Arizona Golden Cup – January 31, 2026
Arizona Golden Cup
Arizona’s Premier Year-Long USCF Chess Series
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 Place – 10 points
- 5–6 – 8 points
- 7–10 – 5 points
- Participation – 3 points
Bonus Points:
+3 points – Perfect score (4/4)
+2 points (December only) – Played most consecutive months
Monthly Event Tie Handling
When two or more players are tied for placement in a monthly Arizona Golden Cup event,
Golden points are split evenly among the tied positions.
Year-End Tie-Breaks
- Most 1st-place finishes
- Head-to-head results
- Most tournaments played
- Best December result
TD decisions are final.
If a player moves to a higher section during the year, points earned in the previous section
do not transfer. The player begins earning Golden Cup points in the new section.
Players are eligible to win only one Arizona Golden Cup prize, awarded in the highest section
in which they competed.
Official rating will be used for sections and prizes.
Half-point byes available in all four rounds (maximum two) and must be requested before round two.
Registration
Website:
www.phoenixchessacademy.com
Phone: 602-402-4985