Seeding Criteria for the Regional Qualifiers of the Japan Chess Championship 2026

We are pleased to announce the seeding criteria for the Japan Chess Championship 2026, based on the results of the Regional Qualifiers, which are scheduled to be held from January to March 2026.

Please refer to the table below for details. (Items marked in red indicate changes from FY2025.)

Seeding Criteria for FY2025	Seeding Criteria for FY2026
Top players excluding those already seeded, at a rate of one player for every 8 participants (rounded up). One player for every 6 participants will be qualified outside the Kanto area. Players who already hold seeding rights are also included in the total participant count.	Top players excluding those already seeded, at a rate of one player for every 8 participants (rounded down). One player for every 6 participants will be qualified outside the Kanto area. Players who already hold seeding rights are also included in the total participant count.
If a qualified player declines, there will be no substitution.	(No change)
(Newly established on the right)	Limit eligibility for seeding rights to players with Japanese chess nationality.
The “local slot” shall be defined as follows: In regional qualifiers in the Kanto area, one of the seeding rights described above may be allocated to a local participant. In regional qualifiers outside the Kanto area, one additional seeding right may be granted to a local participant in addition to the standard seeding rights above. The scope of eligibility for the local slot shall be determined at the discretion of each qualifier’s organizer. However, the scope must be clearly stated in the tournament regulations, and all participants must be informed prior to the start of the tournament which players are designated as local-slot participants.	The “local slot” shall be defined as follows: One of the seeding rights described above may be allocated to a local participant. The scope of eligibility for the local slot shall be determined at the discretion of each qualifier’s organizer. However, the scope must be clearly stated in the tournament regulations, and all participants must be informed prior to the start of the tournament which players are designated as local-slot participants.
Eligibility is limited to members of the Japan Chess Federation.	(No change)

Seeding Slot Quick Reference

*Note: The “local slot,” if applicable, is included within the number of seeding rights listed below.

Preliminary Rounds in the Kanto Region (1 slot per 8 participants)

Number of Participants	Number of Seeding Rights
0~7	0
8~15	1
16~23	2
24~31	3
32~39	4

Preliminary Rounds Outside the Kanto Region (1 slot per 6 participants)

Number of Participants	Number of Seeding Rights
0~5	0
6~11	1
12~17	2
18~23	3
24~29	4
30~35	5