Japan Team Chess Championship 2025

Regulations

Dates/Venue/Format

Date: Sat, November 1, 2025 – Sun, November 2, 2025
Venue: Shinagawa Ward General Kumin Hall “Curian”
5-18-1 Higashi-Oi, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo (map)
2 min walk from Oimachi Station on JR Keihin-Tohoku Line, Tokyu Oimachi Line & Rinkai-sen
15 min walk from Aomono-Yokocho Station on Keihin-Kyuko Line
Format：4-person team tournament, 6R Swiss, 30 min + 30 sec/move, National Standard Rated
Pairings will be done within groups of Open and Group A.

The starting order will be determined by the average of the ratings of the top four players of the team.
Teams with the average rating of 1400 or higher shall be Open, and teams lower than 1400 shall be Group A.
If a team with the average rating lower than 1400 wishes to, the team can participate in Open (For details, refer to “Registration”).

Registration

Entry Criteria：

Memberships of all members of the team (captain and players) must be valid until Sun, November 2.

*members shall check that their memberships are valid until Sun, November 2. Non-members and those whose membership expires shall finish their membership registration until Sat, October 18.

Entry Fee：25,000 yen per team

The following discount schemes can be applied :

1 Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circles in the Kanto region: ¥20,000

2 Registered Clubs and Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circles outside the Kanto region: ¥12,000

3 Registered Clubs and Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circle outside of Honshu: Free and a ¥100,000 subsidy

4 Teams where all players are U22: ¥20,000

Team Composition: A team may consist of 4 or 5 players and 1 captain.

*Captain: The captain may or may not be one of the players on the team. A captain cannot be registered as a player or captain on any other team.

Registration: Purchase electronic tickets on Peatix during the registration period (Limit:60 teams)

*Input your team name, captain’s name, captain’s e-mail address, captain’s membership ID, club name or university circle name, etc. on Peatix when you purchase tickets. If a team with the average rating lower than 1400 wishes to participate in Open, please communicate the request.

* Team names shall be 24 letters or shorter (Including spaces, no symbols allowed)

*The starting order shall be in order of the average national rating of the teams. This average will be calculated using the National Standard Ratings (If none, National Rapid Rating) announced in October 2025 of the top four rated players on the team. The rating of a player without a rating shall be calculated provisionally as 1000.

Discount Codes: If your team is eligible for a discount, please enter the corresponding code when purchasing your ticket:

1 Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circles in the Kanto region: CF22

2 Registered Clubs And Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circles outside the Kanto region: KC50

3 Registered Clubs And Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circles outside of Honshu: HC0

4 Teams where all players are U22: U22
*Those who wish to use the discount code for Referral Campaign will receive discount by cash-back. Please write the code via fixed board order Google Form.

Participation fee/discount code (only one team per organization is eligible)

		Participating regions
Membership	Age range	Kanto	Outside the Kanto	Outside of Honshu
Registered Clubs	No age restrictions	25,000 yen / general admission	12,000 yen / KC50	Free and a 100,000 yen subsidy/ HC0
Japan Collegiate Chess Federation	half or more players are U22	20,000 yen / CF22	12,000 yen / KC50	Free and a 100,000 yen subsidy/ HC0

Participation fee/discount code (for two or more teams from the above organizations or general participants)

		Participating regions
Membership	Age range	Kanto	Outside the Kanto	Outside of Honshu
No affiliation required	No age restrictions	25,000 yen / general admission
	All players are U22	20,000 yen / U22

*Discount codes “CF22,” “KC50,” and “HC0” can only be used once per team by the same club or circle. There is no limit to the number of times discount code “U22” can be used.

*The discount for Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circles is only applicable if more than half of the players are U22. A player is considered U22 if they have not reached the age of 22 by January 1, 2025 (i.e., born in or after 2003).

*If the purpose of the discount is not fulfilled, such as when the majority of players reside far from the club’s location, discounts “KC50” and “HC0” may be canceled.

Member registration and fixed board order: Separately from the Peatix application, member registration and fixed board order must be submitted via Google Form within the registration period.

Application period:

Registered clubs Pre-registration period: 18:00 on Wed, September 3~ 23:59 on Tue, September 16.

Only two teams from one club may apply in advance; if a third or later team wishes to register, they must do so during the general registration period.

Registrations from teams outside of Registered Clubs and Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circles will not be accepted during the Pre-registration period.

Registered Club Advance Tickets will not be accepted for teams that are not members of a recognized club or student chess federation.

General registration period: 0:00 on Wed, September 17 – 23:59 on Sat, October 18 [Peatix] .

Schedule

Sat, November 1

9:30 – 10:10 Check-in

10:10 Opening Ceremony

10:30 R1

13:50 R2

16:40 R3

Sun, November 2

9:30 R4

12:50 R5

15:40 R6

18:30 Prize Giving

Prize

Open
Team Prize: 1st 50,000 yen, 2nd 40,000 yen, 3rd 30,000 yen, 4th 25,000 yen, 5th 20,000 yen
Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circles: 1st 20,000 yen
Board prizes: Total of four winners with the highest score on each of boards 1~4 5,000 yen and Chessmood Prizes each
Group A
Team Prize: 1st 30,000 yen, 2nd 25,000 yen, 3rd 20,000 yen, 4th 15,000 yen, 5th 10,000 yen
Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circles: 1st 10,000 yen
Board prizes: Total of four winners with the highest score on each of boards 1~4 3,000 yen and Chessmood Prizes each
A single team can not receive both Team Prize and Japan Collegiate Chess Federation member circle prize.
Participation prizes for all elementary school students and under.Other prizes suited for Team Chess Championship will be given out.

