日本語
English
Tournament Regulations
Tournament overview
- Tournament Name: Christmas Chess Party 2026
- Date: Saturday, December 12, 2026
- Venue: Shinagawa Ward General Kumin Hall “Curian” [Access Information]
5-18-1 Higashi-Oi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo
2 min walk from Oimachi Station on JR Keihin-Tohoku Line, Tokyu Oimachi Line & Rinkaisen - Format: 5-Round Swiss tournament, 15min+10sec/move, National Rapid Rated
Players shall be divided into sections based on their ratings.
Pairings shall be conducted within each section.
No games will be played between different sections,
and awards will be presented separately for each section. - Eligibility: Japan Chess Federation annual members
- Entry Fee: Japan Chess Federation Annual Member: 4,000yen (tax included)
*See Registration section for details - Tournament capacity: 140 players
- Registration: Purchase tickets through [ Peatix ]
- Registration Period: From 18:00 on October 25, 2026 to 23:59 on December 04, 2026
- Organizer: Japan Chess Federation
- Contact: japanchess.info@gmail.com
Sections/Categories details
Players shall be divided into sections based on their National Rapid Rating. Pairings shall be conducted within each section. No games will be played between different sections, and awards will be presented separately for each section.
*The ratings published in October 2026 will be used. They can be confirmed on the official rating list.
Sections shall be divided as follows:
Open : All players can participate.
Group A : Only players with a rating below 1800 can participate.
Group B : Only players with a rating below 1400 can participate. (This includes unrated players.)
*In the absence of a National Rapid Rating, an alternative rating shall be applied in the following order: FIDE Rapid Rating, National Standard Rating, and FIDE Standard Rating.
*Players who wish to participate in a higher section than the one corresponding to their rating must indicate their preference at the time of registration. Players who do not express such a preference will be assigned to sections based on their rating.
*Unrated Players:
Please choose which class to participate in at the purchase of the entry ticket. If a rating is assigned by the tournament date, participants who have entered a section lower than that corresponding to their initial rating will be automatically moved to the appropriate section.
*Any request to change section must be submitted by the ticket purchase deadline.
*The starting rank for each category will be determined based on the ratings announced on &{list_date_E}.
*The final decision regarding classification will be made by the Japan Chess Federation.
Schedule
Saturday, December 12, 2026
09:40 – 10:10 Check-in
10:10 Opening Ceremony
10:30 Round 1
12:00 Round 2
13:30 Round 3
15:00 Round 4
16:30 Round 5
18:15 Prize Giving
Registration
Purchase tickets through [ Peatix ]
Japan Chess Federation Annual Member: 4,000yen (tax included) (Limit: 140)
Notes Regarding Registration:
- If you are not currently a member of the Japan Chess Federation, you must first promptly complete the membership registration process and purchase your ticket via Peatix only after your membership has been confirmed. Non-members are not permitted to purchase tickets. Current members must ensure that their membership remains valid through the final day of the tournament. If necessary, please renew your membership in advance.
- If the membership registration or renewal process is not completed by November 28, 2026 (14 days before the 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 be reflected 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 your Peatix e-ticket. Ensure in advance that the QR code is displayed correctly.
Waiting List ticket:
- A “Waiting List Ticket” will be sold at the same price along with the normal “Ticket” on Peatix.
- A “Waiting List Ticket” may be purchased only when regular tickets have sold out due to capacity being reached. If a cancellation occurs, participation will be offered to waitlist ticket holders in the order of purchase, and the amount paid will be applied to the entry fee. When participation becomes available, a notification will be sent to the registered email address.
- Waitlist arrangements will be handled up to December 05, 2026 (7 days before the tournament).
- If the turn on the waiting list does not come up, the full purchase price will be refunded.
Cancellation Policy:
If you wish to cancel your participation in the tournament, you must notify us via email at japanchess.info@gmail.com.
- Cancellations made by November 28, 2026 (14 days before the tournament): Full refund
- Cancellations made on or after November 29, 2026 (13 days before the 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 Peatix’s regulations.
Awards
Open
Cash prizes for the top three finishers
1st place 5,000 yen 2nd place 3,000 yen 3rd place 2,000 yen
Category U1800, U1400
Medals for the top three finishers
All participants will win into a drawing for a Christmas present
Tournament Details
Tournament Rules
Pairing:
- The starting order will be determined with reference to the National Rapid Rating. In case of equality, the order will be determined by title and then by the player’s name (alphabetical order). The rating list published in December 2026 will be used.
- Pairings will be conducted using Swiss-Manager and will follow the Swiss tournament.
- Pairings may be conducted using the Accelerated Swiss system depending on the number of participants.
*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 shall be made and published between 18:00 and 24:00 on the day preceding the tournament.
- If a player who has not completed on-site registration on the day of the tournament without prior notice fails to inform the organizer of their intention to continue participating by the end of all games in Round 1, 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 via the Bye Request Form 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 japanchess.info@gmail.com. If a player missed the prior round without a Bye report, and does not contact the above address by email before the pairings of the next round is published, he/she will be disqualified and will be excluded from the tournament.
- In the case of cancellation, see detail at “Cancellation Policy” above.
Default Time:
- If any player is not present within 10 min after the game starts, she/he shall lose the game by default. The game is not rated. If a player loses a game by default without prior notice, the player may be declared to have lost all subsequent games by default.
- If a player loses by default 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 not allowed to keep it on him/her or take it outside of the venue in a bag. When a player breaks these rules, his/her game shall be immediately lost. Since the game is not a default, 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 japanchess.info@gmail.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.
- Keeping score is not required. After the game, both players must sign each other’s score sheets and report the result to the arbiter. Players must confirm the result before signing.
- 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 their 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 Japan Chess Federation (japanchess.info@gmail.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 tell the staff and get out of the venue immediately. If the organizer determines that the player is sick, the organizer may order the player to get out.
- Players may put on their masks at their own disposal. Even in cases where the player does not have a bad physical condition,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.
- The Japan Chess Federation shall not be responsible for any troubles between individuals.
- If there is a discrepancy between English and Japanese, the Japanese version prevails.
Organizer
Japan Chess Federation
Sponsor
