KY Chess welcomes women and girls at every level, from first moves to state championships. Each fall we hold the Kentucky Women and Girls Open, and our women’s and girls’ coordinator helps players find clubs, events, and each other.
Sign up for our mailing list to be sure you find out about all women’s and girls’ events in Kentucky.
Questions? E-mail our women and girls coordinator at [email protected].
Getting started
New to chess, or new to tournaments? You’re welcome here.
- Learn and play. Find a local chess club or start with a school club. Our learning resources list places to learn the rules and improve, and students can play online in KY Chess’s club on ChessKid.
- Play your first tournament. The Beginner section of the Women and Girls Open is made for this. Other events, for all players, are on our scholastic and open calendars.
- Parents: our Parent’s Guide to Scholastic Chess Tournaments explains what to expect on the day.
Kentucky Women and Girls Open
The Women and Girls Open, held each fall, is Kentucky’s tournament for women and girls of every age and strength. Its Beginner section features many mother-daughter pairs and is a great first tournament for women and girls new to chess.
Recent winners (full list on our champions page):
| Year | Winner(s) |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Beatrice Gabbard |
| 2025 | Katie Yuan; Beatrice Gabbard; Natalia Ushakova |
| 2024 | Beatrice Gabbard |
Kentucky Women’s Championship
Each summer the top six Kentucky women play a round-robin tournament to determine the Kentucky Women’s Champion.
Recent champions (see all past Kentucky women’s champions):
| Year | Champion(s) |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Katie Yuan; Natalia Ushakova |
| 2025 | Katie Yuan; Kaitlyn Jo Hollon |
| 2024 | Magnolia Zhu; Kaitlyn Jo Hollon |
Kentucky Girls Championship
Held each spring to determine a champion among Kentucky-resident K–12 girls. The winner represents Kentucky at the Haring National Girls Tournament of Champions.
Recent champions (see past Kentucky girls’ champions):
| Year | Champion |
|---|---|
| 2026 (inaugural) | Katie Yuan |
All-Kentucky Girls Team
Each season the Kentucky Scholastic Circuit names the five girls (any grade) with the top Circuit scores to the All-Kentucky Girls Team. See the All-Kentucky Teams.
2025–26 team: Katie Yuan; Beatrice Gabbard; Daniela Lopez Tenorio; Shae Alexandria Wilson; Aashritha Papineni.
Beyond Kentucky
- Haring National Tournament of Girls State Champions: a free national invitational held with the U.S. Open each summer. Each state sends one K–12 girl; Kentucky’s is the Kentucky Girls Champion.
- US Chess women’s and girls’ events: national tournaments, camps and online events for women and girls.
Frequently asked questions
Who can play in the Women and Girls Open?
Any woman or girl. The Beginner section is for unrated players and players rated under 700. The Open section is open to everyone, including unrated players.
How do I qualify for the Kentucky Women’s Championship?
The Women’s Championship is a six-player invitational. The spots go to:
- the previous year’s champion(s)
- the top two finishers in the Open section of the Women and Girls Open who haven’t already qualified
- the top two women and girls at the Kentucky Open who scored at least 2 points and haven’t already qualified (higher sections first, then by score within section)
If someone declines or there aren’t enough qualifiers from the Kentucky Open, the spot goes to the next finisher at the Women and Girls Open, with the latest rating as tie-break. If there still aren’t enough qualifiers, the KCA board issues invites at its discretion.
How is Kentucky’s representative for the Haring chosen?
The Kentucky Girls Champion, as determined by the Kentucky Girls Championship, represents Kentucky at the Haring National Girls Tournament of Champions.
How do I qualify for the Kentucky Girls Championship?
The Girls Championship is an invitational held each spring. You are invited if any of these apply:
- You are the defending Girls Champion.
- You are an active girl with an established rating of 1000 or more in any of the January, February, March, or April US Chess rating supplements. “Active” means you have played in at least three tournaments since the last Girls Championship.
- You have a strong result in a KY Chess scholastic tournament since the last Girls Championship:
- 50% or better at the K–8 or K–12 Individuals
- one loss or better in the Open section of the Women and Girls Open, or at the K–5 Individuals
- undefeated at your Quad tournament or the K–3 Individuals
- winning your grade at the Grade Championships
How do I make the All-Kentucky Girls Team?
The five girls (any grade) with the top scores in the Kentucky Scholastic Circuit make the team. Almost all public, advertised Kentucky tournaments count towards this score. See the Circuit site for details.