Bulletin 2026 – Las Vegas International Chess Festival

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

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

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

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