Chess has a confidence problem, and you can see it in who sits down to play. Walk into most open tournaments and you can count the girls on one hand. Our Hong Kong girls chess tournament is here to change that.
One game at a time.
On Sunday, 25 October 2026, The Chess Academy hosts the 3rd Annual HKG Girls & Women’s Chess Tournament. It welcomes every female player, whether she is eight or eighty. Seasoned competitor? Great. Learned the moves last summer? Also great. Honestly, we’d love to see more of the second kind.
Event essentials
- Date: Sunday, 25 October 2026
- Time: 10 AM to 5 PM
- Venue: ActiveKids Learning Center, Kennedy Town
- Format: Seven round Swiss, 15+5 time control
- Entry fee: HK$150 (50% off for TCA RTM students)
- Lunch: Pizza and drinks provided
Why a Hong Kong girls chess tournament matters
Plenty of girls drift away from chess as they get older, and being outnumbered at every event doesn’t help. Here, the games are just as competitive. The room simply looks different.
Judit Polgar, the strongest female player in history, mostly avoided women’s events. She wanted the toughest opponents she could find, and she beat world champions to prove her point.
So is a girls’ tournament even the right idea? It’s a fair question. For a nine year old at her first tournament, though, a room full of other girls makes walking in a lot easier. Where she plays after that is up to her.
The best thing chess teaches might be losing well. You lose a game, shake hands and sit down for the next round anyway.
Plenty of adults could use that practice.
What players can win
Every player gets seven full games, win or lose. That’s a lot of real tournament experience for one Sunday. On the prize side:
- Trophies for the top 3 overall winners
- Medals for the best U14, U12, U10 and U8 players
So that same nine year old has her own medal to chase in her own age group, even with adults playing a few boards away.
Three takeaways for parents
- Beginners are genuinely welcome. A Swiss event pairs players on similar scores each round, so by the afternoon most newer players are facing each other.
- One bad game won’t ruin the day. With seven rounds, there’s always another chance to bounce back.
- The 15+5 time control (15 minutes each, plus 5 seconds a move) keeps games quick enough for younger kids without turning them into a frantic scramble.
Ready to make your move?
Registration for the Hong Kong girls chess tournament is open now. Scan the QR code on the poster to grab a place. Bring a friend, a sister or your mum. Chess is more fun with company.