Congress Terms & Conditions
Here you'll find all the essential details regarding ratings, discounts and general conditions for the 57th Rhyl Chess Congress 2026
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Ratings
The Congress has three sections. All sections, Open, Major and Minor will be rated by FIDE, WCU and ECF federations.
As the Congress is a welsh event, the precedent order of applied ratings in all sections will be: FIDE, WCU, ECF, other National Federations.
WCU: Members are rated for free in all UK Tournaments.
ECF : Gold or above members can have their games rated for free by the ECF by notifying the GPA administrator, via the online form on the ECF site under "Rating". Please give a week's notice. The GPA administrator's email address is: gpa@englishchess.org.uk
We are working closely with the WCU and ECF to ensure that players' ratings will be updated with the Congress's results, as soon as practical.
Please see more information relating to non-Gold ECF members in the "Ungraded players and Rating Fees" section below.
Rated restricted sections
Eligibility for rated restricted sections will be determined by the September 2026 FIDE ratings, latest WCU National ratings and ECF National September original ratings. The organisers reserve the right to move a player to a different section if their new rating is over the limit. As the Congress is a welsh event, the precedent order of applied ratings will be, FIDE, WCU and ECF.
Unrated players and National Federations' Pay to Play Rating Fees.
Players without a rating must provide full information about all results and any ratings previously held.
Unrated players will not be eligible for rating prizes, in addition, unrated players may win only half the value of prizes except in the open section.
Please note that an extra £15 has been included within the entrance fee for ECF Bronze members to upgrade to the required ECF Gold membership to be eligible for ECF game ratings and to obtain a FIDE ID number.
In the event that WCU Players wish to have their games rated by the ECF, as well as the WCU, please note that an extra £15 will be payable.
Junior entrants
Junior entrants must be under 18 on 01/09/2026 to qualify for a £10 discount if entered by 31/08/2026.
Byes
A one half point bye may be claimed only once and only when completing the entry form. Please see the entry form for further details.
Please note no byes are allowed for the final fifth round.
Prizes
All prize winners will be contacted soon after the event to arrange for prizes to be awarded. Names will be collected to use on our website for future events.
Open Section:
1st £200, 2nd £100, 3rd £50 and two grading prizes totalling £50
Major and Minor Sections:
1st £150, 2nd £100, 3rd £50 and two grading prizes totalling £50
All the above prizes will be guaranteed irrespective of entrant numbers.
In the event that more than 100 entries are received, the guaranteed prize money will be increased by 50%.
So, please help this Congress to be successful and encourage your friends to enter.
Chief Arbiter: Peter Purland
Our Chief Arbiter's decision is FINAL in relation to any appeals that are lodged during the playing session.
Any appeals against the decision of an Arbiter must be made in writing with supporting reasons within 30 minutes of the end of the game and accompanied by a deposit of £25, which will be returned if the appeal is upheld.
Further Important Terms and Conditions
A FIDE ID is required for players in all sections prior to the start of the event.
The WCU are responsible for the allowing the Congress to be a FIDE rated event.
Players without a FIDE ID must contact their own federation if they do not wish to be registered as Wales within FIDE.
Exclusions/ Transfers: The Organisers reserve the right to refuse or transfer players between sections at any time.
Recording Moves: All moves must be recorded until your clock goes under 5 minutes remaining.
Late Arrivals: All competitors will be allowed 30 minutes on their clocks in any round and then defaulted.
Photographs: Photographs taken at the event may be used on the WCU/ ECF websites and other publicity. Please contact the Tournament Director prior to the event if you do not wish your photo to be used in publicity.
Prizes: Only the highest prize will be awarded to any player eligible for more than one prize.
The Swiss Manager software used dictates the pairings in all rounds and will not be changed to suit individual preferences.
No smoking or Alcohol will be allowed within the playing hall and other site playing facilities.
Only hot food purchased on site can be eaten on site.
The Organisers take no responsibilities for juniors, a parent or guardian must remain on site at all times and ensure that juniors are properly supervised at all times.
Withdrawals: Regrettably, refunds will not be considered until the cost of overheads are met, and can only be given at the discretion of the organisers.
The organisers accept no responsibility for any damage, theft or accident to the person or property of any competitor, or visitor at this event.
Entry is complete only when funds have cleared into the Congress's bank account.
No prize giving will be staged on the day.