Attend the Stephen Sosnick Memorial Chess Festival!
Meet a Grandmaster, attend a workshop and play chess.
April 4 - 6, 2025 at UC Davis Conference Center, 550 Alumni Ln.
2025 Chess Festival
On the weekend of April 4-6, 2025 we will be hosting the 4th Annual Stephen Sosnick Memorial Chess Festival at UC Davis!
Events will include a lecture and simultaneous exhibition by GM Joel Benjamin on Friday evening, a 5-round USCF chess tournament on Saturday, and a 7-round USCF tournament on Sunday, with game commentary and analysis by GM Joel Benjamin.
The event is open to players of all ages and abilities, students and non-students alike.
Advanced registration is required.
Food trucks will be onsite each day for purchase of lunch between 11:15 am and 1 pm (with vegetarian options available).
Read about previous years' festival.
Festival hosted by Sosnick Chess, the Chess Club at UC Davis & Davis Scholastic Chess Club.
About Stephen Sosnick
Stephen Sosnick was a Professor of Agricultural Economics at UC Davis from 1957 until 2014. He was a lifelong chess enthusiast, earning an expert ranking of 2174, and was a founding member of the Davis Chess Club and a City of Davis Chess Champion. This Chess Festival was established in 2021 to honor his legacy and promote the game he loved.
About GM Joel Benjamin
Grandmaster Joel Benjamin became the youngest national master at age 13, breaking the record previously held by Bobby Fischer. He went on to win the U.S. Championship on three occasions and competed on six U.S. Olympiad teams. He was the official grandmaster consultant for IBM’s Deep Blue computer, which defeated World Champion Garry Kasparov in 1997. Order his latest book here.