Joe Hanley Founder, Organizer, and FIDE Games Arbiter Here is where my idea began and comes from. This was me competing in the 1998 Saitek US Masters at the Monarch Hotel in Waikiki from July 21-29, won by Grandmaster Boris Gulko followed by several other Grandmasters. Then, we all flew to Kona to compete in the 1998 US Open for the next 2 weeks. At that US Open won by Grandmaster Judith Polgar, I tied for 1st Place in the Masters section and finished 26th overall. For this one price that I paid to travel/stay in Hawaii, I was able to both vacation and compete in a chess tournament. My fun and joy from those 2 great tournaments (thank you to Larry Reifurth and Eric Schiller for putting these great tournaments together) gave me the idea of, "Why can't I create similar tournaments in vacation locations throughout the USA so hopefully other families can create their own similar experiences? I will make these Festivals so that every player, no matter their skill or experience level, will all be able to participate. I will also include club awards because I remember how much fun it was to compete not only individually, but also as a team cheering on my friends/teammates (I competed with my friends Andrew Kulikauskas, Ed Motley, and Jonas Kulikauskas at Buena Park High School at numerous School Competitions culminating finishing 9th overall school at the 1983 USA National High School Championship in Philadelphia, with schools having average USCF ratings of 2200-2300.)" ...these are lifelong memories that are so positive/ bring a smile to me each time I think about them. I hope my Festivals do the same for you/your family.
World Chess Festival Staff
Jim Goodale (FL) Chief Tournament Director	Tony Cippolina (FL) Chief Tournament Director	John Marble (CA) Assistant Chief Tournament Director	Michael Belyea (FL) Assistant Chief Tournament Director	Dasol Mashaka (CA) Community Outreach Director West Coast, USA

A Series of Chess Festivals in Vacation Locations!

	Disneyland (Anaheim)	Orlando	San Francisco	Las Vegas	Malvern
Next Festival Dates:	October 23-25, 2026	December 28-30, 2026 July 9-11, 2027 December 28-30, 2027 July 7-9, 2028 December 28-30, 2028	April 23-25, 2027 April 21-23, 2028	November 21-23, 2027	March 26-28, 2027 April 14-16, 2028
Site/ Location:	Hilton Garden Inn Disneyland 1441 S Manchester Ave Anaheim, CA 92802	Holiday Inn Orlando International Airport 5750 T G Lee Blvd. Orlando, FL 32822	Doubletree by Hilton San Francisco Airport North 5000 Brisbane Point Pkwy San Francisco, CA 94005	Hilton Garden Inn Las Vegas South Strip 7830 S Las Vegas Blvd Las Vegas, NV 89123	Desmond Malvern Hotel 1 Liberty Blvd. Malvern, PA 19355
Festival Website:	Disneyland (Anaheim) Festival Website (Tournaments Listings & Registration, Hotel Reservations, Advanced Entries, Schedule of Events, Rules & Policies, FAQ's, Contact Us)	Orlando Festival Website (Tournaments Listings & Registration, Hotel Reservations, Advanced Entries, Schedule of Events, Rules & Policies, FAQ's, Contact Us)	San Francisco Festival Website (Tournaments Listings & Registration, Advanced Entries, Schedule of Events, Rules & Policies, FAQ's, Contact Us)	Las Vegas Festival Website (Tournaments Listings & Registration, Hotel Reservations, Advanced Entries, Schedule of Events, Rules & Policies, FAQ's, Contact Us)	Malvern Festival Website (Tournaments Listings & Registration, Hotel Reservations, Advanced Entries, Schedule of Events, Rules & Policies, FAQ's, Contact Us)
Past Results:	Jan 2026 May 2026	2025 July 2026		2026	2026