2026 Winter Tournament Rundown
The 2026 Winter Tournament Rundown
Charge Chess Day, GCSCL, and the Cardinal Open
January 27, 2026
Progress With Chess is so excited to be hosting a number of high quality chess tournaments in the Greater Cleveland area this season, for players of all ages and abilities to come together in celebration of the world’s favorite game!
First up, PWC was proud to partner with Discovery Chess and the Cleveland Charge to present Charge Chess Day on January 2nd, 2026 – a proper USCF rated chess tournament hosted at the iconic Public Hall, featuring trophy prizes for scholastic sections and cash prizes for open sections, as well as sports team giveaways. Admission included entry to the basketball game after the tournament, upstairs at the same venue, between the Cleveland Charge and the Long Island Nets! This event featured 87 players in 7 sections, G/30; d5, with a guaranteed prize fund of $1,000.
Next, Progress With Chess hosted our third event of the 2025-2026 Greater Cleveland Scholastic Chess League, on January 17th at Solon Middle School – this event featured 282 players divided into 9 sections based on grade and rating. Players from all over the state competed both individually and as part of school teams of two or more players.
It is always a thrill to see such a large gathering of students at least four times a year at these competitions, it is a testament to the community in Cleveland that has supported us for all of these years, and we are honored to be able to provide that community with high quality chess tournaments – all sets and boards are provided, clocks are provided for all sections open to all grades (that being, Championship, U1600, and U1200), and all students scoring three or more points out of four at any event are guaranteed a trophy!
There are a couple of close races for cumulative team awards, with the final event potentially deciding a number of outcomes especially in the elementary sections!
Progress With Chess is looking forward to hosting the annual Cardinal Open, a classical chess tournament for serious players looking to play some real chess. Hosted at the luxurious ballroom at the Doubletree by Hilton in Akron Fairlawn, this event provides players throughout the state and beyond the opportunity and the conditions to play the best games they can possibly play. This event features a $10,000 prize fund, both 2-day and 3-day options available, and will be attended this year by GM Sam Khanin and GM Jianchao Zhou, among other strong players. Plenty of options for food nearby, plenty of chess to play, games to analyze, and friends to be made, space is still available for this event at progresswithchess.org/cardinal
