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The record
of the game.

South Dakota chess history, kept on one long scoresheet.

Past events

Recent results.

Quick finishes and full tournament stories, maintained by SDCA.

2026Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls Open

Nels Truelson placed first, and Carlos Casanova and James Welch led the scholastic field.

Nels Truelson finished first, followed by Kunyang Li, Josiah Jorenby, Elenora Merritt, and Sam Nesbitt. Carlos Casanova and James Welch were the top scholastic finishers.
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2025South Dakota

South Dakota Chess Championship

Adam Kostas claimed the state title with a perfect 5–0 score; Josiah Jorenby finished second and Kunyang Li third.

Unrated player Adam Kostas won the 2025 South Dakota Chess Championship with a flawless score. National Master Josiah Jorenby secured second place, followed by Kunyang Li in third. The tournament also set a new attendance record.
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2025South Dakota

Teams Tournament

B one L of a Team and Gary’s Team tied for first, with six standout players receiving board prizes.

Board 1: Nels Truelson and Josiah Jorenby Board 2: Dustin Ferguson Board 3: Brian Raffel Board 4: Jill Likens and Kasey Dobesh
2025Sioux Falls, SD

Sioux Falls City Chess Championship

Nels Truelson and Isaak Montemayor tied for first with 4.5 points.

Caleb Neff and Waylon Lowe were the highest-scoring scholastic players, and additional best-in-class prizes recognized players throughout the field.
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2024South Dakota

State Speed Championship

Official results from the 2024 South Dakota State Speed Championship.

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2023Rapid City, SD

Dakota Open

Alexander Young scored 4.5/5 in Rapid City, with players joining from four states.

Alexander Young led the five-round tournament with 4.5 points; only Brogan McGrath held him to a draw. Noah Andrew Johnson scored 3.5 points and recorded a 669-point upset over former state champion Lyle Hanson. Players traveled from North Dakota, Wyoming, and Minnesota, and a strong group of young competitors represented the future of South Dakota chess.
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State champions

1922—today

The title has traveled from Huron and Rapid City to Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, and communities across the state.

View the full historical ledger ↗
2025Adam Kostas
2024Josiah Jorenby · Nels Truelson
2022Josiah Jorenby · Nels Truelson
2021Nels Truelson
2020Josiah Jorenby
2019Nels Truelson · Josiah Jorenby
2018Josiah Jorenby · Nels Truelson
2017Nels Truelson
2016Nels Truelson
2015Josiah Jorenby · Terry Likens
2014Lyle Hanson
2013Jerry John Casteel III
2012Sandor Kustar
2011Sandor Kustar
2010Serif Suljic · Nels Truelson
2009Curtis Carroll
2008Sandor Kustar · Nels Truelson
2007Sandor Kustar
2006Nels Truelson
1922–2005Explore 84 years of South Dakota champions

Scholastic records

Generations
of young players.

1985–2011

High school

Individual and team champions, beginning with Matt Rapp and Aberdeen Central.

1994–2011

Middle school

Junior-high champions and team winners from across the state.

1994–2011

Elementary

Individual, school, and homeschool program champions.

1999–2011

Primary

South Dakota’s youngest state championship divisions.

1970–2014

Junior

State junior champions from Terry Likens to Josiah Jorenby.

1986–2006

Novice divisions

9th-and-below, U600, U400, and primary novice honors.

Open every name, team, and year in the complete ledger →

Game library

Replay the
big moments.

2023 DAKOTA OPENAlexander Young — Josiah JorenbyWhite bishops and pawns in an exciting endgameReplay ↗1971 CHAMPIONSHIPWallace — SalemA classic from the South Dakota archiveReplay ↗PHOTO ARCHIVEPeople, boards, and trophiesPhotos from events across South DakotaBrowse ↗
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