National High School (K-12) Championship Preview!

This weekend, March 31 through April 2, the US Chess National High School (K-12) Championship takes place in Washington D.C.! 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 currently closed as it has been capped at 1,700 players. All pre-entries can be seen on the event page.

Now, here are a few things you can look forward to at the 2023 National High School (K-12) Championship!

Special Guest Grandmaster Rashad Babaev

Come and learn from the 2009 Azerbaijan national champion and proprietor of GMChessPrep Academy GM Rashad Babaev. Babaev has taught over 11,000 students and now is your opportunity to add your name to that list. 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.

Girls Club Events and Special Guests

US Chess Women’s Program Director Jennifer Shahade invites all female players with their families and coaches to the US Chess Girls Club with a series of special events on Saturday and Sunday. Special guests making appearances for games discussions and more include WGM Shahade and IM Rusudan Goletiani.

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, March 30) at 5:00 p.m., has been capped at 308 entries. Bughouse will take place earlier, 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 $30 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 5 through 7. First broadcasts begin at 6 p.m. ET on Saturday with special guest commentators GM Mesgen Amanov 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 6 and 7 on Sunday will also be broadcast, with coverage beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.

And of course, there will be amazing chess in the playing hall among the 1,700 competitors. We look forward to seeing you in Washington, D.C. (or on our Twitch stream) and will be keeping you updated about the 2023 National High School (K-12) Championship on Twitter and here, at Chess Life Online.