The Panamanian Chess Championship is the individual national chess championship of Panama. The first edition was played in 1945 and won by Rubén Darío Cabrera. It was originally a biennial event, and from 1945 to 1961 six championships were played, and from 1962 to 1971 eight championships. From 1972 to 1976, it was held annually, but the tournament of 1977 never finished because the beginning of a long schism in Panamanian chess. From 1978 to 1988, it was again held annually. In 1989 and from 1991 to 2004, two organizations held separate events, resulting in two champions, but in 1990 there was a single competition, and therefore one champion. In 2005 both federations made peace, and since then there has only been one championship each year. The women's chess championships began in 2002 and has been held annually since then. Panama is the only country in the world where a father and daughter have been champions in the same year twice, 2003 and 2008. To show the rise of new istmhian chess, Panama took in 2008 the Centroamerican Championship by the hand of Jorge Baules, first IM of Panama. In 2010 don't played because oficial budgets trouble with "PANDEPORTES", the government sports entity (they have 3 chiefs in only eleven months), and played the tournament in the firsts months of 2011.
| Year | Winner (men) | Winner (women) | Winner (Youth Champion) | Winner (scholarship) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Rubén Darío Cabrera | ||||
| 1947 | Enrique Linares | ||||
| 1955 | Francisco Denis | ||||
| 1957 | Francisco Denis | ||||
| 1959 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1961 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1962 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1964 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1965 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1966 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1967 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1969 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1970 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1971 | Francisco Pérez Arauz | ||||
| 1972 | Juan Ramón Martínez | ||||
| 1973 | Juan Ramón Martínez | ||||
| 1974 | Bolívar Fabrega | --- | Mario Hay | ||
| 1975 | Bolivar Fabrega | ||||
| 1976 | Bolívar Fabrega | ----- | Elio Ortiz | Jorge Lam | |
| 1977 | Bolívar Fabrega | ||||
| 1978 | Iván Saucedo | ||||
| 1979 | Pablo Cuéllar | ||||
| 1980 | Mario Hay | ----- | Agustín Cantilo-Paz | ----- | |
| 1981 | Blass Barría | ||||
| 1982 | Blass Barría | ||||
| 1983 | Nestor Sosa | ||||
| 1984 | Blass Barría | ||||
| 1985 | Jorge Luis Arosemena | ||||
| 1986 | Elio Ortíz | ||||
| 1987 | Javier De León | ||||
| 1988 | Javier De León | ||||
| 1989 | Javier De León - Francisco Perez Arauz | ||||
| 1990 | Blas Barria | ||||
| 1991 | Agustín Cantilo-Paz | ||||
| 1992 | Benjamín Rivera Silvera | ||||
| 1993 | Javier De León | ||||
| 1994 | Mario Hay | ||||
| 1995 | Miguel Gamboa | ----- | ----- | Francisco Castroverde | |
| 1996 | Mario Hay | ----- | Héctor Díaz | Luis Aquije | |
| 1997 | Mario Hay | ----- | Luis A. Hidalgo/ | Luis A. Hidalgo | |
| 1998 | vacancy | ----- | ----- | Ramiro Rosas/Yolanda Villarreal | |
| 1999 | Jorge Luis Arosemena | ----- | ------ | Luis A. Hidalgo/Amada Birbraguer | |
| 2000 | Jorge Luis Arosemena | ----- | Jorge Sánchez/ | Luis Esquivel/ | |
| 2001 | Jorge Baúles | ----- | Luis A. Hidalgo/ | Rancés Valdés/Raissa Barría | |
| 2002 | Hétor Díaz | Raissa Barría | Jorge Baúles/ | Gilberto Madrid/ | |
| 2003 | Jorge Luis Arosemena | Betty Arosemena | |||
| 2004 | Mario Hay | Raissa Barria | |||
| 2005 | Javier De León | Yaribeth González | |||
| 2006 | Mario Hay | Yaribeth González | |||
| 2007 | Jorge Luis Arosemena | Raissa Barría | |||
| 2008 | Jorge Luis Arosemena | Betty Arosemena | ----- | Patrick Aizpurua/Angélica Lam | |
| 2009 | Jorge Baúles | Raissa Barría | ----- | Alhan Carrera Dubois/Kristy Young | |
| 2010 | vacancy | ----- | ----- | Ramses Chaves/Cristina Arosemena | |
| 2011 | Rancés Valdés | Raissa Barría | ----- | Patrick Aizpurua/Cristina Arosemena |