The North American Youth Chess Championship (NAYCC) is premier youth chess tournaments for participants under 18 in the Americas. The tournament held annually under the auspices of the Confederation of Chess for the Americas (CCA) and FIDE and first held in 2004 in Boca Raton, Florida. [1] This event is open to players from Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The tournament has 6 age brackets, in two-year increments, from U8 (under 8) to U18. For each age bracket, there is an open championship and a separate championship for girls. Since at least 2015, there is also a blitz tournament. Winners of each category are awarded the title of North American Youth Champion, and top finishers earn direct FIDE titles such as Candidate Master (CM), FIDE Master (FM), International Master (IM), Woman Candidate Master (WCM), Woman FIDE Master (WFM), and Woman International Master (WIM), depending on section and performance.
Contents
- Open championship winners (Gold medalists/champions)
- Girls championship winners (Gold medalists/champions)
- See also
- References
The North American Youth Chess Championship, the Pan-American Youth Chess Championship, and the FIDE World Cadet and World Youth Chess Championships are connected through a hierarchical structure of youth chess competitions in the Americas. The NAYCC serves as a regional championship for North America and is organized under the framework of FIDE America. According to federation selection policies and tournament regulations, gold medalists at the North American Youth Chess Championship may be granted personal rights or nomination privileges to participate in the subsequent Pan-American Youth Chess Championship, subject to age eligibility and national federation approval. [2] . The Pan-American Youth Chess Championship functions as the continental youth championship for players from North, Central, and South America and the Caribbean. Under FIDE regulations, continental youth champions are entitled to personal rights to participate in the corresponding World Cadet Chess Championship (Under-8 to Under-12) or World Youth Chess Championship (Under-14 to Under-18). [3]
The 2020 North American Youth Championships had been postponed to 2021. In 2021, it was held in Chicago, Illinois. [4] The U18 champions in NAYCC 2021 are Dimitar Mardov (Open), Alice Lee (Girls), and Nico Chasin (Blitz).
The 2025 North American Youth Championships will be in Kingston, ON, Canada.
