Japan Youth Chess Championship 2026

Tournament Regulations

Overview

・Dates: Saturday, April 4th – Sunday, April 5th

・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

・Format: 6R Swiss, 45 min+30 sec/move, National Standard Rating Applied

・Eligibility Criteria for Participation

Participants in this tournament must be annual members of the Japan Chess Federation under the age of 18 as of December 31st 2025 and meet one of the following conditions:

Players whose chess nationality is Japan.
Players whose chess nationality is not Japan (including those without a FIDE ID) but who hold Japanese nationality or who reside in Japan.

・Entry Fee: 5,000 yen (tax included)

・Capacity: 70 players

・Registration Method:

・Registration Period:

From 12:00, Friday February 6th 2026 to 23:59, Sunday March 29th 2026
・Organizer: Japan Chess Federation

・Contact: japanchess.info@gmail.com

・Categories:

The age categories are defined as follows:

U18/U16/U14: Players who are under 18 / 16 / 14 years of age as of December 31st 2025.

* Players under 12 years old may also participate in the Youth Championship upon registration.

* To verify eligibility, participants may be required to present an official photo ID (passport, My Number Card, student ID, etc.) during registration or at the check-in on the tournament day.

* If you are not yet a member of the Japan Chess Federation, please purchase a ticket via Peatix first and promptly complete the membership registration process:

https://japanchess.org/welcome-to-japan-chess-federation-2/

* Current members should ensure that their membership remains valid until thetournament day. If your membership has expired, please renew it before check-in on the tournament day.

The final decision regarding eligibility will be made by the Japan Chess Federation.

Schedule

Saturday April 4th
9:45-10:10 Check-In
10:10 Opening Ceremony
10:30 R1
14:00 R2
17:00 R3 (Expected finish time: 19:30)

Sunday April 5th
09:30 R4 　
13:00 R5
16:00 R6
19:00 Award Ceremony

Registration

Registration Requirements

See above for eligibility criteria, Entry Fee, Registration Method and Period.

Important Notes after Registration:

After purchasing a ticket, the participant’s entry will be reflected on Chess-Results within approximately one week. Please verify that your name appears correctly.

Please note that participants who have not completed the Japan Chess Federation membership registration or renewal process will not be registered as participants. If applicable, please complete the required procedures and payment of membership fees as soon as possible.

At check-in on the day of the tournament, a QR code displayed on your Peatix electronic ticket will be required. Please ensure in advance that the QR code is displayed correctly on your device.

Waiting List Ticket：

A “Waiting List Ticket” will be sold at the same price along with the normal ticket on Peatix.
Waiting List Tickets can be purchased only when the capacity has been reached and regular tickets are sold out. If a cancellation occurs, the participants will be allowed to participate in the tournament in the order in which they purchased their Waiting List Ticket, and the purchase price will be applied directly to the entry fee. If the waiting list is not filled by one week prior to the tournament, the purchase price will be refunded.

If a waiting list ticket purchaser becomes eligible to participate in the tournament, he/she will be notified via his/her registered email address.

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 23:59 on Friday March 27th 2026 (8 days before the tournament):
- If the tournament has not reached full capacity – Full refund
- If the tournament has reached full capacity – No refund
Cancellations made on or after Saturday March 28th 2026 (7 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.
Refunds for waitlist tickets:
- If a waitlisted participant does not secure a spot by one week before the tournament, the full purchase amount will be refunded.

* All refunds will be processed according to Peatix’s regulations.

Prizes

The winner of the tournament shall be awarded the title of

Japan Youth Chess Champion and a specially produced commemorative medal.

In each of the U18, U16, and U14 categories:

Trophies shall be awarded to the top three (3) players and the highest-placed female player.
Certificates shall be awarded to players placing 4th to 6th, as well as the 2nd- and 3rd-placed female players.

Final rankings will be determined using tiebreak criteria.
In each of the U18, U16, and U14 categories, players who meet all of the following conditions shall be designated as seeded players for the Japan Chess Championship 2026:

The player finishes 1st place in the respective category; and
The player achieves a score of at least 50%.

Selection of representatives for international youth tournaments will be based on the results of this tournament, limited to players registered under Japanese chess nationality (including those who plan to obtain it in the future).
※ The category entered in this tournament shall be the category used for international selection purposes.

(If a player under the age of 12 enters a Youth Championship, the player shall be considered a Youth player for selection.)

※ Japanese chess nationality refers to players who are registered with FIDE under the JPN (Japan) federation.

Tournament Supplementary Rules

Tournament Rules

Pairing:

The pairings will be done in order of the Japan National Standard Ratings, titles, and the alphabetical order of the players.
Rating List as of April 2026 is utilized.
Pairings shall be generated using Swiss-Manager and conducted under the Swiss System.
Pairings for Round 1 shall be generated after 18:00 on the day before the tournament and published no later than 24:00.

Tie-Break：

Final rankings shall be determined by applying the following tie-break criteria, in order:

Direct Encounter (results between tied players)
Buchholz Cut-1 (sum of opponents’ scores, excluding the lowest)
Buchholz (sum of all opponents’ scores)
Sonneborn–Berger (sum of opponents’ scores defeated plus half of drawn opponents’ scores)
Sum of the Ratings of Opponents
Drawing of lots

Default Time:

A player who arrives more than 10 minutes after the start of the game shall lose by default. In the case of a default loss, no rating change shall be applied.
If a player defaults without prior notice, the organizer may declare all subsequent games as default losses.

Byes:

Pre-registered Byes: Bye requests will be accepted until 18:00 on the day before the tournament by filling in the Bye Request Form. 0.5 points will be awarded for pre-requested Byes, and 0 points for Bye requested after the deadline. The requested Bye for the final 2 rounds shall be given 0 points. If a player has more than 2 requested byes, the player will not qualify for prizes, seeds for the Japan Chess Championship nor the selection for the international purpose.
Pairing-allocated bye will be one point.
If you wish to declare a bye or cancel your participation in the tournament after the closing time of the previous day, please contact japanchess.info@gmail.com .
If a player missed the last round without prior 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. If cancellation, see detail at “Cancellation Policy” above.

Use of Electronic Devices:

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.
Violation of this rule will result in an immediate loss.

Notes on the Game：

Players must use clocks, chess sets, and score sheets provided by the organizer.
Players are required to record the moves accurately until the end of the game. After the game has finished, both players shall mutually verify the result recorded on the scoresheets and sign them, and then report the result to the arbiter.
Any matters not specified above shall be governed by the FIDE Laws of Chess.

Notes on Awards：

Prize winners who are absent from the award ceremony shall not be presented with medals, certificates, or other award memorabilia, except for the announcement of their final standings. However, this shall not apply if the prize winner has informed the staff in advance and obtained approval. If the organizer delivers such items to a prize winner by mail or other means, the organizer may request the prize winner to bear the associated costs.

Photography, Filming, Broadcasting and Publication

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 may change the above rules for reasonable grounds before and during the tournament.
In addition, 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 are able to 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 the cancellation of participation.
If a player has a high temperature or is feeling unwell, the player must inform the staff and leave the venue immediately.
If the organizer determines that a player is unwell, the organizer may instruct the player to leave the venue.
Players may wear masks at their own discretion.
Even if a player is not in poor physical condition, 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 disputes or troubles between individuals.
In the event of any discrepancy between the English and Japanese versions, the Japanese version shall prevail.