National Elementary School (K-6) Championship Preview!

This weekend, May 13-15, the National Elementary School (K-6) Championship takes place in Columbus, OH! This national event features some of the best K-6 scholastic chess players in the United States and US Chess is proud to host this exciting tournament.

First thing’s first, registration is still open. If you have not registered, please visit the event page and register online. On-site prices will be slightly higher than pre-registering.

Now, here are a few things you can look forward to at the 2022 National Elementary School (K-6) Championship!

Special Guest Grandmasters Joshua Friedel and Elshan Moradiabadi

We've got not one, but two guest grandmasters at this year's National Elementary School Championship! US Chess is proud to welcome GMs Joshua Friedel and Elshan Moradiabadi to this year's event.

Joshua is a two-time U.S. champion, three-time New Hampshire state champ, and is a regular GM-in-Residence at the St. Louis Chess Club. Elshan is came to the United States from Iran to attend the Texas Tech chess program and has won the 2017 U.S. Grand Prix and was seeded into the 2020 U.S. Championship. These two will be on hand for a ton of a events this weekend:

See if you’ve got what it takes to beat GM Friedel or GM Moradiabadi at the “Take-on-all-Comers” Blitz sessions on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
Come see if there really is strength in numbers as Joshua and Elshan host a special 30-board tandem simul on Friday at 9 a.m.
Come and learn from the best at Grandmaster Lectures with Q&A hosted by GMs Friedel and Moradiabadi on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

View our full event program for places and times.

Girls Club Events and Special Guests

All female players with their families and coaches are invited to the US Chess Girls Club room to take part in special events throughout the weekend. WGMs Jennifer Shahade and Katerina Nemcova will be making appearances for games analyses, lectures, and more. Special guests Coach Krista and Arthur Alton will host a special "Human Chess Game" at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday!

See our program for the full schedule.

Blitz and Bughouse Tournaments

Anything can happen during Blitz and Bughouse, which is why it's such an exciting part of our national events! Be sure to sign up for (or stop in to see) the thrilling, fast-moving action.

Blitz tournament will be Thursday, May 12 at 5 p.m. Entry fee is $40, on-site until 4 p.m.
Bughouse will be Thursday, May 12 at 11 a.m. Entry is $30 per two-player team, on-site between 9-10 a.m.

Friends and Family Chess Tournament

Not competing in the K-6 but still love to play chess? Join other parents, grandparents, and friends for a special Friends and Family Tournament on Saturday. Four rounds of G/30 games in rated and unrated sections. Join the fun!

Watch Live on Twitch

US Chess will be broadcasting live commentary and analysis from our Twitch channel for rounds 5 through 7. First broadcasts begin at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday with special guest commentators WGM Katerina Nemcova and FM Gauri Shankar, who will provide insights and connect all the critical moves for the top boards. Give us a follow, subscribe, and watch live at www.twitch.tv/USChess.

And of course, there will be amazing chess in the playing hall among the 1,032 (and counting!) competitors. We look forward to seeing you in Columbus (or on our Twitch stream) and will be keeping you updated about the 2022 National Elementary School (K-6) Championship on Twitter and here, at Chess Life Online.

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