Saint Louis is set to welcome the elite of American chess in October 2026. The Saint Louis Chess Club has confirmed it will host the 2026 U.S. Chess Championship and the U.S. Women’s Chess Championship, an event scheduled to take place from October 7 to October 23, 2026.
The upcoming championships will feature a total prize fund of more than $400,000. The announcement sets the stage for a high-stakes battle as the nation's top players prepare to compete for the prestigious titles in Missouri.
The 2026 tournament will see the return of the 2025 titleholders, who will arrive in Saint Louis to defend their crowns. Fabiano Caruana and Carissa Yip, the champions from the 2025 championships, are expected to lead the field. During the 2025 event, held from October 12 to October 24, both Caruana and Yip secured their victories with identical scores of 8/11. Caruana earned $67,000 for his performance, while Yip received $45,000.
The Saint Louis Chess Club continues to serve as a central hub for major competitive chess in the United States, providing the venue for these premier national championships. As the 2026 dates approach, the chess community looks forward to seeing whether the current champions can maintain their dominance in the face of rising competition.