The Pan American Chess Championship, also American Continental Championship is an individual chess tournament organized since 1945. It is often a qualifier for the FIDE World Cup.
First pan American championships (1945 and 1954)
The first Pan American Chess Championship was held in Hollywood, 28 July – 12 August 1945. The line-up was as follows:
- 1. Samuel Reshevsky
United States 10.5,
- 2. Reuben Fine United States 9,
- 3. Hermann Pilnik
Argentina 8.5,
- 4. Israel Horowitz United States 8,
- 5. Isaac Kashdan United States 7,
- 6. Héctor Rossetto Argentina 6.5,
- 7–8. Weaver Adams United States, Herman Steiner
United States 5.5,
- 9–10. Walter Cruz
Brazil, José Joaquin Araiza 
Mexico 5,
- 11. Jose Broderman
Cuba 3.5,
- 12. Herbert Seidman United States 3,
- 13. Joaquin Camarena Mexico 1.[1]
The second championship was held in 1954 in Los Angeles and was an open tournament.[2]
Winners
Pan American Championship
American Continental Chess Championship
The American Continental Chess Championship qualified in 2001 and 2003 the top seven players for the FIDE World Championships. From 2005, this tournament has been played as a qualifier for the World Cup stage of the World Championship. The number of players who qualified changed in the various editions. In 2005, the top seven players qualified for the Chess World Cup 2005. In 2014 and 2015 the top four earned a spot in the Chess World Cup 2015.
*Note: 2008 and 2010 editions' official name was Campeonato Panamericano-Continental, instead of Campeonato Continental de las Americas as the others.
American Continental Women's Championship
The American Continental Women's Chess Championship serves as a qualifier for the knockout Women's World Chess Championship.
- In 2007 Marisa Zuriel won a rapid playoff with Sarai Sanchez Castillo to qualify for the world championship but the Champion of the tournament was Sarai Sanchez:[4][5]
Pan American Women's Championship
