Featured Events

Tournaments, Workshops, and Community Stories

Upcoming Tournaments & Workshops

Driven by passion, Chess for Unity has hosted 150+ events and workshops, offering free, high-quality chess programming to youth worldwide. Since 2020, we have hosted monthly free tournaments to connect young players from over 47 states..

2026 Spring Series

Free Chess Lessons for Beginners

Free Entry

Our Goal: Help young players learn chess fundamentals, build confidence, and develop a solid foundation for long-term improvement.

Content: Chess rules, piece movement, opening principles, basic tactics, checkmating patterns, and building a strong chess foundation.

  • Schedule: Bi-weekly Saturdays (Jan 10 – Apr 18)
  • Time: 7:00 PM EST / 4:00 PM PST
  • Who: Rated Under 1200
  • Instructors: IM Erick Liu, IM Ryo Chen, IM Isaac Wang, NM Joshua Meng
  • TAs: Candice Liang, NM Steven Liu, WFM Sophie Li, Vincent Gao, Jesse Deng, Lucia Huang, Alan Chen, Grace Yang
Session Dates:
  • Jan 10: Kickoff
  • Jan 24
  • Feb 7
  • Feb 21
  • Mar 7
  • Mar 21
  • Apr 4
  • Apr 18: Finale
Registration Link
3rd Saturday 2026 Chess Tournament

"3rd Saturday" 2026 Online Chess Tournament

Prizes Available

Description: Join us for our monthly "3rd Saturday" Free Monthly Online Chess Tournament! Open to all K-12 students. Since 2020, we have hosted more than 100 online events, uniting nearly 800 players across 13 countries. As we launch our 2026 season, we invite you to be part of our vibrant, global community. Join us at the digital board to celebrate the game we all love!

  • Date: Saturday, March 21, 2026
  • Time: 7:00 PM EST | 4:00 PM PST | 6:00 PM CST
  • Format: 5 Rounds, Swiss System (G10/d5)
  • Sections: U1200, Open (Based on Chess.com Ratings)
  • Important: Join the club to start playing
Prizes & Entry:
  • Trophies: Free Chess Review for 1st Place
  • Entry: Free
Registration Link

Special Chess Events

Christmas Special Event

C4U Christmas Special Event: Let’s Play Chess

A Memorial for GM Daniel Naroditsky

The event aims to honor the legacy of GM Daniel Naroditsky by celebrating his passion for chess through friendly games, interactive challenges, and the sharing of memorable experiences.

  • Date: December 20, 2025
  • Time: 7 PM - 9 PM ET (4-6 PM PT)
  • Hosted by: IM Erick Zhao, IM Eric Liu, IM Ryo Chen
  • Special Guests: FM Donald Johnson, GM Andy Woodward

Activities Included: Casual online games, interactive challenges, Puzzle Rush, Bullet matches, and Simuls.

C4U Participants: IM Issac Wang, FM Daniel Xu, FM Matthew Diao, FM Jesse Ren, NM Joshua Meng, Owen Yuan, Grace Yang, Evan Qian, Vincent Gao.

Support Memorial Fund
The Thinking Game Movie Screening

Chess4Unity Movie Screening: The Thinking Game

Join us and three International Masters from C4U as we watch and discuss the inspiring documentary, *The Thinking Game*.

  • Date: April, 2025
  • Organizers: IM Erick Zhao, IM Eric Liu, IM Ryo Chen
  • Focus: Dr. Demis Hassabis's life, his chess prodigy background, and his groundbreaking work in building AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) through DeepMind.

Fun Fact: Dr. Hassabis, a passionate chess player himself, was once ranked No. 2 in the world among 13-year-olds!

New Year Workshop

Chess for Unity 2025 New Year Workshop

Theme: Think Like a World Chess Champion! A workshop analyzing the decisive moments and strategies from the latest World Championship games.

  • Date: January, 2025 (Held Jan 4th, 2025)
  • Organizers: IM Erick Zhao, IM Eric Liu, IM Ryo Chen
  • Participation: 40+ participants from the US, Canada, Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Australia.

Workshop included a bullet tournament and simul in the interim as a break to the Championship games.

Scholastic Volunteers

Call for Scholastic Volunteers!

We are looking for passionate, high-rated students to join our team and promote chess in their local communities and school chess clubs.

  • Recruitment: June, 2025
  • Organizers: IM Erick Zhao, IM Eric Liu, IM Ryo Chen
  • Requirement: USCF rating 1500+, Grade 6 or above

Past Tournaments

"3rd Saturday" Archive

Results and analysis from our regular monthly scholastic tournaments.

  • 47th Tournament (Nov 2025)
  • 46th Tournament (Oct 2025)
  • 45th Tournament (Sep 2025)
  • 44th Tournament (May 2025)
  • 43rd Tournament (April 2025)
  • 42nd Tournament (March 2025)
  • 41st Tournament (Feb 2025)
  • 40th Tournament (Jan 2025)
  • March 2021 Challenge Me Event
  • February 2021 Challenge Me Event
  • October 2020 Endgame Practice
  • September 2020 Endgame Practice
  • August 2020 Challenge Me Event
  • July 2020 Challenge Me Event

Past Workshops

Educational sessions and training camps led by our titled players.

  • 2024 Summer Training Camp - Theme: Endgame Mastery
  • A Free Chess Workshop (April 2024) - Tactical Vision
  • Winter Workshop (Dec 2023) - Theme: Positional Play
  • Advanced Tactics Seminar (Oct 2023)
  • Beginners Opening Workshop (Sept 2023)
  • March 2021 Challenge Me Event
  • February 2021 Challenge Me Event
  • October 2020 Endgame Practice