US Chess Federation

The US Chess Federation (US Chess) is the official governing body for the game of chess in the United States. Founded in 1939 through a merger of the American Chess Federation and the National Chess Federation, US Chess has grown from a small organizing body into a membership organization of over 112,000 players, coaches, and chess enthusiasts.

US Chess sanctions more than 10,000 tournaments every year, from local scholastic events to national championships. Its rating system is used by players across the country to track their progress and qualify for elite competitions. The federation publishes Chess Life, the longest-running chess publication in America, covering news, analysis, and instruction for players at every level.

The organization is perhaps best known for its National Championships calendar, which includes the US Championship, US Women's Championship, US Junior Championship, and a full slate of scholastic titles. In 2026, those events run from March through November, covering high school, elementary, middle school, and senior divisions.

US Chess also oversees the country's representative programs for international competition, including the US Olympiad teams and world championship qualifiers. The federation holds a gold affiliation with FIDE, the international chess governing body, and plays a central role in the global chess ecosystem.

For any tournament player in the United States, a US Chess membership is essentially required. The federation's national membership gives access to ratings, tournament pairings, and the full national events calendar at new.uschess.org.