20TH ASIAN SCHOOLS CHESS CHAMPIONSHIPS 2026

BOYS & GIRLS UNDER 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 & 17
1ST OCTOBER – 11TH OCTOBER 2026 ★ TULA REGION, RUSSIA

INVITATION

The Local Organizing Committee (LOC), in cooperation with the Asian Chess Federation and subject to the applicable FIDE procedures, is pleased to invite all Asian National Chess Federations to participate in the 20th Asian Schools Chess Championships 2026, which will be held in the Tula Region, Russia, from October 1, 2026 (arrival date) to October 11, 2026 (departure date).

GENERAL RULES & REGULATIONS

The 20th Asian Schools Chess Championships shall be governed by the FIDE General Regulations for Competitions and the Laws of Chess.

1. PARTICIPATION

1.1.

Chess players from all Asian chess federations are eligible to participate in the Championship. Participants must not have reached the respective age before January 1, 2026.

1.2.

There will be 12 groups in total. In cases where an age group has fewer than ten players and five federations, that group will be combined with another age group. Please see the table below:

1.3.

Each federation may register only one (1) official player per group. Free meals and accommodation will be provided on a shared double-occupancy basis.

1.4.

Each federation may register any number of additional players. These participants must pay an entry fee, a registration fee, and the full board/accommodation amount to the Organizing Committee. All participants must have a FIDE identification number (FIN).

1.5.

Registration is only available through national federations. Individual applications will not be accepted. The registration deadline is September 15, 2026.

1.6.

If a federation does not have an official player in a particular group, substitutions from other groups are not allowed. One Head of Delegation (HOD) per federation is allowed to participate, and their accommodation and meals are covered by the Organizing Committee.

1.7.

For safety reasons, all players, accompanying persons, coaches, and captains are required to stay in official hotels and make reservations through the Organizing Committee.

2. FINANCIAL REGULATIONS

2.1.

The entry fee is USD 75 for official players and USD 150 for additional players. The entry fee must be paid by September 15, 2026. Late registrations may be accepted at the discretion of the Organizing Committee subject to a late entry fee of USD 50 per person.

2.2.

Registration Fee: According to the rules, all players and accompanying persons must pay a registration fee of USD 110 to the Organizing Committee.

2.3.

The hotel payment deadline is September 15, 2026. The hotel deposit of 50% must be transferred to the Organizing Committee by this deadline. Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

All payments must be transferred to the following bank account of the official payment agent:

VTB BANK (PJSC) SHANGHAI BRANCH
Bank Address: Office 2503-2505, Shanghai Tower, 501
Middle Yincheng Road, Shanghai, China 200120
Bank Code: 767290000018
SWIFT: VTBRCNSH
Account No.40702156400619100129
In favor of Trading House Shchekinoazot Ltd.

2.4.

The remaining balance must be made before the technical meeting. Participants will not be included into the groups until they have paid all accommodation and tournament fees.

2.5.

Participants must cover their travel expenses by themselves or through their national chess federations.

2.6.

If you have any problems with your bank transfer, please contact the Organizing Committee for more information.

3. VENUE AND OFFICIAL HOTEL

3.1.

The playing venue shall be a 4* “SHAHTER” Park Hotel. Several other 4* hotels shall be provided. All participants and accompanying persons are required to stay at the official hotels booked through the Organizing Committee.

3.2.

The Organizing Committee reserves the right to rearrange the assignment of the rooms according to their availability. This includes arranging additional rooms at hotels nearby.

3.3.

Twelve official players and one Head of Delegation (HOD) from each country will be provided with free meals and accommodation at the official hotels from October 1, 2026 (check-in from 14:00) to October11, 2026 (check-out before 12:00). Room arrangements will be made on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants shall be charged for early check-ins and late check-outs.

3.4.

All additional players and other accompanying persons shall pay for their board and lodging (including breakfast, lunch and dinner) per person per day as listed below. If the requested room category is unavailable when the Organizing Committee receives the payment, the Organizing Committee reserves the right to change the room category in accordance with the availability.

Hotel fees:

• USD 120 per night for a single room in the guesthouse, including full board;
• USD 90 per person per night for accommodation in a double room in the guesthouse, including full board.

PLEASE NOTE: Full payment is required covering the whole period of the event. The hotel may charge extra for early check-ins and late check-outs.

4. COMPETITION FORMAT

4.1.

The competition format in accordance with the FIDE Rules is the following: Swiss system, 9 rounds for standard and blitz and 7 rounds for rapid, using the Swiss Manager software for pairings.

