Las Vegas International Chess Festival

All prizes and trophies have been sent.

Alan Losoff — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:27:00 +0000

All checks have been mailed and PayPal payments processed.

If you have any questions you may use our contact form.

2026 Refund Request

Alan Losoff — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 03:00:00 +0000

We believe all requests have been processed. If you expected a refund please check your credit card statement before filling out this form.

So…what was the best chess game played each round?

Jiten Patel — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 02:59:38 +0000

Sounds like a question that would spark an intense debate. While highly subjective, there might be be a way to evaluate what could make some games played “better” than others. All you need to is ask NM Ionatan Giurgiu, who has developed a program that considers the following:

First, I need to run an engine analysis on the game to see how the evaluation changes. Then, run a “difficulty” scorer that uses Lc0 and Maia3 neural networks to estimate how difficult each move is. This information is used to get a “baseline score”, where a perfect game that’s easy might get around 10 points. And a perfect game that is incredibly difficult, around 20 points. Mistakes made in difficult positions are forgiven more than mistakes in easy positions.

That baseline score is also multiplied by a number, derived from various possible game features, including:

King hunt
Abnormality
Sacrifices
Tension

Also, bonuses can be received if the game includes:

Brilliant moves (only-moves with a decent sacrifice score)
Underpromotions that are only-moves
Quadrupled pawns or a pawn chain of length 6.
Castling after move 40.
En passant mate

The feature scores and bonuses are added together and dampened using a logarithm, so that high feature scores don’t completely blow up the score.

This way, a badly played game that was very interesting can score as high, or even higher than a perfectly played game that was easy, with no interesting features.

More champions crowned, the next wave of future titled players

Jiten Patel — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 21:55:44 +0000

While norm seekers and titled players are battling it out in the National Open, several hundred youth were putting up their own fight in the International Youth and Youth Trophy championships at the Westgate.

Just as important as the learning game itself is fostering values of etiquette and sportsmanship. Chess is often seen as a solo side-hustle for the eager ego, but this could not be further from the truth. Lessons learned, and skills sharpened towards the next round and well beyond the chessboard.

Viewing a child’s limitations is like staring into the trees but missing the forest

The Youth Trophy Tournament draws over 200, and the International Youth Championship over 250.

Winners will be posted here later

Streaming and Analysis Live by IM Kostya Kavutskiy for Round 8!

Jiten Patel — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:50:51 +0000

Check out coverage for Round 8 and analysis on his channels.

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/chessdojo

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChessDojo/streams

6 leaders after 7 rounds…isn’t that a meme?

Jiten Patel — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 17:08:03 +0000

After a hat trick of draws in the early rounds, GM Jianchao Zhou take down IM Olexiy Bilych, who found himself in a complicated middlegame resulting in an imbalanced material situation that he was not able to overcome.

GM Christopher Yoo surges ahead for a share of the lead, applying steady kingside pressure on the white side of a Sicilian against GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami until it became too great and Yoo broke through.

WGM Zoey has had a phenomenal so far in the 2026 National Open, holding back others with key draws against GM Christopher Yoo, IM Liam Putnam, GM Jianchao Zhou, and a win againt GM Arman Mikaelyan…all current leaders!Unfortunately, she is handed her first loss against GM Prraneeth Vuppala.

Sunday is a new day. With two more rounds to go, the last person they want to see themselves paired up against is WGM Tang

IM Liam Putnam beats fellow IM Alice Lee after a central push revealed an exposed queenside, allowing his well advanced rook to create threats of promotion.

IM Samrug Narayanan finds play on the queenside and center against a kingside attack by GM Arman Mikaelyan. A solid game on both sides but a misstep by Samurug leads to a way for Arman to crash through the position.

Ukraine may not have qualified for the World Cup, but leading group play here, Bilych still in first.

Jiten Patel — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:50:55 +0000

IM Oleksii Bilych and GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami play a solid game throughout with points in the game that Ehsah could have pressed for a greater advantage. With the position locked up, the only avenue of play was the open a-file, and both players felt content to let it evolve into an endgame and a draw was agreed upon.

IM Alice Lee goes up against MN Christopher Yoo, where another even battle took place. Lee opened off with her Catalan, and maneuvers to gain the Bishop pair, but takes an opportunity to trade it back and convert into a bishop of opposite colors ending, a valuable draw against the highly rated Yoo.

IM Samrug Narayanan opts for a solid Berlin Defense against GM Fidel Corrales Jimenez and was even for the entire game except for one move. In the endgame, Fidel allowed Sammy a winning opportunity where Sammy could trade rooks, win material, and invade with the king for winning chances. This was missed by both players, and the game was drawn many moves later.

