• Arizona Golden Cup – June 27, 2026

    Arizona Golden Cup Arizona’s Premier Year-Long USCF Chess Series Register Entry List Earn Points. Win Gold. Become a Champion. Hosted by: Phoenix Chess Academy in partnership with Unity Chess Club A year-long USCF-rated chess series. Players earn Golden Points at each monthly event. Final standings after December determine the Arizona Golden Cup Champion, 2nd and 3rd Place in each section. Players may enter the series at any time during the year. 2026 Series Dates 1/31, 2/28, 3/28, 4/25, 5/9, 6/27, 7/25, 8/22, 9/26, 10/24, 11/21 and 12/19 Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM Location Phoenix Chess Academy 18440 N. 7th Street, Suite #8 Phoenix, AZ 85022 Format Monthly 4-Round Swiss G/30; d5 USCF-rated tournament series with cumulative points USCF Membership is required Sections Open (1800+) Under 1800 No playing up allowed Schedule Round 1: 9:00 AM Round 2: 10:15 AM Round 3: 11:30 AM Round 4: 12:45 PM Awards ceremony will follow after the last game Entry Fee $35 by Wednesday $40 by Friday $45 Same Day Refund Policy: Full refund up to 1 hour before the event. No refunds after. Golden Points System 1st Place – 20 points 2nd Place – 16 points 3rd Place – 13 points 4th […]

  • Rising Star Independence Day Classic

    Rising Star Independence Day Classic Fri, Sat, Sun on July 3rd-5th Location: Mesa DoubleTree by Hilton, 1011 W Holmes Ave, Mesa, AZ 85210 Easy freeway access from Route 60, take the Alma School Rd exit north. Format: Six round Swiss style Tournament 3-day and 2-day schedules are available. G/90;+30 for all rounds G/30;+5 for rounds 1-3, G/90;+30 for rounds 4-6 4 Sections: Premier (1800 and Up), U1800 (1500-1799), U1500 (1200-1499), U1200 (1199 and Under) Players rated 1700-1799 may play up into the Premier Section for an additional $50. Players within 100 points of the rating floor of lower sections may play up for an additional $25. Important: • USCF Regular ratings apply for all sections. • USCF membership is required (may be purchased or renewed on site) • The official published July 2026 USCF Regular ratings will be used for section eligibility, pairings, and prize eligibility. Higher unofficial USCF ratings might be used for playing up, or for other purposes. • A maximum of three half-point byes are available. Any half-point byes must be requested no later than 30 minutes before the round starts for rounds 1-3. Half-point byes for rounds 4-6 must be requested before the start of round 3 and may not […]

  • Rising Star Independence Day U800

    Rising Star Independence Day U800 Saturday, July 4, 2026 Location: Mesa DoubleTree by Hilton 1011 West Holmes Ave Mesa, AZ 85210 Format: 6-round Swiss Time Control: G/30;+5 One Section: Open (open to players under 800 and unrated players) Important: • USCF rated. • USCF membership required (may be purchased or renewed at on site) • July USCF Regular ratings will be used for section eligibility, pairings, and prizes. Other ratings may be used if higher. The decision of the Chief Tournament Director regarding eligibility, rating adjustments, conversions, unofficial ratings, or other rating issues is final. • Boards, sets, scoresheets AND clocks will be provided. Prizes: Trophies for Top 3 and 1st U500 Entry Fee: $25 early; $30 late; $35 on-site Online Registration: Rising Star Independence Day U800 Early online registration until 11:59 pm MST Wed, Jul 1. Late online registration until 11:59 pm MST, Fri, Jul 3. On-site registration until 9:00 am MST, Sat, Jul 4. A maximum of three half-point byes is available. Half-point byes must be requested no later than immediately before the start of round 3. Half-point byes for rounds 3 thru 6 must be requested before the start of round 3 and may not be revoked after round 3 starts. Schedule: Sat: Rd 1 10:00 am, Rd 2 11:30 […]

  • Rising Star Independence Day Blitz

    Rising Star Chess Memorial Day Blitz Saturday, July 4, 2026 Location: Mesa DoubleTree by Hilton 1011 West Holmes Ave Mesa, AZ 85210 Format: 5-round Double Swiss System (two games per round) Time Control: G/3;+2 One Section: Open (open to players of all ratings) Important: • USCF rated. • USCF membership required (may be purchased or renewed at on site) or may be requested on site. • July USCF Regular ratings will be used for section eligibility, pairings, and prizes. Other ratings may be used if higher. The decision of the Chief Tournament Director regarding eligibility, rating adjustments, conversions, unofficial ratings, or other rating issues is final. • Boards, sets, AND clocks will be provided for all sections. Prizes: $300 Total Prize Fund (based on 20 entries): 1st:           $100 2nd:            $75 3rd:             $50 1st U2000:  $30 1st U1400:  $25 1st U800:    $20 Entry Fee: $25 Online Registration: Rising Star Independence Day Blitz Registration Onsite Registration: Available until 7:00pm Sat, Jul 4, 2026 Schedule: Round 1 starts at 7:30 pm or at the conclusion of Round 4 of the Rising Star Independence Day Classic tournament whichever is later. Subsequent rounds will be paired as soon as possible. Refunds: Refunds may […]

  • Rising Star July Grand Prix 

    Date:July 11, 2026 Saturday Rising Star Chess This will take place on Saturday, July 11, 2026 at the Mesa DoubleTree Hotel. Here is the street address for this nice venue: HOTEL: Mesa DoubleTree by Hilton 1011 W Holmes Ave Mesa, AZ 85210 Format: 4-round Swiss tournament Time Control: G/45;+10 Six Sections: Open (2000 and up) Class A (1800-1999) Class B (1600-1799) Class C (1400-1599) Class D (1200-1399) U1200 (1199 and Under) Players within 100 points of rating floor of a higher section may play up for an additional $5. Important: • All sections USCF dual-rated. • USCF membership required (may join or renew here: USCF join or renew or on site). • The official published July 2026 USCF Regular ratings will be used for section eligibility, pairings, and prize eligibility. Higher unofficial USCF ratings might be used for playing up, or for other purposes. • A maximum of two half-point byes are available. Half-point byes must be requested no later than 30 minutes before the round starts for rounds 1-2. Half-point byes for rounds 3-4 must be requested before the start of round 2 and may not be revoked after round 2 starts. • Boards, sets, clocks AND pens will be provided for all sections. Prizes: $1000 Prize Fund (based […]