and open Saturday events (Saturday Action, Blitz, Monthly Swiss, Game 40 Challenge). — their calendar
- Chess Emporium — Scholastic chess provider founded 1993 in Phoenix with clubs in hundreds of schools and two learning centers; runs Friday night, Tuesday night USCF, and Sunday qualifier tournaments. — their calendar
- Southwest Chess — Regional tournament calendar listing upcoming rated events across the Phoenix metro (Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert). — their calendar
If this is your first one
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?
Looking for a coach in Phoenix?
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?
Running something in Phoenix?
List your event — free, forever
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.