Japan Chess Classic 2026 | 日本チェス連盟

Tournament Regulations

Overview

Tournament Name: Japan Chess Classic 2026
Date: Sunday, August 09, 2026 – Wednesday, August 12, 2026
Venue: Osaka City Central Public Hall [Access Information]
1-1-27 Nakanoshima, Kita-ku, Osaka
1 min walk from Naniwabashi Station on Keihan Railway Nakanoshima Line
5 min walk from Yodoyabashi Station on Osaka Metro Midosuji Line and Keihan Railway Main Line
10 min walk from Kitahama Station on Osaka Metro Sakaisuji Line
Format:
7-round Swiss tournament, 90min+30sec/move, FIDE and National Standard Rated
If the number of participants exceeds 128, an accelerated Swiss system will be adopted.
(For details of the accelerated Swiss system, please refer to “Pairings” under “Tournament Rules” below.)
Eligibility:
Japan Chess Federation annual members or FNT ticket holders
Entry Fee:
Japan Chess Federation Annual Member: 12,000yen (tax included), U22 Discount 10,000yen (tax included)
Foreign Chess Nationality:
FIDE Rating Holder 18,000yen (tax included)
FIDE Unrated 22,000yen (tax included)
*See Registration section for details
Tournament capacity: 180 players
Registration: Purchase tickets through [ Caissa Osaka Chess Club Webpage ]
Registration Period:
- Ticket A: From 20:00 on June 6, 2026 to 23:59 on August 02, 2026
- Ticket B: From 20:00 on June 6, 2026 to 23:59 on July 26, 2026
Organizer: Osaka Abeno Chess Club, Osaka En Passant Chess Club, Caissa Osaka Chess Club, and Japan Chess Federation
Cooperation: KYOCHESS
Contact: japanclassic2026@caissajp.com

Sections/Categories details

No rating-based sections will be used for pairings; sections are established solely for prize classification purposes.

(For details regarding the sections, please refer to “Prizes / Awards.”)
*The ratings published in August 2026 will be used. They can be confirmed on the official rating list.
*In the absence of a FIDE Standard Rating, an alternative rating shall be applied in the following order: FIDE Rapid Rating, National Standard Rating, and National Rapid Rating.

Schedule

Sunday, August 09, 2026　
09:30 – 10:30　Check-in
10:50　Round 1 Pairings Announcement
11:00　Opening Ceremony
11:30　Round 1
16:30　Round 2
Players who didn’t check in on time will be removed from pairings of Round 1
Monday, August 10, 2026　
10:00　Round 3
15:30　Round 4
Tuesday (Holiday), August 11, 2026　
10:00　Round 5
15:30　Round 6
Wednesday, August 12, 2026　
10:00　Round 7
15:00　Prize Ceremony

Registration

Purchase tickets through [ Caissa Osaka Chess Club Webpage ] within the application period.

Two types of tickets (Ticket-A and Ticket-B) are available depending on the player’s chess nationality and JCF membership status.

Ticket-A: Ticket for Japan Chess Federation Members (Maximum players:120)
Japan Chess Federation Member: 12,000 yen (tax included), U22 Discount 10,000 yen (tax included)
*U22 refers to Japan Chess Federation Annual Members who have not reached the age of 22 by January 1, 2026. (i.e. were born in and after 2004).
If you are a member of the Japan Chess Federation on the date of the announcement of the regulations, you may also purchase Ticket-A.

GM: full discount, IM/WGM: half discount
Ticket-A can be purchased by annual members of the Japan Chess Federation at the time of the announcement of the regulations, or those who plan to renew their membership.
Players who have never held a FIDE rating and do not currently hold a chess nationality are eligible to purchase Ticket A, provided they are either Japanese nationals or currently residing in Japan.

Ticket-B: Foreign Chess Nationality Ticket (FNT, Maximum players:60)
Foreign Chess Nationality, FIDE Rating Holder: 18,000yen (tax included) (Maximum players: 40)
Foreign Chess Nationality, Unrated: 22,000yen (tax included) (Maximum players: 20)

GM: full discount, IM/WGM: half discount
Ticket-B can be purchased by players whose FIDE federation is not registered as Japan (JPN).
If you are an annual member of the Japan Chess Federation at the time of the announcement of the regulations, you may purchase Ticket-A.
Players who purchase Ticket-B (FNT) and do not currently have a FIDE ID must obtain one through their national federation and notify the organizers of their FIDE ID by email by July 26, 2026 (14days before the start of tournament). Failing to do so will result in the cancellation of their participation.

