2024 National High School (K-12) Championship Preview!

This weekend, April 5 through 7, the US Chess National High School (K-12) Championship takes place in Baltimore, Maryland! This national event features some of the best scholastic chess players in the United States and US Chess is proud to host this exciting event.

Registration for this event is closed, and there is no on-site registration. Over 1,800 players are registered at the time of writing, and all pre-entries can be seen on the event page.

Now, here are a few things you can look forward to at the 2024 National High School Championship!

Special Guest GM Elshan Moradiabadi

Come and learn from GM Elshan Moradiabadi, an established coach and author whose accolades include winning the 2001 Iranian Championship and, more recently, the 2022 U.S. Open Co-Champion. Moradiabadi kicks off his residency Friday at 9:00 a.m. with a 30-board simultaneous exhibition. Then, you can attend his Grandmaster Lectures with Q&A on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and then at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday. If you're a more active learner, you can also try your hand against him at any of his three "Take-on-all-comers" Blitz sessions, which will be held Friday and Saturday from 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. and from 2:00-4:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Blitz and Bughouse Tournaments

We all know the wildest chess happens during Blitz and Bughouse! Be sure to stop in to see the heart-pounding, fast-moving action. The blitz tournament, taking place today (Thursday, April 4) at 5:00 p.m., will have online registration open until 2:00 p.m. EDT and on-site registration from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. EDT. The bughouse championship is kicking off now, at 11:00 a.m., as well.

Friends and Family Chess Tournament

Not competing in the K-12 but still love to play chess? Join other parents, grandparents, and friends for a special Friends and Family Tournament on Saturday, with the first round starting at 10:30. Four rounds of G/30 games in rated in and unrated sections. Entry fee is only $40 on-site. Join the fun!

Watch Live on Twitch

Not going to be there but want to stay up on action? US Chess will be broadcasting live commentary and analysis from our Twitch channel for rounds five through seven. First broadcasts begin at 6 p.m. EDT on Saturday with special guest commentators IM Igor Khmelnitsky and Gopal Menon, who will make sense of the 64-squares and connect all the critical moves for the top boards. Give us a follow and watch live at www.twitch.tv/USChess. Rounds six and seven on Sunday will also be broadcast, with coverage beginning at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

And of course, there will be amazing chess in the playing hall among the 1,800-plus competitors. We look forward to seeing you in Baltimore (or on our Twitch stream) and will be keeping you updated about the 2024 National High School (K-12) Championship on Twitter and here, at Chess Life Online.

Quick Links

Official website

Results and pairings

Full schedule of events

Top boards on Chess.com

Follow rounds five through seven on Twitch

Use the hashtag #HSChessChamps on social media to follow the action