Below are the lists of invited players to this years 2026 Youth invitational and event informaiton.
All invites are based on US Chess ratings from the March Supplement.
The top 20 players (expanded if rating tied) have received email invites.
All list of invites can be found HERE!
Denker (9-12th)
Barber (6-8)
Rockefeller (K-5)
Ashely (K-3)
Haring (Girls)
If you believe there was an error or if you were left off the invite list please reach out to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Event Info:
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton-Lisle-Naperville
Dates: April 24-26, 2026
Round Times:
- Friday: 7:00 p.m.
- Saturday: 10:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m.
- Sunday: 10:00 a.m., 3:00 p.m.
Time Control: G/90 plus 30-second increment
Format: Denker (9-12), Barber (5-8), Rockefeller (K-5), Ashley (K-3), and Haring (Girls) will be 5-round Swiss. All sections are US Chess rated and the Denker section is also FIDE-rated.
Entry Fee: $75 by 4/16. Additional $10 after that. There are NO refunds for withdrawing. Anyone who registers who is not on the invitation list will be withdrawn and refunded minus a $15 processing fee.
Prizes: The winners of each competition will be named as the Illinois representatives to the National Denker (High School), Barber (Middle School), Rockefeller (Elementary), Ashley (Primary) and Haring (Girls) Invitational championships, to be held during the 2026 U.S. Open, from August 3rd - 6th, 2026 in Grand Rapids, MI. They will receive a $300 travel stipend to attend, payable after the U.S. Open. In the event that the winner cannot attend the national event, the runner-up will be named the Illinois representative and will receive the travel stipend to attend the tournament.
Links to detailed information about each of these tournaments are provided below:
The Arnold Denker National Tournament of High School Champions: https://new.uschess.org/denker/
The Dewain Barber National Tournament of Middle School State Champions: https://new.uschess.org/barber/
The John D. Rockefeller III National Tournament of Elementary School State Champions: https://new.uschess.org/rockefeller/
The GM Maurice Ashley National Tournament of K-3 State Champions: https://new.uschess.org/ashley
The Ruth Haring National Tournament of Girls Champions: https://new.uschess.org/haring/