(Reference)

Ticket	Chess Nationality	Japan Chess Federation Membership	Entry Fee	Additional Conditions
Ticket-A	Japan / Other	active annual member	¥12,000 (U22 ¥10,000)	Ensure that the membership is valid until the end of the tournament
Japan	New or Not Renewed annual member	Membership Registration/Renewal * limited for Japanese or those who live in Japan
Ticket-B (FNT)	Other	Non-member	Rated ¥18,000 Unrated ¥22,000

Ticket

Chess Nationality

Japan Chess Federation

Membership

Entry Fee

Additional Conditions

Ticket-A

Japan / Other

active annual member

¥12,000

(U22 ¥10,000)

Ensure that the membership is valid until the end of the tournament

Japan

New or
Not Renewed annual member

Membership Registration/Renewal

* limited for Japanese or those who live in Japan

Ticket-B

(FNT)

Other

Non-member

Rated ¥18,000

Unrated ¥22,000

* The limit of the number of each ticket might be variable by entry progress.

Notes Regarding Registration:

If you wish to purchase Ticket-A and are not currently a member of the Japan Chess Federation, you must first purchase a ticket via [ Caissa Osaka Chess Club Webpage ] and promptly complete the membership registration process. Current members must ensure that their membership remains valid until the final day of the tournament. If necessary, please renew your membership in advance.
For Ticket A applicants, If the membership registration or renewal process is not completed by July 26, 2026 (14days before the start of tournament), your entry will be canceled. In such cases, the participation fee will be fully refunded.
The Japan Chess Federation reserves the right to make the final decision regarding eligibility.

Notes After Registration:

After purchasing a ticket, your entry will appear on Chess-Results within about one week. Players whose membership registration or renewal has not been completed will not be listed.
On the day of the tournament, you will be required to present the QR code displayed on [ Caissa Osaka Chess Club Webpage ]. Ensure in advance that the QR code is displayed correctly.

Cancellation Policy:

If you wish to cancel your participation in the tournament, you must notify us via email at japanclassic2026@caissajp.com.

Cancellations made before August 2, 2026 (7 days before the start of tournament) 23:59:
- If the tournament has not reached full capacity – Full refund
- If the tournament has reached full capacity – No refund

Cancellations made on or after August 3, 2026 (6 days before the start of tournament):
- No refund under any circumstances
- If the tournament is canceled due to natural disasters or organizer-related reasons, alternative measures will be considered.

　* All refunds will be processed according to [ Caissa Osaka Chess Club Webpage ] regulations.

Prizes / Awards

The following prizes and benefits will be awarded according to the final standings.

<Open>

1st Place: JPY 100,000 and a plaque

2nd Place: JPY 50,000 and a plaque

3rd Place: JPY 30,000 and a plaque

4th Place: JPY 20,000

5th Place: JPY 10,000

1st Place: JPY 5,000 and a plaque

2nd Place: JPY 3,000

3rd Place: JPY 2,000

1st–3rd Place: plaque

Eligible for players residing in the Kinki region (*).

1st Place: JPY 10,000

2nd Place: JPY 5,000

3rd Place: JPY 3,000

4th–5th Place: JPY 1,000

(*) The Kinki region refers to Osaka, Kyoto, Shiga, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, and Mie Prefectures.

<Chess.com Prize>

Awarded to the top 10 players excluding holders of international titles (CM/WCM or higher).

1st Place: 6-month Diamond Membership

2nd–3rd Place: 3-month Diamond Membership

4th–5th Place: 2-month Diamond Membership

6th–10th Place: 1-month Diamond Membership

Awarded to the players finishing in 20th, 40th, 60th, 80th, and 100th place.

The top five players holding the Japanese chess nationality shall earn seeded spots for the Japan Chess Championship 2027.

*Final standings shall be determined using tie-breaks. Prize money shall not be shared among players with the same score.

*Unrated players shall only be eligible for prizes in the Open section.

Tournament Details

Tournament Rules

Pairing:

The starting order will be determined with reference to the FIDE Standard Rating, In case of equality, the order will be determined by the National Standard Rating, then by title, and finally by the player’s name (alphabetical order). The rating list published in August 2026 will be used.
Pairings will be conducted using Swiss-Manager and will follow the Swiss system.
If the number of participants exceeds 128, the Accelerated Swiss system may be adopted.
*In this system, higher-ranked players are temporarily assigned pairing points for a specified number of initial rounds. These points are used only for pairing purposes and are removed thereafter, with subsequent rounds conducted under the standard Swiss system. Final standings are determined by the actual points scored.
Pairings for Round 1 will be announced after the check-in period ends. Players who have not checked in on time will not be included in the Round 1 pairings and will receive 0 points for that round. If the player completes check-in before all Rd.1 games have finished, they will be included in the pairings starting from the next round.
If a player didn’t complete the site registration on the day of the tournament and also failed to contact the organizer of their intention to continue participating before all Rd.1 games have finished, that player may be disqualified and removed from the tournament.

