Organizer
CER L’Escala Chess Club with the support of the Catalan Chess Federation (FCE) and the L’Escala City Council.
Participants
All players with a valid FIDE license will be able to participate. Those players with an ESP flag in FIDE must also have previously processed their FEDA license or the FCE license for players from Catalonia.
Play place
Casal del Jubilat Jardí del Pedró, located at Plaça Escoles, 5, L’Escala (Catalonia).
It is adapted for people with physical disabilities according to current regulations of the Govern of Catalonia.
Air-conditioned game room.
Game days
From August 31 to September 6, 2026, both inclusive.
Tournament system
Single group without FIDE rating limit, open to all federated players.
The tournament will be played in the nine-round Swiss System.
Time control
Games will be 90 minutes per player with an increment of 30 seconds per move from the first.
Ranking
For the ranking, the FIDE rating will be taken into account first; if none is available, the catalan FCE rating and lastly alphabetical order. It will be published on the tournament website, on the chess-results website and in the game room.
Game schedule
All rounds will start at 5:00 p.m., except for rounds 3, 7 and 9, corresponding to September 2, 5 and 6, which will be played in the morning at 10:00 a.m. The closing ceremony will take place after the last round ends, scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 6.
Table of dates and times:
| Day | Date | Event | Time |
| Monday | 31/08/2026 | Round 1 | 17:00 |
| Tuesday | 01/09/2026 | Round 2 | 17:00 |
| Wednesday | 02/09/2026 | Round 3 | 10:00 |
| Wednesday | 02/09/2026 | Round 4 | 17:00 |
| Thursday | 03/09/2026 | Round 5 | 17:00 |
| Friday | 04/09/2026 | Round 6 | 17:00 |
| Saturday | 05/09/2026 | Round 7 | 10:00 |
| Saturday | 05/09/2026 | Round 8 | 17:00 |
| Sunday | 06/09/2026 | Ronda 9 | 10:00 |
| Sunday | 06/09/2026 | Cloenda | 14:00 |
Registration
Fees for the right to participate in the championship:
| Quotas (€) | Before July 31 | From August 1 to August 30 (12 noon) |
| GM, WGM, IM and WIM | 0 € | 0 € |
| Plus of 2200 elo FIDE | 20 € | 30 € |
| Veterans +65 and under 16 | 30 € | 40 € |
| General registration | 40 € | 50 € |
To register with payment by Credit Card or Paypal, it must be done through: FORM.
Registration and payment must be made before August 30, 2026. Registrations will not be effective until payment has been made correctly.
The organization reserves the right to cancel a registration. Capacity will be limited and participants will be accepted in strict order of registration according to the form.
Late from the start
Those players who present themselves at the board more than half an hour (30 minutes) late from the start of the round will lose the game for failure to appear, unless the referee decides otherwise.
Byes
The number of zero-point byes that a player may request will be a maximum of three. No bye may be requested for the last two rounds, otherwise it will be understood that the player has left the tournament and therefore loses the right to obtain any prize. Those interested must notify the referee before the end of the previous round.
Rating
The tournament will be valid for Catalan (FCE) and international (FIDE) Elo in classical rhythm.
Failure to appear
Players who do not show up for the first round without a justified reason will be eliminated from the tournament, as will those who do not show up for two consecutive or alternate rounds. Players who, for any reason, must be absent from a round must notify the referees during the previous round. The eliminated/withdrawn player loses all his rights in this tournament.
Tie breakers
Once the last round is over, tiebreakers will be applied, resulting in the final general classification. Order of application of tiebreaker systems:
- Particular result
- Buchholz Medium
- Buchholz Total
- Greatest number of victories
- Largest number of games played with black
Arbiter
Arbitration management by: IA Emili Colls Gelaberto.
Director
The tournament director: Carles Vilà Camps.
Appeal Committee
It will be formed by the tournament director or his/her delegate, as president, and two adult players, plus two reserve players.
The decisions of the Chief Arbiter may be appealed to the Appeal Committee in writing and no later than 30 minutes after the incident. The decisions of this Committee will be final and unappealable.
Every participant has a Complaints Sheet available for any sporting problems that arise in chess games during the tournament.
Prizes
Total cash prizes: 2.700 euros.
Cash prizes will be awarded in strict order of classification.
The overall and stage prizes will not be cumulative, so those athletes who can qualify for two prizes will receive the prize with the highest economic value. In case of equal value, the prize with the highest category will be awarded.
The first elo that will be used for classification will be the FIDE. In its absence, if it is not available, participants with a Catalan elo will be taken into account. Athletes who do not belong to the FCE and do not have a FIDE elo will not score for stages.
Participants who do not play the last two rounds will lose all the right to receive any of the prizes established in these rules.
List of awards
The total cash prizes are 2,700 euros which will be divided between the general classification, the women’s classification and the special prizes by FIDE Elo sections.
General classification prizes
| Rank | General | Women |
| 1 | 800 € | 500 € |
| 2 | 500 € | |
| 3 | 300 € | |
| 4 | 200 € | |
| 5 | 100 € | |
| TOTAL | 1.900 € | 500 € |
Prizes for the best ranked Elo intervals
| Tram ELO | Amount |
| 0 – 1699 | 100 € |
| 1700 – 1999 | 100 € |
| 2000 – 2199 | 100 € |
| TOTAL | 300 € |
The prizes are subject to the current legal personal income tax withholding. The cash prizes will be paid by bank transfer and are subject to the corresponding tax withholding reflected in the Personal Income Tax law. To make the payment, you will need to provide a copy of your DNI/NIE or passport, and the bank account number where the deposit will be made. In the case of minors, a copy of the DNI of their legal representative and their signature will be required. The cash prizes are valid for 3 months.
Trophies for individual classifications
- Trophy for the top 3 finishers
- Trophy for the champion of each section
- Trophy for the best female, the best veteran and the best under 16 player
Mobile phones and other electronic devices
According to the FIDE Laws of Chess, players must have their mobile phones and/or any other electronic means of communication completely turned off. If a player is found to be connected to or using an electronic communication device, he will automatically lose the game. In the event that the electronic communication device produces noise, the arbiter may sanction offenders with sanctions ranging from a warning to the loss of the game, depending on the circumstances (such as recidivism).
Advertising
The CER L’Escala Chess Club intends to publicize the event in both the press and social networks, so it will take and publish images, as well as the minimum data necessary to make the classifications and pairings. Therefore, by formalizing the registration, the participants authorize the organization to publish images of the tournament in which they appear in order to publicize the activity. Likewise, permission is given to publish photographs, videos and the minimum data to other companies collaborating in the event.
Others
Any point not provided for in these rules will be resolved by applying the FIDE regulations for the regulation of tournaments valid for FIDE ELO and International Titles and the General Competition Regulations of the Catalan Chess Federation (FCE).
Participation in the tournament implies full acceptance of these rules.
