Chess in Alaska refers to competitive chess played within the state of Alaska. As of March 2026, Alaska only has 118 active players registered with the United States Chess Federation, one of the lowest player counts in the United States. The current USCF Alaska state affiliate is the Alaska Chess Federation.
As a non-contiguous state, Alaska has had limited chess opportunities. The cost of traveling to and from the contiguous states has discouraged chess participation across the state. For example, Alaska was one of three states that did not send a participant to the 2015 Dewain Barber Tournament of KâÂÂ8 Champions.
Alaska has had different state chapters throughout its history including Far North Chess, the Alaska Chess League, and the Last Frontier Chess Foundation. The Alaska Chess Federation is the current state chapter, having been founded in 2024.
Since at least 1991, Far North Chess was the official Alaska USCF state affiliate.
In 2012, Grandmaster Bryan Smith recounted his experiences as a child chess player from Anchorage. At age 13, Smith competed in the Alaska junior championship, finishing in third place for his age category. At the 1994 Fur Rendezvous Festival, GM Dmitry Gurevich conducted a simultaneous exhibition that Smith participated in.
In 2014, Far North Chess held its last chess tournament.
Chess saw a surge in popularity during the Coronavirus lockdown. In the midst of the pandemic, the Last Frontier Chess Foundation held two online annual state championship events.
At the 2023 World Eskimo Indian Olympics, Vince Gregory displayed a chess set carved out of ivory and baleen.
On National Chess Day 2023, chess players from Illinois competed in a Fairbanks chess tournament. At the tournament, Megan Chen became the first woman to play a rated tournament in all 50 states.
The Alaska Chess Foundation was founded in 2024, which became the USCF Alaska state affiliate. This organization was described by Alaska Public Media as Alaska's "first state chapter in more than half of a decade."
On January 26, 2024, West Homer Elementary School hosted a chess tournament. The event consisted of competitors from Chapman School, Connections, Fireweed Academy, McNeil Canyon Elementary, West Homer Elementary and Homer Middle School. The tournament was orchestrated by a local volunteer.
In 2024, a group of Alaskans established the Alaska Chess Club. The club hosts tournaments at the Mendenhall Valley Public Library conference room in Juneau. A KTOO article documenting the club's seventh tournament was published on December 20, 2024. In the article, tournament organizer Maen Wolf stated that he started the club to expand over-the-board chess opportunities in the area.
The state's largest chess tournament in 2024 was an event in Soldotna hosted by the Arctic Chess Club. The tournament consisted of 33 players.
On May 18, 2025, the Sitka Chess Club hosted its first USCF chess tournament at Harrigan Centennial Hall.
The first state championship since 2013 will take place on October 4, 2025.
As of March 2026, the following people are the top rated active USCF players from Alaska:
Other top Alaska chess players who aren't currently active USCF members include NM Rafael Castaneda (2240 Rating), NM Edward G Sawyer (2234 Rating), and NM Artem Edmund Ruppert (2229 Rating).
Alaska has had numerous state chess champions under its different state affiliates. The known championship records contain gaps.
These are the earliest-known Alaska chess champions:
The earliest-known recorded chess tournaments under Far North Chess' affiliateship took place in 1991. The known state champion are as follows:
Far North Chess stopped hosting tournaments after 2014, leaving 2013 as its last state championship event. The 2013 Alaska State Championship was the state's last in-person chess championship until 2025.
The Last Frontier Chess Foundation held online state championships in 2020 and 2021. Brian Fraiser won the event both times.
Additionally, the Last Frontier Chess Foundation held an online blitz chess state championship in 2021. Benjamin E Hoback won this tournament.
No more statewide chess championships would be held until 2025.
The first Alaska State Championship under the Alaska Chess Federation took place on October 4, 2025, at the Lakefront Anchorage Hotel. FM Arkadii Kliashtornyi won the event.