2026 Southern California Collegiate State Chess Championship

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2026 Southern California Collegiate State Chess Championship

Join college chess players from across Southern California for the inaugural Southern California Collegiate State Championship, taking place on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at the University of Southern California (USC).

The tournament will feature two sections designed for players of different chess levels:

• Championship Section – for more experienced and higher-rated players
• Reserve Section – for developing and lower-rated players

The championship is an individual competition: each participant competes individually; Team trophy is awarded to the college with highest combined scores of their top three players in the final rankings.

Whether you are an experienced tournament competitor or an active member of your college chess community, this event is an opportunity to represent your school, meet players from other campuses, and help grow collegiate chess throughout Southern California.

Eligibility and Registration

• Registration is free for currently enrolled students at Southern California colleges and universities. If you do not register using your school email address, you may be asked to provide a valid student ID to verify your eligibility when check in.
• This tournament is open only to currently enrolled SoCal college and university students; K–12 students are not eligible to participate.
• Players should register individually, select the appropriate section, and identify their college or university during registration.
• Section eligibility will be determined using the highest of (while the pairing will use monthly published USCF rating):
  • current monthly published USCF rating;
  • latest USCF rating; or
  • highest USCF rating during the past six months.

Tournament Rules

Please read the complete tournament rules before registering:

Rules.ICEAChess.org

Tournament Notes

• The tournament is USCF-rated, not FIDE-rated. USChess membership (aka. USCF ID) is required (If you don't have an USCF ID yet, you can join USChess membership here).
• Section changes resulting from rating updates before the tournament can be made through My Bookings. 
• Other registration details, such as the player’s name or USCF ID, can be corrected by updating your profile.
• Players should bring their own chess set and chess clock and set up the time control as appropriate.
• Score notation is required. The scoresheet will be provided.
• Pairings will use the October 2026 USCF Rating Supplement.
• Players from the same college or university will generally not be paired against one another. However, this restriction may be removed for the final round.
• Tournament Directors reserve the right to adjust ratings or section assignments when appropriate.

Hosted by ICEA Chess and the USC Chess Club
Sponsored by the Southern California Chess Federation (SCCF)