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.
At the end of the 1970s, the first women's chess championship was started, and it became an annual event in 2002.
In the final round of the 2014 tournament, two players were tied in all playoffs and were proclaimed champions.
One is a foreigner, but changed his country flag as Panamanian in ratings.fide.com in March 2015, and is the fourth to win the title.