Norm Invitationals and a 142-Player Thanksgiving Open in October

Norm-seeking players had the most to choose from in October. Two invitational events ran in the US, and each came in more than one section.

In Bellevue, WA, the 2026 Grandmaster Chess Center Fall Norm Invitational - IM ran October 8 to 12 as a classical event. A second section, listed separately as IM B, ran on the same dates.

In Milpitas, CA, the Mechanics’ Institute Chess Club organized two five-day classical invitationals, October 21 to 25. One was the 2026 October MyNovelty IM Norm Invitational. The other was the 2026 October MyNovelty GM Norm Invitational.

Thanksgiving weekend in Canada

Canadian Thanksgiving weekend produced the biggest field in our list. The 2026 10.10-10.12 Chess4win Thanksgiving drew 142 players over three days of classical chess.

Another Thanksgiving event, the 2026 Oct 16-18 Silent Storm Thanksgiving in Brampton, Ontario, had 68 players.

In Summerside, PEI, the 2026 Maritime Open Chess Championship ran October 10 to 12 at Credit Union Place with 38 players. The Challenger section had 33.

Winnipeg hosted the 4th Maria Helena Classical Tournament-Open at the Viscount Gort Hotel, with 24 players. Windsor’s WCC Classic October Open Chess Championship drew 23 over October 24 and 25.

Central America and the Caribbean

Costa Rica supplied the longest event of the month. The Tercer Abierto Grand Prix 2026 ran nine days, October 10 to 18, in Alajuela with 41 players.

Two shorter Costa Rican events had big fields. The Festival de Divisiones ASOAGO 2026 in San Pedro, near San José, had 100 players over two days. The Torneo Clasificatorio AGUA in Cartago had 95.

In Cuba, the Copa Artemisa Open 2026 ran five days with 39 players. The Aruba Chess Challenge 2026 OPEN at the Radisson Blu ran October 15 to 18 with 28.

Mexico and the United States

Mexico’s Festival Nacional e Internacional de Ajedrez in Querétaro had 41 players over October 2 to 4. In Colima, the LXVIII Nacional Deportivo TecNM ran five days with 32.

The II Campeonato Nacional de Ajedrez Mazatlán began October 30 at the Courtyard Mazatlán Beach Resort and finished November 1. It had 81 players.

In Houston, the 1st Azeri Chess Academy Open ran six days from October 5 with 25 players. The Princeton National Chess Day Open - Premier in Plainsboro, NJ, ran October 9 to 11.