GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A national chess championship is coming to Grand Rapids.

The 123rd U.S. Open Chess Championship will be held at the DeVos Place Convention Center from July 29 to Aug. 6.

Jeff Aldrich, president of the Michigan Chess Association, told News 8 everyone plays in “one big section.”

“It’s an opportunity to play anybody,” Aldrich said. “You could play a grandmaster, one of the top players in the country or maybe even in the world.”

Besides the main competition, there will also be scholastic events, a weekend tournament and blitz — or fast-paced — chess, according to Aldrich.

Aldrich told News 8 chess has been “booming.”

“I think a lot of people picked it up during COVID, and now they want to see what it’s like to play in person,” he said.

Registration is still open, according to Aldrich.

More information about the championship is available online.

Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly spelled Jeff Aldrich’s name. We regret this error which has been corrected.