GM Prraneeth Vuppala acquired two bishops vs two knights early in a queenless middlegame against IM Liam Putnam. Liam was able to hold for a long time, investing large amounts of time to zig everytime Vuppula zagged. An error by Putnam made him give up the Exchange but battled with some exceptional endgame play with less than five minutes, including a portion where he was threatening to promote and closing in on a win. Liam was not able to find the correct sequence with seconds on the clock but the game still ended in a draw.

IM Oleksii Bilych, clear first after 5 rounds

Jiten Patel — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:36:37 +0000

We are down to one sole perfect 5/5 score in the National Open. IM Bilych was a familiar face atop the leader board in last year’s National Open, and has been impressive this time around as well. Against GM Prraneeth Vuppala he gains an edge in the opening, leverages his open file in the center to gain a grip on queenside and then win a pawn on the kingside with the help of a monster knight posted on d6. By the time Vuppala’s pieces were able to break loose and become active, the lead in position and material was too great, a clean win for the Ukrainian.

GM Ehsan Ghaemmaghami moves into clear 2nd, 4.5/5 after defeating IM Bohdan Bilovil. A solid game was played on both sides in the first two phases of the contest. Time became a factor after queens were traded resulting in a double rook endgame. Ehsan took advantage of the errors made with the grace of a Grandmaster as the game bore on. This is shaping to to be an exciting Round 6

All that is Finegold does not glitter

Jiten Patel — Sat, 13 Jun 2026 02:58:01 +0000

Regardless of how strong you are, playing a single game is taxing enough, let alone over 25 at the same time. We are thankful for GM Ben Finegold for putting on quite a display. After the simul, Ben mentioned how exhausted he was and how much concentration it took to play. Truth Hurts

This year, Ben went 18-5-2. Here are the games that GM Finegold lost or drew, as it should be. Chess Hurts

Aaron Alejandro Araujo-Hernandez, Draw

Charles Davis, Draw

Jonathan Wu, Win

Mehdi Torkmahalleh, Win

Sam Redenius, Win

Dev Lopez, Win

Sebastian Dooijeweert, Win

Streaming and Analysis Live by IM Kostya Kavutskiy for Round 4!

Jiten Patel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 21:02:53 +0000

Check out coverage for Round 4 and analysis on his channels.

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/chessdojo

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChessDojo/streams

Three is a Magic Number

Jiten Patel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 18:58:16 +0000

After three rounds, we are already down to three undefeated scores, this is shaping up to be quite a tournament. Your leaders are GM Prraneeth Vuppala, IM Oleksii Bilych and IM Samrug Narayanan.

FM Avi Kaplan goes on the offensive right away against Vuppala, finding key ideas at critical moments in a complicated middlegame. The game was in Kaplan’s favor but Vuppala was able to find a prophylactic resource and shifted the game in his favor.

NM Harshin Jagirapu put up a fight against Bilych, playing with resilience facing his bishop pair and a queenside majority against two knights. GM Bilych complicates the material balance even more but it also took more minutes off the clock. An error allowed Jagirapu to equalize the position for several moves, but the two bishops and two queenside passed pawns proved too much to bear.

CM Shawn Xu faced solid play against IM Narayanan, opting for the Kin’s Indian Defense. Late in the opening, Xu had tension in the center but a c5 pawn thrust allowed Narayanan to get control of the center and Xu’s weakened king. Sammy demonstrates textbook technique the remainder of the game.

Schedule

Jiten Patel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 16:47:26 +0000

EVENT	ACTIVITY	DAY	TIME	LOCATION
Chess Control	Registration	SAT SUN	8 am – 7 pm 9 am – 8 pm	Center Foyer
Chess Store	Open	FRI-SUN	9 am – 10 pm	Pavilion 11
Simultaneous Exhibitions		SAT	7:00 pm	Pavilion 10
CHESS KINGS Social	Cash Bar Karaoke	FRI	4:00 pm – 7:00 p.m.	Pavilion 2
National Open Championship	Late Registration	SAT	8 – 8:30 am	Paradise Event Center South
	5-Day Schedule Open Section Only	SAT SUN	10 am & 3:30 pm 10 am & 3:30 pm
	4-Day Schedule 3-Day Schedule	SAT SUN	10 am & 3:30 pm 10 am & 3:30 pm
	2-Day Schedule	SAT SUN	9:00 am, 10:30 am, noon, 1:30 pm 3:30 pm 10 am & 3:30 pm
	Beginners Schedule	SAT SUN	10 am, 11:30 am 1 pm, 3:30 pm & 5 pm 10 am, 11:30 am 1 pm, 3:30 pm & 5 pm	Paradise Event Center South
Walter Browne Memorial Blitz	6 Double Rounds	SAT	9:00 pm Register by 8:00 pm	Paradise Event Center South
Blitz Sectional Round Robins	8 Players	SUN register	9:00 pm 30 minutes before	Pavilion 9
International Youth Championship	Late Registration Opening Ceremony Round 1 Round 2 Round 3	SAT	8:30 am – 9 am 9:45 am 10:00 am 1:00 pm 3:30 pm	Paradise Event Center North
	Puzzle Competition		6:00 pm
	Simul for Kids		7:00 pm
Free Lectures
Analysis of Your Games		SAT-SUN	noon 5:30 pm	Pavilion 10
National Open Skittles	Open to all	SAT-SUN	9 am – midnight	Pavilion 3

