The ICA’s state championship titles are awarded to organizers each year through a bid process. The current call for bids, schedule, guidelines and forms are below. Just want your own tournament on the ICA calendar? No bid is needed — see List a Tournament.
Bid to host a state championship
The Illinois Chess Association is the official state affiliate of Illinois for US Chess (the United States Chess Federation), and an Illinois not-for-profit corporation under IRC §501(c)(3). As the state affiliate, the ICA is responsible for conferring US Chess state titles for Illinois.
The ICA keeps the right to organize a championship itself, but it encourages other organizers to bid for state titled events. It may also confer a state title on an event run by another organization — for example, it has recognized the high school team title awarded by the IHSA.
Organizers are free to run their own unofficial events at any time without a bid. The bid process applies only to the ICA’s state titled championships.
Call for bids: 2026/27 state championships
The ICA is seeking bids for the following state championships:
- IL Open Chess Championship
- IL Blitz Championship
- IL Class Championships
- IL Quick Championships
- IL All-Grade Chess Championship (Upstate)
- 2027 IL K-8 Individual and Team Championship (Downstate)
- 2027 IL Girls State Championship
Bid deadlines and award dates are in the schedule below. Review the Bid & Tournament Guidelines, then send completed bids to bids@il-chess.org.
2026 Illinois State Tournaments
| Tournament | Tournament date | Bids due to committee | Awarded by ICA Board | Bid winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IL Open Chess Championship | Labor Day Weekend | January 15 | February 1 | Wilson Chess & King Registration |
| IL Blitz Championship | Labor Day Weekend | January 15 | February 1 | Wilson Chess & King Registration |
| IL Class Championships | Fall | Awarded 2025 | March 1 | Chessweekend |
| IL Quick Championships | Fall | February 15 | March 1 | ICA |
| IL All-Grade Chess Championship (Upstate) | Fall | February 15 | March 18 | Elite |
| 2027 IL K-8 Individual and Team Championship (Downstate) | Spring | February 15 | March 18 | BNASC |
| 2027 IL Girls State Championship | Spring or Summer | September 15 | October 7 | — |
Guidelines & forms
- Bid & Tournament Guidelines PDF, revised Feb 6 2025
- Conflict Disclosure Statement Word
- ICA Bid Table Google Doc
- ICA Tournament Donation Form Google Doc
- ICA Member Form PDF
- ICA Upstate & Downstate Map & List PDF, effective Apr 1 2025
ICA Bid Committee
The Bid Committee gathers and reviews bids and recommends a winner for each state titled event to the ICA Board.
- Jeff Wiewel Chair
- Murrel Rhodes
- Chris Merli
- Glenn Panner
- Erik Czerwin
- Bill Buklis