Regulations
Congress rules
| Rate of play | All moves in 90 minutes, with a 30 second cumulative increment for each move, starting from the first move. |
| Byes | A player may claim a half-point bye in any of the first four rounds, provided it is requested with their entry. |
| Withdrawals | Refunds will regrettably not be considered until the cost of overheads has been met. |
| Exclusions | The organisers reserve the right to exclude or transfer entries. |
| Prizes | Only the highest prize will be awarded to a player eligible for more than one. The organisers reserve the right to adjust prize levels depending on the level of entry. |
| Late arrivals | Players will be allowed 30 minutes in all rounds, and are then defaulted. |
| Appeals | Any appeal against an arbiter's decision is subject to a formal appeals procedure, which will be detailed at the event. |
| Ratings | The October 2026 FIDE Rating List will be used. Where an entrant has not played enough FIDE rated games to hold a FIDE rating, their WCU, ECF or other national rating as at 1st October 2026 will be used instead. |
Prizes
| Section | First | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open | £320 | £200 | £100 |
| Major (Under 1900) | £240 | £130 | £70 |
| Minor (Under 1700) | £200 | £100 | £60 |
A grading prize or prizes will be awarded in each section if entry numbers allow. Junior prizes across the congress: best under 18 £70, best under 14 £60, best under 10 £50.
FIDE ID
Every section is FIDE rated, so every player needs a FIDE ID. If you wish to play and do not have one, contact your national federation before the event to get one. It is a simple process, and the Congress Secretary will help anyone who needs it.
If you don't have a FIDE ID when you enter, leave that box on the entry form blank — it will be completed before the congress.
Data protection and inclusion
This event is held under the auspices of the Welsh Chess Union. The WCU Privacy Statement is at welshchessunion.uk/gdpr-wcu-privacy-document, and the WCU Disability Inclusion Policy is available from the Welsh Chess Union website.