Congrats to our first Champions

Jiten Patel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:04:18 +0000

A three-way tie for first going into the last round pitted WIM Davaakhuu Munkhzul against Sarah Budow and FM Megan Lee vs WFM Norovsambuu Badamkhand. Munkhzul, like in Round 3 gets another Caro Kann and her Two Knights variation pays off again winning the Exchange in the midgame, being able to convert it in the end to a guaranteed share of 1st.

Both Megan and Badamkhand needing a win to move into a tie, the game was hard fought on both sides. A miscalculation from WFM Norovsambuu allowed FM Lee to win a pawn but she did not give up, continuing to press on and put up a stubborn yet patient defense. Time played a factor here, with Lee playing most of the game with a huge deficit. After some inaccuracies by Lee, and a critical endgame error, Badamkhand won a marathon of a game and pulled into a first place tie.

Both finished the tournament with 4.5/5, with WIM Davaakhuu Munkhzu edging out on tiebreaks. Congrats to all who competed!

Streaming and Analysis Live by IM Kostya Kavutskiy for Round 4!

Jiten Patel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 01:56:20 +0000

Check out coverage for Round 3 and analysis on his channels.

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/chessdojo

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChessDojo/streams

No Woman, no Ruy. Three-way tie after Round 3 of the Womens

Jiten Patel — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 17:35:44 +0000

Your undefeated leaders after 3 rounds are FM Megan Lee, WIM Munkhzul Davaakhuu, and WGM Carla Serrano after their victories Thursday night. FM Lee navigates the middlegame of a Ruy Lopez beautifully after fending off a push on her queenside.

WIM Munkhzul executes the White side of a Caro Kann Two Knights Variation equally well. Munkhzul maintains a slight edge in the opening, and was able to increase a grip on her opponents position

In another Caro Kann, it is WGM Carla Serrano playing Black against the Advance Variation. While her opponents pieces converge on the kingside, WGM Serrano finds a break on the queenside, proving to be superior, crashing down and invading White’s second rank.

Reti or not, GM Zhou scores an early win, so does defending champion GM Matviishen.

Jiten Patel — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 15:10:47 +0000

The National Open has started! Top seed Jianchao Zhou is victorious in his first round facing a Reti as Black. After a series of exchanges, Zhou took advantage after some inaccuracies in the early endgame to stay on top an never look back.

While your run of the mill Nimzo Indian calls for an exchange on c3 and pressuring the double pawns is standard, the stakes are raised when playing defending National Open Champion GM Viktor Matviishen. After an early capture on c4, GM Matviishen exploits an exposed center and goes after the Black king.

Welcome to the 2026 Las Vegas International Chess Festival!

Jiten Patel — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 20:42:08 +0000

LIVE GAMES (When available)

Don’t forget to meet your favorite Streamer on Friday from 9:30-11:00am…more to come

Schedule of Events for Wednesday, June 4th
Click Here for Full Schedule

Westgate Las Vegas Convention Center Map

View the or Print Schedule Flyer

Need a new Chess Clock for the National Open? Ask your Equipment Leaders, Chess Gorilla!

Jiten Patel — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:48:35 +0000

For more than 25 years, the tournament organizers of the Vegas Chess Festival have entrusted players’ chess equipment needs to two of the most recognized names in American chess retail — Chess Gorilla and Chess4Less.

This year, we are proud to once again provide the official chess store for the National Open, the International Youth Festival, and the U.S. Women’s Open.

Our companies have had the pleasure of serving players throughout the long and storied history of this event across many iconic Las Vegas venues. Our tournament stores have traveled from The Riviera, to the South Point Casino, back to The Riviera, then to The Westgate after the Riviera closed, followed by The Rio, next to The Flamingo, and thankfully back home again at The Westgate.

Over the decades, the Vegas Chess Festival has become one of the premier chess events in the United States, and we are honored to continue supporting players, coaches, parents, and chess enthusiasts from around the world.

