Chess Tournaments in Arizona

Arizona chess runs through two main hubs: metro Phoenix and Tucson. The Arizona Chess Federation is the state's USCF affiliate and sanctions events statewide, while the Southern Arizona Chess Association organizes club play and tournaments in Tucson, including through its Eastside Chess Club. School chess programs include the Chess Emporium, founded in Phoenix in 1993, which has introduced well over a hundred thousand kids to the game and now runs learning centers in Tempe and Scottsdale alongside its own USCF-rated tournaments. Casual adult play in the Phoenix area centers on the Phoenix Chess Club's regular meetups. Tucson's scholastic scene produced GM Tal Shaked, who won the 1997 World Junior Championship after coming up through the city's youth chess programs.

• The Phoenix Chess Club runs free, casual meetups for adults across the Valley several days a week (Wednesday through Sunday) — no membership needed, all levels welcome.
• The Chess Emporium, teaching Phoenix-area kids since 1993, offers lessons at its Tempe and Scottsdale locations and runs regular USCF-rated events like its Tuesday-night tournaments and Saturday Swiss.
• In Tucson, the Southern Arizona Chess Association and its Eastside Chess Club (Wednesday nights at the Tucson JCC) give the southern part of the state a steady, long-running rated-play scene.