Puzzle Solving Championship

US Chess is proud to partner with ChessKid! to offer this National Championship event at the US Chess Grade (K-12) National Championships 2026.

Puzzle Solving Championship Information

• Participants will compete onsite in real time via the ChessKid platform
• ChessKid staff will facilitate the puzzle solving.
• Be sure to read all the rules and procedures below
• PLAYERS WILL NEED TO SUPPLY AN INTERNET-CAPABLE device 
• ChessKid will supply logins for the event
• While entrance into the main event at Nationals is not a requirement for entry, all participants must have a current US Chess membership to compete in the National Puzzle Solving Championship. The same eligibility requirements set forth for national events also apply. Consult section 4 of the Scholastic Regulations for full details on player eligibility.

When

• Thursday, December 10 at 3:00pm

Sections:

• Grades K-6
• Grades 7-12

Entry fee schedule

• $25 online by Monday, 11/30/2026,
• $35 online after Monday, 11/30/2026 until Thursday, 12/10/26 1:00pm local time
• NO ON-SITE ENTRIES

Prizes

• Plaques to top 15 in each section
• Prizes may be increased, depending on registrations

Awards Ceremonies

• Check the Schedule for times and locations of the awards ceremony for your section.
• Side Event awards will be presented prior to the start of rounds in the main playing hall.  Check the Schedule for times and locations of the awards ceremony for your side event.
• Questions about awards, early pick-up, etc.?  See the Chess Control help-desk at the event.

Misc. Information

• Check the Schedule for times and locations of all events.
• Withdrawals on-site, please see the Chess Control help desk.

• Questions about times, locations, floor maps, etc.?  

  • Click here for the main event website for the US Chess Grade (K-12) National Championships 2026
  • Or, see the Chess Control help-desk at the event.

  General Questions, including withdrawals and refunds: contact [email protected]

Puzzle rules and procedures: 

·  You must bring your own device. Phones and tablets are preferred. Computers are allowed, however.

·  Parents are allowed in the room and to watch the live scoreboard being refreshed. You cannot stand near your child but rather off to the side. 

·  Your child will need an internet connection. For devices with data plans, you may choose to use this if you have good service. This generally is the preferred option since you aren't competing for Wifi bandwidth. For devices that are Wifi-only, you may connect to the convention center's Wifi, or tether to a personal hotspot of your own. As a last resort, you can connect to "Verizon M2100-3914." There is a limit to the number of devices on this hotspot, so either of the other options is generally preferred. Please raise your hand if you need the password for the Verizon hotspot. We are trying to limit the number of people who choose this option and not giving it out openly.

·  We are NOT able to provide power outlets. Make sure your device has enough charge.

·  Please have the ChessKid app downloaded. If using computer, you may use the web version at chesskid.com. We do not recommend using the mobile browser -- the app is much easier to use if on a phone or tablet.

·  Note that no part of this competition is on chess.com -- it is chesskid only.

·  Sign out of your existing account if signed in. This can usually be done by clicking the "cog wheel"or "three bars, then cog wheel" and scrolling down to "sign out."

·  Once everyone has completed the above steps, we will pass out slips of paper with "one-time use" logins and passwords. You must use this account for the contest since everyone starts with a fresh account. Note that you are not getting your account until just before 3:00pm. This is to prevent false starts.

·  K-6 kids your account should have "______" in the username. In the 7-12 yours should have "______" in the username.

·  Keep this slip of paper, since it will prove at the end you are the owner of the account.

·  Once you sign in with this new account, DO NOT DO ANYTHING ELSE. If you do, you may end up voiding your account by false-starting.

·  When the competition begins, you will have 15 minutes to get the highest puzzle rating that you can. That will determine the winners and the standings.

·  You will click puzzles, then "solve puzzles/play puzzles" (do not do "puzzles by theme" and do not do "puzzle duel") 

·  The app *may* ask you after the first puzzle to "rate it" - just click out of that and ignore. The site *thinks* you are a first-time user even though you are not!

·  Keep solving for 15 minutes and don't give up! If you get a hard puzzle, make your best guess and move on. Don't spend 5 minutes on a single puzzle!

·  Don't ever click "hint" since that will result in your rating being lowered. It's better to guess a move than click hint.

Good luck to everyone and see you for the Puzzle Championship!