Tie-breaks:

Tie-breaks will be applied in the following order:
1. Direct Encounter
2. Buchholz Cut-1
3. Buchholz
4. Sonneborn-Berger
5. Sum of the ratings of the opponents
6. Drawing of lots.

Byes:

Pre-registered Byes: Bye requests must be submitted by an email to japanclassic2026@caissajp.com by 18:00 on the day before the tournament. Pre-declared byes will be awarded 0.5 point; however, byes in the final 2 rounds and any byes declared after the deadline shall be scored as 0 points. Players with 2 or more declared byes will not be eligible for awards.
Pairing-allocated bye will be one point.
For Bye requests or cancellations after the deadline on the day before the tournament, please contact japanclassic2026@caissajp.com.
In the case of If cancellation, see detail at “Cancellation Policy” above.

Default Time:

Players arriving more than 30 minutes late shall lose by default. Rating will not be affected. If a player loses by default without prior notice but informs the organizer of their intention to continue participating before all games of that round have finished, the player will be included in the pairings from the next round.
If a player loses by forfeit without prior notice and fails to inform the organizer of their intention to continue participating by the end of all games in that round, the player may be disqualified and removed from the tournament.

Electronic devices:

All electronic devices including smartphones, tablets or smartwatches must be turned off and stored away. Players are prohibited from carrying electronic devices on their person or removing them from the playing venue, even if stored in bags. When a player breaks these rules, his/her game shall be immediately lost. Since the game is not a forfeit, ratings will be adjusted accordingly.
Players who must carry a mobile phone or other electronic device during a game due to unavoidable circumstances shall submit a request by email to japanclassic2026@caissajp.com at the time of registration, stating the reason. Possession will be permitted only upon approval by the organizer after due consideration.
Observers and players who have completed their games are prohibited from using any electronic devices within the playing venue, except at designated times.

Notes on Games:

Players must use clocks, chess sets, and score sheets provided by the organizer.
Players are required to record the game accurately on the score sheet until the end of the game.
After the game, both players shall verify the result recorded on the score sheet, sign it, and report the result to the arbiter.
The tournament will follow FIDE rules unless otherwise stated above.

Notes on Awards:

Prizes or prize money will not be awarded to winners who are absent from the award ceremony, unless prior approval has been obtained from the staff. If the organizer arranges delivery of prizes or prize money to a winner by mail or other means, the associated costs may be charged to the winner.

Media Related Rules

The tournament results will be posted on the Internet (chess-results.com) for reporting purposes. The game record may also be published on the Internet. Participants agree to the publication of their real names, results, and game records.
The organizer will take photos, record videos, and broadcast the event live. These may be published and used in media such as websites, SNS, video sites, and journals managed by Japan Chess Federation, or provided to the mass media in case of interviews. Participants shall agree to the publication and live broadcast of these photos and videos.
Observers are allowed to take photos for the first 10 minutes of each round. No photos are allowed after 10 minutes, except for the case with special permission.

Individuals who wish to use photos or videos of participants (during games, award ceremonies, etc.) must be careful to protect the player’s privacy. In addition to obtaining comprehensive consent in advance, for example, in the case of minors, the permission of their guardians must be obtained, and due consideration must be given to the protection of personal information and portrait rights.

Miscellaneous

The organizer reserves the right for changing the above rules with adequate reason before and during the tournament. Due to the spread of infectious diseases or other unforeseeable circumstances, the organizer may be compelled to make unavoidable changes to the time control or cancel the tournament.
Please ensure that you can receive emails from the Caissa Osaka Chess Club (japanclassic2026@caissajp.com). Inquiries regarding eligibility and other matters sent from this address must be answered promptly. Failure to respond may result in cancellation of participation.

If a player has a high temperature or is feeling sick, the player must inform the staff and leave the venue immediately. If the organizer determines that the player is sick, the organizer may order the player to leave the venue.

The use of masks is optional and left to each participant’s discretion. Even if a player is not visibly unwell, the participants may be asked to wear a new mask if they have symptoms such as coughing or sneezing due to hay fever or other allergies.