Be sure to stop by the tournament store and check out the incredible selection of chess equipment, sets, boards, pieces, clocks, accessories, and more from the elite chess staff at Chess Gorilla — including David Phelps, Gerry Broan, and Shelby Lohrman. Players will also find an unmatched selection of chess books, training materials, and chess knowledge from Greg Yanez and Chess4Less.

Whether you are looking for your next tournament set, a new chess clock, rare books, or gifts for the chess player in your life, the official tournament store will have something for everyone.

From all of us at Chess Gorilla and Chess4Less, thank you to the Vegas Chess Festival organizers and players for your support throughout the years. We look forward to serving the chess community at this incredible event for decades to come.

Visit Chess Gorilla at www.ChessSet.com
Visit Chess4Less at www.Chess4Less.com

Welcome/@vegaschessfest on Insta!

Sofia Doroshenko — Wed, 20 May 2026 17:15:38 +0000

We are moving back to Westgate for 2026

Alan Losoff — Wed, 08 Oct 2025 08:11:10 +0000

The 2026 Las Vegas International Chess Festival will be better than ever with new events and prizes. Most of the information is now on this website but minor details may change during the next few weeks.

Couldn’t Stay For Your Prize or Trophy?

Alan Losoff — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 23:47:23 +0000

Unclaimed checks will be mailed within 10 business days to the address given with your registration. If you have moved, send your new address, with the subject “address for prize for [name]” to vegaschess@gmail.com.

If you won more than $599 you must fill out a w-9 form and email it to vegaschess@gmail.com or mail it to Vegas Chess Festivals, PO Box 90925, Henderson NV 89009.

Unclaimed trophies will be available for pickup in Las Vegas after somewhat later than originally expected because the trophies were inadvertently packed up and put in storage. If you want your trophy shipped send an email to vegaschess@gmail.com with the subject “Please ship Trophy for [name]” and we will ship it and invoice you for the actual cost. We will notify winners of unclaimed trophies when they are available.

To the Viktor Go the Spoils

Jiten Patel — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 21:43:20 +0000

Congrats to GM Viktor Matviishen, winner of the Edmondson Cup with a final score of 7/9, edging out Grandmasters Bilel Bellahcene and Jianchao Zhou on tiebreakers. A draw between Matviishen and Bellahcene opened a path to see four people vie for a share of first.

While we find ourselves with the Sicilian not paying off dividends when a win is on the line for a second round in a row, we see a well earned and hard fought draw by GM Vladimir Akopian and IM Sebastian Kostolansky on Board 2. We see a Kan formation arise and play shifting to the queenside. Akopian makes a break for a5 and then for d5 soon after. When the c-file was cleared, it quickly became a catalyst for pieces to be traded as both players were trying to gain an edge with each resulting exchange. None was found and a draw was agreed upon.

On Board 3, GM Emilio Cordova faced GM Jianchao Zhou. We do not see a Sicilian, but the Peruvian stays in Europe with a English. A critical decision on move 10 where Emilio sees a opportunity to win a pawn on the queenside, but this is not seen often on the higher levels and Zhou demonstrates why. With the b-file opened, serious pressure was created on Whites unmoved a+b pawns…strong Benko vibes with a pawn on a7 instead of c5. Zhou crashes down on the queenside after key weaknesses were exploited and gained a two pawn advantage in a double rook endgame. Zhou goes on to win the game and a share of first.

Reminder, Poker Tournament is Monday. Updated Details.

Jiten Patel — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 03:27:00 +0000

Please Click Here for the updated details

Nice Try Vizzini…Wins With White by Viktor and Bilel, Sicilian on Adoption Alert

Jiten Patel — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 23:46:41 +0000

GM Matviishen moves Mikaelyan into a bind with with a Maróczy, seemingly able to maintain an edge throughout the whole game, an attempt to challenge the center by Armen left his back rack exposed, leaving a way for Viktor to gain a stronger grip on the position.

Naj-dorf? More like My-dorf with the approach Bellahcene took to it. GM Bilie was unfazed by the Queenside attack that IM Bilych launched, sticking with sound play in the center and kingside

This sets up a rather conceivable match between the two Grandmasters as we head into the final round.

Four-way tie at the National Open after 7 Rounds

Jiten Patel — Sun, 08 Jun 2025 20:07:37 +0000

IM Oleksii Bilych, GM Arman Mikaelyan, GM Bilel Bellahcene , and GM Viktor Matviishen sit at top with 5.5 points. With draws at the top three boards, Grandmasters Bellahcene and Mikaelyan broke free from the trend, one of them getting a shot to take out the young Ukrainian International Master.