Tournament Rules

Each team will be paired by Swiss Format.
Each team shall fix their players to Board 1 through 4 or 5. Fixed board order will be kept through the tournament. the games within a match will be paired by players of the same board of both teams, deciding the points defined below.
Game Points: Team matches consist of 4 games played simultaneously, with 1 point for a win, 0.5 points for a draw, and 0 points for a loss.
Match points: Teams get 2 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, and 0 points for a loss. (A team win means that the team gets more game points than the opposing team. If the game points are the same, the game is a draw.)
Team Standings: The team ranking will be determined by the following conditions.
(1) Match points (total of match points)
(2) Game points (total of game points)
(3) Results of the teams
(4) Buchholz (total match points of all opposing teams)
(5) Sonneborn-Berger (sum of the match points of the winning team and half of the match points of the drawn team)
(6) Drawing of lots
Board Prize Standings: To be determined within player with 4 or more rounds played, by the following conditions.
(1)Points (total of game points)
(2)Win Percentage
(3)Performance Rating
(4)Drawing of lots
*Players are eligible for the board prize of the board they have played on the most. If there are multiple boards with the most played games, the player will be eligible for the higher board. Tiebreaks shall be calculated disregarding the board played.
*Games that resulted in Forfeited wins/losses do not count for win percentage and game points.
Default Time: Players who arrive more than 10 minutes after the start of the match will be disqualified. There will be no change in rating.
Bye: No declared Bye is allowed.

Others

Clocks, chess sets, and game sheets provided by the organizer must be used.
The game record must be filled in until the end of the game. The process of reporting the results of the match will be informed to the captain before the tournament.
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. It is forbidden for anybody to use a mobile phone or any kind of communication device in the playing venue.
*However, if you must carry an electronic device such as a cell phone during the game due to unavoidable circumstances, please send an e-mail to japanchess.info@gmail.com with the reason for your request when you register. The organizer will permit the possession of such a device only if it is approved by the organizer after taking the circumstances into consideration.
The tournament will follow FIDE rules unless otherwise stated above. For example, an illegal move will be penalized and the second illegal move will result in the loss of the game. Pressing the clock by mistake or pressing it with the other hand which touched the pieces will also be judged as an illegal move.

Detailed Rules

Member registration and fixed board order must be submitted separately from the Peatix application via Google Form by 23:59 on Sat, October 18.
Members and fixed board orders can be changed on Google Form during the registration period. After the registration period, changes to members due to reasons that the organizer judges appropriate, such as sickness, can be made by paying ¥1,000. In that case, they must contact japanchess.info@gmail.com by email by 23:59 on Wed, October 29. Members who can be added to the team member by this change are limited to those who have finished their membership application by 23:59 on Fri, October 28.
If a team is not forced to pair up, or if the opposing team has only two or fewer players, the team will be declared a forfeit win and will receive two match points and four game points.
Players during games shall not talk to other members, members of other teams, or spectators during the match.
It is prohibited to discuss the acceptance of a draw in advance of a match. If a player is found to have done so, the Chief Arbiter may disqualify the team from the round or take other disciplinary action.
Captains are not allowed to talk with members about the contents of the game. The captain must not stand in a place where they can make eye contact with any other member of the team.
The captain should confirm the results after the round and report any mistakes to the arbiter immediately.
To avoid possible confusion, questions, etc., should be directed through the captains and not be made by individual players.
Team captains of 5-player teams must submit the order sheets to the Chief Arbiter at least 10 minutes before the start of the next round. Teams that do not submit the order form will have the top 4 players of the fixed board order for the next round.
A captains’ meeting will be held online prior to the tournament. The meeting will be held on Thu, October 30, from 21:00 to 22:00. Each team must have a captain or a proxy attend the meeting.
Due to time constraints on the day of the meeting, items communicated at the captains’ meeting will be treated as well-known. Attendance at the above meeting is required so that no one will be disadvantaged due to absence without reasonable cause and without knowledge of the matters communicated.
Team pairings for R1 will be announced in the captains’ meeting. 5-man team captains must inform the order sheets of their R1 competitors by reply by 20:00 on Fri, October 31. Teams that do not submit the order form will have the top 4 players of the fixed board order for R1.
One staff shall shall be sent to cooperate the organization of the tournament if 3 or more teams register from one club or circle.

Media Relations

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.
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.
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 the Japan Chess Federation. Participants shall agree to the publication and live broadcast of these photos and videos.

Other

The organizer reserves the right to change the above rules for appropriate reasons before the start of a round.
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 on their own decision. If a player is coughing or sneezing, the organizer may order the player to put on their masks.
The Japan Chess Federation shall not be responsible for any troubles between individuals.
If there is a discrepancy between English and Japanese, Japanese version prevails.

Cancellation Policy

If you wish to cancel your participation in the tournament, you must notify us via email at japanchess.info@gmail.com .　 Refundability depends on the time of cancellation.

Cancellations made by 23:59 on Oct 18
- If the tournament has not reached full capacity – Full refund
- If the tournament has reached full capacity – No refund
Cancellations made on or after Oct 19
- No refund
  - In case of natural disasters or cancellation of the tournament due to organizer circumstance, refunds may be considered.
Refunds will be processed upon Peatix regulations.