Players will have to qualify for the Northern AZ Chess Championships, May 6, by competing in one of three qualifiers in February (Feb 4 or Feb 25) or April 15, 2023. See the calendar for info. To qualify, an individual player must receive a minimum number of 3 points in one of the qualifiers. For subsequent qualifying tournaments, students who have qualified will be placed in open or combined sections.

Teams may qualify two or more players for Northern AZ Chess Championships. Only the top four scores will be counted toward team awards. If a team qualifies exactly two players, they may bring two more. If they qualify three or more players, they may bring one more player. There will also be an alternate section(s) for players who do not qualify. Awards will be given to individual players and teams in the Championship sections and individuals in the alternate section. Students must play in the championship tournament in the section they qualified for.

The sections will be K-1; K-3; K-5; K-8; and 9-12.

Kindergarten and First graders qualify by playing in 4 of the five games at a qualifier. High School students do not need to qualify.