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Tournament Play

At Chess for Success we believe in making tournaments accessible.  Every partner school that takes part in our programs is invited to join our exciting tournaments without any cost to families.

Our tournament lineup is diverse, we offer regional tournaments throughout Oregon and SW Washington that help students qualify for our state championship.  We also offer events such as our Girls Play Chess tournament and the City of Portland Tournament.

Schools that run their own chess clubs can now be affiliated with Chess for Success by participating in our tournaments.  Registrations are $25 per student, per tournament or the school can buy our Tournament Registration Package and get free registrations to all of our tournaments.  Contact us at info@chessforsuccess.org for more information 

Program Benefits

  1. Students get the opportunity to participate in healthy competition with other local schools.

  2. Win or lose, students get to build their resilience and grow as chess players and people.

  3. Tournaments are also a great way to strengthen the teams, showcase the skills the students have learned, and celebrate the community we work hard to build.

Tournaments are such a fun time to experience a new challenge against students from other schools. Seeing the growth, problem solving, and sportsmanship between the students is always a highlight when I am working at a tournament.

Patty O’Hollearn, Regional Coordinator

How it Works

We have an array of tournaments for students to participate in. Each winter, schools get the opportunity to participate in a Tournament Practice. This allows students to get a feel for a tournament environment without the intensity of fighting for a spot at State.

Regional Tournaments then happen often between February and March, where a team of up to 10 students get to work to earn a spot at the State Tournament in April. We often host several other tournaments in the spring that are open to all students, such as the Girls Play Chess tournament to celebrate our female and female identifying students, and the City of Portland tournament. 

All of these tournaments will be held at local schools, except for the state tournament, which will be held at the Expo center. All tournaments (with the exception of the State Tournament) will be on weekends so your kids won’t have to worry about missing school. They typically run from about 8am to 2pm.

Registration is always available ahead of time. Schools that are not Chess for Success partners can still participate in our tournaments; please be prepared to pay a small registration fee if you are not a partner school.

Please contact your coach for registration of regional tournaments. Other registration can be done on our website. 

How to Participate

  1. For regional and state tournaments, get in contact with your coach and they will register for you.

  2. For other tournaments, go to the page for that specific tournament and sign up there.

  3. Remember to have your permission slip signed and back to your coach before the tournament.

  4. For non CFS affiliated participants, simply sign up on the tournament page that you would like to attend and pay the registration fee.

Upcoming Tournaments What To Expect

Our Schools

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