4.2. Time Control:

• Standard games: 60 minutes with an increment of 30 seconds per move starting with move 1.
• Rapid games: 10 minutes with an increment of 5 seconds per move.
• Blitz games: 3 minutes with an increment of 2 seconds per move.

4.3.

Players who arrive 30 minutes after the announcement of the start of the games shall lose by default in Standard games. Rapid and Blitz games - game lost when time runs out for the player.

5. TIE-BREAKS

5.1.

Players' final rankings will be determined based on their points. If two or more players have tied for the same number of points at the end of the tournament, the following tiebreakers will be used:

a) Direct Encounter
b) Greater Number of Wins, including forfeits and byes
c) Buchholz Cut 1
d) Buchholz
e) Sonneborn-Berger system.

6. SCHEDULE

7. CUPS, MEDALS AND CERTIFICATES

7.1.

Champions will be awarded cups, whereas the top 3 players in standard, rapid and blitz will be awarded medals and certificates.

7.2.

The top 3 federations by medal count across all groups in standard chess will receive a trophy. For ranking, the number of gold medals will be considered first followed by the number of silver medals in the event of a tie, and if the tie remains the number of bronze medals will be considered as well. If the results are still tied, the total number of medalists in standard, rapid, and blitz will be considered.

7.3.

Team medals will be awarded in each category based on the total scores of the top three players of a federation in the Standard, Rapid and Blitz Competitions. Federations with fewer than three players will not be eligible for a team award. In the event of a tie, the scores of each player in the tiebreak will be considered.

7.4.

Certificates of participation will be awarded to all players, FIDE-accredited coaches, managers and appointed technical specialists.

8. TITLE AWARDS

8.1.

Direct titles are awarded for standard chess in accordance with the FIDE Handbook https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/B01DirectTitles2026

N.A.: Not Available

8.2.

Gold medalists in the U13, U15, and U17 Open/Girls groups are awarded the FM/WFM titles. Silver and bronze medalists are awarded the Candidate Master (CM) / Woman Candidate Master (WCM) title.

8.3.

Gold, silver, and bronze medalists in the U7, U9, and U11 Open/Girls groups are awarded the CM/WCM title.

8.4.

To be immediately awarded a direct title, a candidate must at some point achieve the following minimum rating: FM 2100/WFM 1900, CM 2000/WCM 1800.

9. TECHNICAL DELEGATE, CHIEF ARBITER, AND APPEALS COMMITTEE

9.1.

The President of the Asian Chess Federation appoints the Technical Delegate, Chief Arbiter, and Fair Play Officer, as well as the necessary Assistant Arbiters and other officials.

9.2.

The Chairman of the Appeals Committee is appointed by the President of the Asian Chess Federation. The Committee shall consist of one Chairman, two Members, and two Reserves, each from a different federation, selected from the representatives of the present national federations.

9.3.

Protests, including appeals against decisions of the Chief Arbiter or his assistants, must be submitted in writing to the Chairman of the Appeals Committee within thirty minutes after the completion of the relevant playing session.

9.4.

Each protest must be submitted in writing and accompanied by a protest fee of USD 100 or the equivalent in the local currency. If the protest is upheld, the protest fee will be refunded; otherwise, it will be returned to the organizing federation.

9.5.

The Appeals Committee decision is final, binding, and takes effect immediately.

9.6.

Protests are not accepted in blitz or rapid games, where the Chief Arbiter's decision is final.

9.7.

The Chief Arbiter, in agreement with the Asian Chess Federation, may issue additional written instructions to address other details not covered by the General Rules & Regulations.

10. VISA

10.1.

Those requiring visas must submit their information no later than September 1, 2026. Invitations will be issued only after all prepayments have been made. In case the submission is made after the indicated deadline, the Organizing Committee is not responsible for obtaining a visa.

11. TRANSFER

11.1.

The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) will provide free transfers for registered participants as follows: from Moscow airports (Sheremetyevo – SVO, Domodedovo – DME, and Vnukovo – VKO) to the Official Hotel and from the Official Hotel to the airports.

11.2.

To ensure transfers, all participants must provide the Organizing Committee with their arrival and departure flight details by September 15, 2026. Otherwise, the Organizing Committee will bear no responsibility for the transfers.

12. REGISTRATION

Online registration is online on: ascc2026.chesstournament.org

Username and passwords will email to all the National Chess Federations.

13. CONTACT DETAILS

In case you have any questions please contact the Local Organizing Committee (LOC):

FM Grigory Tkachev
Tel./WhatsApp: +79612640189
Email: [email protected]

Chess Federation of Russia
Email: [email protected]