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Arizona's state chess championship comes to Yuma High, and some of the top qualifiers won't have far to travel

About 280 high school players are expected Nov. 20 and 21. Students from San Luis, Yuma Catholic and Kofa came out of qualifying near the top. It's free to watch.

Dan Bustard

Founder & Publisher

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Watercolor-style illustration of a hand moving a knight over a chessboard, with players and chess clocks in the background.
Illustration. Not a photograph of the state championship or its participants. Credit: Illustration supplied for Yuma Informed.
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Arizona's high school state individual chess championship is coming to Yuma High this month, and a few of the players who finished qualifying near the top go to school right here.

About 280 players from across the state are expected on Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21, according to a Nov. 4 announcement from Yuma High. It's free and open to the public.

Erik Langland, Yuma High's chess coach and the AIA chess region director, said in that announcement that local families "will get to watch our students compete for a state title without a long drive."

The local players

Players from San Luis, Kofa, Yuma High, Cibola and Yuma Catholic are in the field, the school says.

Three of them come in as what the school calls top qualifiers. In qualifying, San Luis High senior Rey Zamudio and Yuma Catholic sophomore Lincoln Snyder tied for first, and Zamudio won the head-to-head tiebreaker. Kofa senior Lakai Williams placed third.

The school also reported team results from qualifying: San Luis first, Yuma Catholic second and Kofa third.

Those are results from before the state championship, not predictions of it. The state title gets decided at Yuma High on the 20th and 21st.

If you go

  • When: Rounds begin at 2:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, and 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 21. The award ceremony starts at 4 p.m. Saturday.
  • Where: Yuma High School, 400 S. Sixth Ave.
  • Parking: The lots on the north side of campus, according to the school.
  • Cost: Free.

One tip that probably doesn't need saying: it's a chess tournament. Expect a quiet room.

Where this comes from

  • [Yuma High to Host Arizona State Individual Chess Championship](https://yumahs.yumaunion.org/view-all-news), Yuma High School news, Nov. 4, 2026. The school's own announcement. It opens in a pop-up on the news page and has no direct link of its own. Source for the dates, times, location, parking, number of players, schools, qualifying results, free admission and Langland's quote.
  • [Yuma Union High School District homepage](https://www.yumaunion.org/). District news summary also listing about 280 players for Nov. 20-21.

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Sources 2