Viewing a child’s limitations is like staring into the trees but missing the forest The Youth Trophy Tournament draws over 200, and the International Youth Championship will soon follow Huge Showing for Youth The King of Rock and Roll also was inducted into the Gospel Hall of Fame, among his many accolades and talents. When […]
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Day 2: Botez has Left the Building, Champions Crowned
Andrea Botez wins her first round match and the crowd in the meet and greet. 2021 US Women’s Open Champion Badamkhand Norovsambuu Trophy recipient on tie-break Step Aside King, the Queen has Arrived For over three quarters of my life, I have been heavily involved in a game where the Queen is the most powerful […]
Day 1: Chess Me Tender
Welcome to Opening Day of the Las Vegas International Chess Festival at the Westgate. We were graced by the presence of Elvis, perhaps to generate interest for the release of the biopic portrayed by Tom Hanks on June 24th. But, that is still a couple weeks away. In the meantime, Rock and Roll to chess! […]
Westgate Sold Out: overflow hotels available.
Our room block at the Westgate is sold out. All the rooms that the Westgate was holding for our group have been sold. We have arranged chess rates at nearby hotels.
Las Vegas Monorail Discounts
The Las Vegas Monorail is offering Las Vegas Chess Festival attendees exclusive fare discounts. Use the Monorail to travel the Strip and to the tournament without the hassles of traffic and wasted time. Be sure to purchase your tickets before the festival as the discounts are available for a limited time! Buy your discounted tickets at tix.lvmonorail.com/VCF22 […]
2022 Covid-19 Safety Protocols
Player safety and confidence is important to us. We will rigorously follow state and local regulations as well as Westgate Resort’s policies.
Now Accepting Entries for 2022 Chess Festival
We are now accepting entries for most events in the 2022 Las Vegas International Chess Festival. Enter Now! Returning players who enter the National Open before January 31 are eligible for a $40 Early Bird Loyalty Discount. Make your hotel reservations early to be automatically enrolled in a drawing to get your room free.
Winner of the Free Stay at the Westgate Hotel
The drawing was held this morning and the winner is L. F. of Franklin Tennessee. L.F.’s stay at the Las Vegas Chess Festival is on us. The recording of the drawing is here.
Zoom Town Hall
We will be holding two Town Hall Meetings where players and parents new to tournament chess or new to our event can have their questions answered. These meetings are open to players, parents, and coaches who have registered or wish to learn more before registering. Recordings of the meetings will be posted here for players […]
Dean of Scholastic Chess to be Guest Host
The Dean of Scholastic Chess, Dewain Barber, was chosen to be the guest host of the International Youth Championship. WGM Tatev Abrahamyan will give the Simul for Kids.
Over-the-Board Chess Returns June 16-20
Nevada is relaxing (but not eliminating) restrictions, and we are confident that we can return to over the board chess with the Chess Event of the Year. We have delayed accepting entries until we were (nearly) certain that we could proceed. Players who have carried their entries over from previous events will be added to […]
2020 National Open Rescheduled
Vegas Chess Festivals Coronavirus Response
We have received several inquiries as to whether the National Open and the Chess Festival will be canceled. We intend to hold the event as planned if it is at all possible and safe. We hope to make a firm decision by …
Join us for the 2020 Las Vegas International Chess Festival
It’s never to early to plan for the Chess Vacation of the Year! Once again we are offering a drawing with great prizes for early entries to the National Open and the International Youth Championship, and everyone who reserves a room with our group code will also be entered into a drawing for a free […]
Win Free Hotel Stay During Chess Festival
Reserve your room early for more chances to win! You must reserve your room at the Westgate before May 23rd. You must be part of the chess festival group. Use our online link to reserve your room or phone (800) 732-7117 and use our group code: SVCF9R.
Welcome and Important Rules Information!
Dear Participants, On behalf of the all the Tournament Directors (TD) I would like to welcome you to the 2019 Las Vegas International Chess Festival. As is customary at this Chess Vacation of the Year, our goal is to provide you with the best chess playing conditions and, despite the competitive nature such a money […]
Drawing for Free Hotel Room
The Drawing was held and the winner was the holder of ticket 6327. The guest with initials W C who made the reservation on January 30th for 6/12 through 6/17 on will have the room paid for by the festival. Congratulations! WC will be notified by email. The drawing for the Free Hotel Room will […]
Registration Now Open for 2019 Events
This year the Open Section of the National Open will be a 9-round Swiss with FIDE norms possible and discounts for titled players. All under sections remain at 7-rounds, a popular change we made last year. Extra discounts are also available for returning players who enter before the end of January. We call this the […]
2018 Las Vegas International Chess Festival Concluded
Join us Next Year June 12-16. Many thanks to everyone who came and participated in this year’s Las Vegas International Chess Festival. The National Open broke the 700 player mark for only the 3rd time since 2001, finishing with 722 players in the 8 sections. This was also the 1st time we added an extra […]
Where’s my Prize?
All prize checks for less than $600 were mailed Thursday, June 28th, as were larger checks for players who completed a W-9 form. Players expecting prize checks $600 or larger must submit a W-9. You can download the form from the IRS at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf and mail the completed form to PO Box 90925 Henderson NV 89002. […]
U. S. Women’s Open Under Way
The Las Vegas Chess Festival kicks off with the U.S. Women’s Open. Over 40 women and girls are participation. Watch the games Live.
FIDE Arbiters Seminar
A FIDE Arbiters seminar will be held the 3 days before the National Open. Anyone who wishes to become a FIDE Arbiter or International Arbiter must attend one of these seminars. This is likely to be the only seminar in the U.S. this year. Anyone may attend but the US Chess Federation will only submit […]
2017 U.S. Women’s Champion Sabina Foisor to Host Youth Championship
Each year we invite a player who is or was famous as a child star to host the International Youth Championship. The current U.S. Women’s Champion, Sabina Foisor, has won medals at the European Youth Chess Championships in various age categories. Her result at 2007 European Women’s Championship qualified her for the Women’s World Chess Championship […]
Welcome to our Redesigned Website
Important features of the redesign include Easier navigation Searchable Pages Responsive Web Design Easier to use on phones and tablets Format adapts to a wide variety of devices Comments Welcome Yet to come FAQ More Photos Timely announcements of featured guests To celebrate our new look we are giving away a Free Hotel Stay to one […]
Welcome to the National Open
$125,000 Guaranteed Prize Fund will not be reduced. The NATIONAL OPEN is one of America’s longest running premier Open tournaments. No tournament in U.S. history was handled with more regard for the comfort and convenience of the players than the first National Open and we are proud to continue the tradition…
